Rancho Palos Verdes mayor frames 2026 priorities around landslide response and public safety

Mayor Paul Seo used his first City Talk appearance of 2026 to cast landslide response and public safety as the top priorities for Rancho Palos Verdes.

"My phone is always on," Seo said, urging residents affected by slope movement to contact him and city staff. He said the city has "stabilized a good portion of the land side" but needs continued funding and work to solve remaining issues, and that city representatives recently travelled to Sacramento to press state legislators for support.

Seo reiterated the city—fforts to prepare for winter rains, stressing communication channels for residents and continued dewatering measures. He called PV Drive South a major thoroughfare and flagged traffic consequences if the route were compromised: "We have about 15,000 cars that go over it every single day," he said, adding that the city is working to keep the road open and safe.

On broader emergency planning, Seo described a peninsula-wide hazard mitigation effort conducted with a contractor and four cooperating cities. He said the survey that closed Jan. 15 will inform risk assessments for wildfire, earthquake and landslide scenarios over the next decades.

Public safety was a second pillar of Seo—omments. The mayor described a newly stood-up public safety division that provides liaisons and "eyes and ears on the street" to augment Los Angeles County Sheriff epartment patrols. He said year-to-date crime is down and urged residents to report suspicious activity, recounting a city response to a reported burglary that led to an arrest.

Seo framed these priorities as linked: stabilization of slopes, reliable infrastructure and strong resident communication are central to keeping neighborhoods safe and accessible, he said. He closed by thanking Public Works staff for around-the-clock work on recent storms and inviting residents to participate in preparedness efforts and city events.