Residents living along the cliffside in a wealthy coastal area of Southern California experienced quite a scare when a section of the bluff collapsed, sending parts of their backyards tumbling 200 feet down into the Pacific Ocean.

Despite the unsettling event, Geno Imbriale, a homeowner in Palos Verdes with a property valued at $2.5 million, remains unconcerned, though the incident has reduced his home’s worth.

‘It’s like a drive-by shooting, which house gets hit. You just never know,’ Imbriale told the Daily Mail. 

But despite the landslide risk, he isn’t leaving.  

‘I grew up here, it’s home. My wife and my kids, we all love it. I feel like it will stand for another 100 years, maybe more,’ he said. 

The collapse happened last month on Marguerite Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes, about a 10-minute drive from Imbriale’s own Narcissa Drive home.

Between 300 and 400 feet of the bluff ‘sloughed off’ into the sea in a crescent-shaped break, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The disaster left a row of multimillion-dollar homes suddenly much closer to the edge than their owners had ever expected. 

Imbriale bought his mansion in 2022, and said he never expected the land to be disappearing this quickly. 

He mentioned that at one point in 2023, his house was edging towards the cliff at a troubling pace of 17 inches a week, whereas the typical rate should only be two inches.

Fortunately, no injuries occurred and homes were not destroyed during the September landslide. However, city officials noted that the intense ground movement had damaged several backyards.

Despite the sight of broken fences and overturned patios hanging off the cliff, city manager Ara Mihranian referred to the event as a ‘localized land subsidence,’ assuring that the situation is ‘stable’ and evacuation isn’t necessary.

But in a region built on unstable ground, few are taking comfort. 

However, Imbriale noted that he knows about a dozen families who have chosen to leave their homes, worried they might find themselves submerged in the Pacific one morning.

‘This is California’s version of Russian roulette,’ Imbriale said. ‘It’s really random. There’s no rhyme or reason to it.’

Imbriale said growing up in the area, he knew about the region’s history with natural disasters but never expected it to worsen so quickly.

‘When we bought, the movement had been flatlined — maybe one to three inches a year for 30 or 40 years,’ he said. 

‘That’s just normal coastal California. The neighborhood’s been here 70 years, so we thought: “It’s fine.”

‘We love it here. It feels rural, which is rare in Southern California. You’ve got space, ocean views, and a small-town feeling.’ 

But when unusually heavy rains hit last year, everything changed.

‘That’s when the landslide really reactivated,’ Imbriale said.

‘We have water pumps not far under our homes and roads. The pipes started breaking everywhere, and I saw Wayfarers Chapel — I’ve been to three weddings there — get visible damage. That’s when I went: “Oh c**p.”‘

The chapel, famous for hosting the weddings of movie star Jayne Mansfield and Beach Boys icon Brian Wilson, eventually closed last year due to ‘land movement.’

In 2024, the damage in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood grew severe enough that the county gas and electric companies pulled out of the area, forcing residents to find their own power sources.

‘When the gas company pulled out, it was effective immediately. Same day,’ Imbriale told the Daily Mail.

‘So we had to go solar, add a propane tank, and a backup generator. It’s a long-term investment now, but it’s expensive. The gas alone is about double the price.’

Rancho Palos Verdes is about 30 miles south of Los Angeles and sits on some of the most unstable soil in the state.

Landslides have been reshaping the peninsula throughout history, repeatedly damaging homes, roads, and utilities. The landscape is always shifting. But it’s getting worse. 

In addition to the Marguerite Drive landslide, there have also been small landslides on  Portuguese Bend, located about four miles south of the September incident.

Slide activity picked up dramatically in 2023, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. 

Nearly 20 homes there have been ‘red-tagged,’ meaning they’re unsafe to occupy.

City officials have launched a ‘geotechnical review’ which will assess the structural integrity of affected homes and continue monitoring the site twice a year.

‘We are concerned. Residents are concerned. The neighborhood is concerned,’ city manager Mihranian said in a statement after the Marguerite Drive collapse. 

‘We are looking into it and working very closely with the property owners that have been affected.’

Cleanup costs also fell to private homeowners, as the damage occurred on private land.

Officials have urged the public to stay away while the bluff continues to settle.

Despite the uncertainty, residents like Imbriale say they’re staying put. He lives just a 12-minute drive from the collapse on Marguerite.

‘It’s scary sometimes,’ he said. ‘But this is home. You can’t beat the view — even if the ground underneath it keeps moving.’