Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank is asking tech billionaire Elon Musk for help to assist homeowners dealing with gas outages and possibly power outages amid worsening mudslides.
“While our community is resilient, this situation presents a unique opportunity to turn a setback into a display of sustainable living,” Cruikshank wrote in a letter to Tesla’s founder on Aug. 8 and published on X, which Musk also owns. “Given Tesla’s advancements in solar technology and storage solutions, we see a potential partnership to equip these homes with solar panels and Powerwall batteries.”
It's unclear whether Musk received the letter or plans to visit the region; Tesla has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The coastal community has been dealing with a slow-moving landslide for decades, but the historic storms of 2023-24 have accelerated its movement and created the current emergency. Up to 30cm of land movement per week has been recorded in recent months, fracturing the walls of homes and ripping off roofs, severing underground pipes and opening huge fissures in the earth.
Since October, Rancho Palos Verdes has been under a local state of emergency.
On July 29, Southern California Gas Co. abruptly cut off natural gas service to 135 homes in the coastal city, citing public safety risks. The next day, Southern California Edison notified more than 500 homes that their power could soon be shut off as well.
A power outage would pose a host of safety concerns for the community, city officials said, because electricity is key to telecommunications lines, the sewage system and pumps that flush out groundwater that geologists say causes the ground to move.
Some residents have already left, but many remain in their homes, struggling to find ways to take a hot shower, cook dinner and heat their homes as they prepare for the rainy season without access to natural gas.
Cruikshank invited Musk to tour the landslide site “as soon as possible.” A partnership with the struggling community of Rancho Palos Verdes, he added, “would demonstrate the viability of clean energy solutions in a real-world scenario, cementing Tesla’s role as a leader in the green energy revolution.”
Cruikshank also sent a letter this month requesting state and federal assistance for further landslide repairs, as well as for individual residents. Landslides are typically not covered by the California Disaster Assistance Act or regular homeowners insurance policies.
Times Staff Writer Grace Toohey contributed to this report.
