The storms that soaked Pacific Palisades during the third week of January helped trigger a landslide off the Via de las Olas bluffs that stopped just short of Pacific Coast Highway. A quarter of mile south of Temescal Canyon Road, the dirt, rocks, uprooted trees and shrubs completely covered a trail used by Caltrans and transients.   Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services stacked sand bags on Via de las Olas in an effort to stop rainwater from draining over the cliff (near the Mt. Holyoke viewsite). Yellow tape was also placed at the site to warn people of the danger.   At an outjutting about 100 yards south of the sandbags, a section of the sidewalk and trees adjacent to the bluffs was fenced off. A sign ‘Keep Out, Unstable Ground’ was placed on the chain-link fence.   Albert Androsky, who has lived on the street since 1962, said that since he’s lived there, maybe only a yard of ground has come off the end of the road. ‘It’s been a great place to live despite the geological hazards,’ he said.   There have been several slides along the street, including the infamous ‘killer slide’ in March 31, 1958, when a state Department of Highways supervisor was buried at the foot of Via de la Paz. PCH was subsequently relocated around the toe of the slide, closer to the ocean.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.