Palos Verdes Peninsula, California | |
|---|---|
Subregion of theLos Angeles metropolitan area | |
.jpg) Aerial view of the entire peninsula withits hills, looking NNE toward the city ofLos Angeles | |
 Interactive map of Palos Verdes Peninsula, California | |
| Coordinates:33°45′31″N118°20′45″W / 33.7586472222°N 118.345844444°W /33.7586472222; -118.345844444 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Area | |
• Total | 37.5 sq mi (97 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 65,008 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC−8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC−7) |
| Area codes | 310/424 |
ThePalos Verdes Peninsula (Palos Verdes (Spanish for 'Green Sticks'))[1] is apeninsularsubregion of theLos Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwesternLos Angeles County,California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes",[2] and is made up of a group of cities in thePalos Verdes Hills, includingPalos Verdes Estates,Rancho Palos Verdes,Rolling Hills,Rolling Hills Estates, and the unincorporated community of Westfield/Academy Hill, as well as the Los Angeles City neighborhood ofSan Pedro.
The peninsula is located in theSouth Bay region. It borders the city ofTorrance to its north, thePacific Ocean is on the west and south, and thePort of Los Angeles is to the east. As of the2010 census, the population of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is 65,008. The hill cities on the peninsula are known for scenic views of the Pacific Ocean andcityscapes, distinguished schools,[3] extensivehorse trails,[4] and high-value homes.[5]
The peninsula was the homeland of theTongva-GabrieliñoNative Americans people for thousands of years. In other areas of theLos Angeles Basin archeological sites date back 8,000 years.[6][7] Their first contact with Europeans occurred in 1542 withJoão Cabrilho (Juan Cabrillo).Chowigna andSuangna were two Tongva settlements of many in the peninsula area, which was also a departure point for theirrancherías on theChannel Islands.
In 1846,José Dolores Sepúlveda and José Loreto received aMexican land grant fromAlta California GovernorPío Pico for a parcel from the huge original 1784Spanish land grant ofRancho San Pedro toManuel Dominguez.[8] It was namedRancho de los Palos Verdes, or "ranch of the green trees", which was used primarily as a cattle ranch.[9] It was also briefly used as a whaling station in the mid-19th century.
By 1882, ownership of the land had passed from the Sepulveda family through various mortgage holders toJotham Bixby ofRancho Los Cerritos, who leased the land to Japanese farmers.[10]
Frank Vanderlip, representing a group of wealthy east coast investors, purchased 25 square miles of land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1913 for $1.5 million.[11] In 1914, Vanderlip vacationed at Palos Verdes in order to recover from an illness, and he was astounded by scenery he compared to "the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Amalfi Drive". He quickly initiated development of Palos Verdes. He hired theOlmsted Brothers, the landscaping firm ofJohn Charles Olmsted andFrederick Law Olmsted Jr., to plan and landscape a new subdivision.[12] The Olmsted Brothers contracted Koebig & Koebig to perform engineering work, including surveying and road planning.[13] However, the project stalled as World War I started, and Vanderlip accepted a chairmanship to the War Savings Committee in Washington, D.C. in 1916.
By 1921, Vanderlip had lost interest in overseeing development of Palos Verdes and enticedEdward Gardner Lewis to take over the project with an option to buy the property for $5 million. Lewis was an experienced developer, but lacked the capital to purchase and develop Palos Verdes. Instead, he established a real estate trust, capitalizing the project through the sale of notes which were convertible to Palos Verdes property. Under the terms of the trust, Lewis sought to raise $30 million for infrastructure improvements, effectively borrowing from investors for both the land and the improvements. He succeeded in attracting $15 million in capital, but far short of the $35 million needed. The trust dissolved and ownership of Palos Verdes reverted to Vanderlip.[14]
Vanderlip established a new real estate trust to purchase 3,200 acres from his land syndicate and establish the subdivision ofPalos Verdes Estates. The new trust assumed not just the land, but also the improvements made by Lewis. They were not complete, but they were substantial: improvements included many sewers, water mains, and roads; landscaping, parks, and a golf course. They opened Palos Verdes for public inspection in June 1923.[15]
Palos Verdes Estates was organized and landscaped by theOlmsted Brothers and in their planning, they dedicated a quarter of the land area to permanent open undeveloped space.[16]
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Palos Verdes has aMediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.[17]
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Reef restoration off the coast of Palos Verdes began in May 2020 involving over 30 acres (12 ha) of new habitat. Located off the coast, this restoration consists unique designs and locations with of rock relief habitats which provide habitat for marine life.[18] It avoids existing functioning reefs and instead uses those areas as inspiration.[18] These habitats have been impacted by deposited or settling sediment such as sand, leading the artificial reefs to be constructed over reefs buried in shallow sediment (to minimize potential for the artificial reef sinking).[18] The main goals of the restoration project were to restore therocky-reef territory and maximize ecosystem benefits.[18]
Reefs are productive ecosystems.[19] Two types of monitoring have been done for the restoration site. The first one being geophysical and oceanographic monitoring. The restoration project uses high-resolution multi-beam bathymetry data[18] which is an instrument that uses echo-sound to measure the depth of water at different angles to create 3D maps of the ocean floor. The team used before and after pictures of the site from October 2019, the date prior to alterations, three different dates throughout 2020, and the final date, December 2021. By 2021, the team used Edgetech 6205 MultiPhase EchoSounder,[18] which sends and receives audible pulses that also map the ocean's floor. Results showed net gain between 2019 and 2020.[18] There was little net loss and fewer net gain between 2020 and 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, there were was mostly no change.[18]
The second monitoring method was biological monitoring. The team used instruments which detected specific fish species' density and size. These instruments also showed the kelp canopy and other marine plants. By 2021, the team was able to say there was a significantly highergiant kelp density compared to the previous three years.[18] There was also an increase in biotic cover, total fish density, and total fish biomass by 2021.[18] Although kelp does function as a habitat and food source of marine species, it is not necessary for fish biodiversity. Instead, rock relief is linked to fish biodiversity.[20]
Human caused factors such as pollution and over harvesting have altered urchin-dominated areas. Historically, pollution mitigation has been overlooked in artificial reef restoration programs.[19] A way to mitigate issues is through assisted recovery and/or passive restoration. Experiments that have included pollution mitigation have seen a 100% success rate of achieving cleaner environments within their testing site.[21] Heavy metals have been found in Southern California coasts. Some of these are lead, zinc, and scientists have also foundDDT. The highestconcentration of DDT in sediments in California have been found off the coast of Palos Verdes. 98% of sediments tested off the coast of Palos Verdes contained DDT which has contaminated 100% of two fish species. These species are thePacific sanddab andlongfin sanddab.[22] High amounts of nutrients such asphosphorus andnitrate have also been detected in the water.[22] These factors have caused fish tissue to decrease between the 1970s and 1980s.[22] Due to the high concentration of DDT, commercial fishing is banned off the coast of Palos Verdes. Another factor where marine restorations fall short is in accounting for multiple important variables. Some examples are nutrients, light, wave exposure, and temporal temperatures.[19]
Another stressor that reefs and other marine ecosystems face are human population increases. Population increased in California's coast during the 1900s. It went from 200 thousand people in Southern California in 1900 to over 17 million in 1998.[22] Palos Verdes has been identified as a hot spot for sewage found in sediments. Invertebrates, plankton, and several species have bioaccumulated increasing amounts ofchlorinated hydrocarbons as they approach Palos Verdes.[22] When there are high levels of pollution, fish diseases such as tumors and fin erosion levels also increase.[22]
Palos Verdes Peninsula is anupper class area, and the average householdincome is $231,303 per year.[23]
Areas of commerce include historicMediterranean Revival style Malaga Cove Plaza and the Promenade on the Peninsula. Smaller shopping centers include the Peninsula Center, Lunada Bay Plaza, and Golden Cove Plaza.
The largest peninsula commercial district is inRolling Hills Estates, with manyshopping centers including The Promenade on the Peninsula with amegaplex movie theater and anice rink.
The Palos Verdes area has ocean views, coastline views and city light views.[citation needed]
The Peninsula is home to thePromenade on the Peninsula mall, originally an enclosed regional mall with two department store anchors,May Company California andBullocks Wilshire, as well as thePeninsula Center, which originally had aBuffums department store.[24]
ThePalos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority provides bus service within and to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.[25] The Palos Verdes Peninsula is within 40 minutes of bothLAX andLong Beach Airport, which together provide access to most of the United States aboard allmajor carriers.
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ThePalos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has one of the highest ratedAPI scores in California[26] and has one of the highest averageSAT scores[27] and one of the highest percentage of students successfully completing theAdvanced Placement exams[28] in the county. There are three high schools,Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (formerly called Rolling Hills High School),Palos Verdes High School, andRancho Del Mar High School (located in Rolling Hills). The formerMarymount California University, aco-edRoman Catholic four-year college was located inRancho Palos Verdes.[29] A private K–12 school,Chadwick School, is also located there.Rolling Hills Country Day School, adjacent to the Botanic Garden, offers a private K-8 education. In total, there are 11 elementary schools, 3 intermediate schools, and 3 high schools located on the peninsula.
In the Eastview neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes, however, residents have the option to choose either PV schools or the surrounding LAUSD schools (i.e. Dodson Middle School, Dana Middle School, San Pedro High School, etc.).
Additionally, students are also able to attend theCalifornia Academy of Mathematics and Science inCarson due to its attendance boundaries stretching to the South Bay, which is about 20–40 minutes from the peninsula itself.
The Peninsula is served by thePalos Verdes Library District,[30] which operates these three libraries:
The40 Families Project based at Peninsula Center Library documents the history of the Japanese-American community on Palos Verdes before World War II.[31]
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The peninsula is frequented by runners, hikers, horseback riders, bird watchers, surfers, scuba divers, fishermen, and bicyclists. The area is home to severalgolf courses andcountry clubs. In addition, nude sunbathers formerly frequented Sacreds Cove (or "Smugglers Cove") until the city ofRancho Palos Verdes enacted a 1994 ordinance that ended such use of that beach.
The infamous Palos Verdes surf spots have been in the spotlight many times over issues oflocalism. The most notorious surf spot for localism in Palos Verdes is Lunada Bay, which can hold any winter swell and has been known to rival Sunset Beach, Hawaii on a big day. Localism in Palos Verdes reached a turning point in 2001 when a civil rights lawsuit was filed after a particularly violent confrontation with Hermosa Beach surfers.[34] Surveillance cameras were placed in the surfing area but were later removed.[35] In 2016, The Coastal Commission targeted the group after "renewed reports that their unpermitted structure [built along Lunada Bay] was being used as a spot for ongoing bullying and intimidation." On July 12, 2016, City Manager Tony Dahlerbruch recommended the removal of the illegal structure after pressure from the California Coastal Commission.[36]
TheTrump National Golf Club is aDonald Trump venture with a golf course on the Ocean Trails cliffs. The 18th hole of the prior golf course fell victim to a landslide caused by a leak in the sanitary pipes underneath it. In the summer of 2006, the golf club erected a 70-foot flagpole for an American flag; critics claimed it was illegal, but the golf club was allowed to retain it after a City Council vote.[37]
TheMarineland of the Pacific site near Portuguese Bend is currently home of Terranea, a luxury oceanfront resort.[38]
There are numerous nature reserves in Palos Verdes: Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve, Agua Amarga Reserve, and Portuguese Bend Reserve. The reserves containcoastal sage scrubs habitats, a community of fragrant and drought resistant shrubs and flowering plants. In August 2009, wildfire burned approximately 165-acres of the Portuguese Bend Reserve. As a result, restoration has been done to reinstall native plants and animals to the area.[39]
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