Newport Beach landslide: 3 homes flagged by officials

Newport Beach mudslide threatens homes

The recent storms have led to a mudslide in Newport Beach, threatening nearby homes.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A landslide early Thursday morning prompted officials in Newport Beach to yellow-tag three homes in the Galaxy Drive neighborhood, reminiscent of a similar incident last year that resulted in the demolition of a nearby house.

Steven Peisner has lived on Galaxy Drive for about six years, renting the home where he and his family reside. As he surveyed his patio damaged by an early morning slide, he remarked that nothing like this had occurred in the half-dozen years he had lived there. Last Friday, he noticed the water level in his pool dropping, which he then realized was likely when the slide began.

The slide shattered his patio, backyard steps, and the backyards of two neighbors whose homes were also yellow-tagged. According to Peisner, the backyard "sank down about 10 feet, kind of like an elevator."

Newport Beach spokesman John Pope acknowledged that sliding land had long been a concern for many residents in the area. He stated, "Fortunately, with this slide, the homes remained intact. The loss of the backyards was very concerning, but the residents themselves were unharmed."

Image 1 of 3

▼

A landslide prompted Newport Beach officials to yellow-tag three homes (Photo SkyFOX).

Despite this, Alyssa Napuri from Supervisor Katrina Foley's office arrived offering assistance. She described the situation as "pretty concerning" and extended support.

Napuri explained, "The County Assessor was able to assess the property and determine the impact. On Galaxy Drive, there was a similar incident, and we connected affected residents with the county assessor to ensure they weren't taxed for land that had fallen into the bay."

A similar incident had occurred down the street on Galaxy Drive in March 2023. Interestingly, Steven Peisner was present a year ago as a concerned neighbor when he spoke to FOX 11. On that day, he witnessed bulldozers demolishing affected homes and expressed, "I can't even imagine for children, grandchildren... the memories... watching your home being torn down within an hour... just gone."

Now, just a year later, it was the rented house he occupied caught in a slide. While it didn't need to be demolished, it was yellow-tagged. To him, "It was the price of living in Paradise!"