In
1995 the hill behind La Conchita failed and buried 9 homes but no
lives were lost. Ventura County immediately declared the whole community
a Geological Hazard Area. This essentially stole the soul of our
community. They placed building restrictions on the community so
no new construction could take place. It was years before any new
families moved into town and just recently we once again felt like
a community. On January 10, 2005 the hill failed again only this
time it killed 10 residents and destroyed 18 homes. The remainder
of the community (171 homes) is - according to Ventura County, in
peril from any additional heavy rain. This situation must be corrected
for our community to survive.
In 1995, a geological firm and an engineering firm, together developed
a hillside remediation plan. This plan calls for terracing of the
hill and stated that when the remediation plan was completed, the
community could use all property within the community without restriction
and essentially remove the Geological Hazard designation from the
entire community. Since the 2005 slide, the community has been working
diligently towards a plan that will get the hill fixed. We have
contacted Ventura County for their support. The County is afraid
to say or do anything for fear of litigation. This fear stopped
them from doing anything for our community in 1995. We will not
let them do nothing again!
In 1995 as in 2005, just prior to the hill failure mudflows came
down the canyon just North of La Conchita closing the 101 Coast
Highway and the Union Pacific railroad tracks. The 101 Coast Highway
(the major artery between Southern and Northern California) as well
as the railroad were closed for at least one week. According to
news press releases the coast highway closure cost the State of
California 10 million dollars a day and un-disclosed cost to the
railroad.
The hill behind La Conchita and the canyon to the
North are not just a La Conchita problem, but a State and Federal
issue. It is in the best interest of all that this issue be addressed
by Local, State and Federal officials immediately
By visiting this web-site you have shown an interest in our community.
We will ask that you continue your support and advise us if you
have interest in becoming a partner in our efforts. Please see the
LCCO link that has more detailed information on our community's
efforts to stabilize this important coastal corridor.
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