Homeowners Fear Worst as Hill Continues to Slide

Things were so stressful Tuesday that for Anna Lanaro, getting a root canal was a relief.

“It was actually a relief to be sitting in the dentist’s chair and not thinking about the hill behind my house,” said Lanaro of Agoura Hills.

The waterlogged hillside in the 27900 block of Via Amistosa is sliding and has already damaged two homes.

Hers is next in line.

One home, at 27952 Via Amistosa, will probably have to be demolished, Los Angeles County and Agoura Hills city officials said Tuesday. But authorities are waiting to see what happens during a new series of winter storms predicted for the next few days.

“It’s nature. And it’s an overwhelming task to try to stop the earth from sliding,” said Vince Mastrosimone, director of public works for Agoura Hills, as he stood on Calle Montecillo overlooking the deteriorating hillside. “We’re just trying to keep things from getting worse.”

By late Tuesday, however, Calle Montecillo had moved enough so that a 15-foot chunk of sidewalk slid most of the way down the hill. The property at 27952 Via Amistosa appeared to have some serious damage, including cracks in many walls in the house and in the swimming pool. The house next door was not damaged, but cracks appeared in the concrete of the porch.

Lanaro’s house was untouched Tuesday, but the hillside behind her home had visibly shifted in the past two days.

City and county workers struggled all day Tuesday to patch up cracks in the street and put plastic sheets along the hillside in order to divert water and reduce damage to the homes below.

The owners of the home threatened by demolition, Elizabeth and Richard O’Linn, said their insurance policy did not cover the destruction.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Elizabeth O’Linn said as she looked at the wreckage of the home she has owned for nearly 10 years. “This is our first house. We never thought something that bad could happen. It’s terrible.”

The trouble started Sunday night when a storm loosened the hillside, causing it to slide.

“I woke up and felt our house shaking. We could hear it creaking” from the pressure, O’Linn said. The family quickly evacuated.

On Monday, they moved everything out. And on Tuesday they watched as their house slowly lurched forward toward the street.

Next door, Bill and Irene Ferber also evacuated their home.

“I feel so helpless, there’s really nothing I can do,” Bill Ferber said, adding that his insurance company said damage to the home is not covered by his policy.

The Ferbers took out all their valuables but stopped short of completely clearing out the house.

“We had to draw the line somewhere,” Bill Ferber said. “We’re just going to wait and pray.”

His wife put her frustration more succinctly.

“I hate California,” said Irene Ferber, a native of New Mexico. “Between earthquakes, brush fires, floods and now mudslides, I don’t think people were meant to live here.”