Homeowners Urged to Help Prevent Landslide
City officials advised homeowners Wednesday to drain their swimming pools and stop watering the lawns of their homes in the Vista Royale and Peralta Pointe developments in a last-ditch effort to stave off a catastrophic landslide.
Owners of the 30 upscale homes in the danger zone were called to the meeting to hear an explanation of the emergency orders and to allow residents to vent their frustrations, Assistant City Atty. Wayne Winthers said.
He declined to answer several homeowners’ questions, citing pending litigation.
“The city came out 12 years ago to inspect every building and issue permits, and now the city is not taking responsibility,” homeowner Michael Morcos said. “We know there’s litigation, we know there’s mediation. That’s not good enough for us.”
Residents of the two communities, built in 1980s in the foothills east of the Costa Mesa Freeway, learned in February that their homes could be on the brink of disaster because of unstable geological conditions.
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