Palos Verdes Estates to remove shoreline bamboo on March 31
Palos Verdes Estates will be removing bamboo along the shoreline of Lunada Bay on Monday, March 31, with the aid of helicopters being flown from the Ken Dyda Civic Center in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The removal of the Arundo grass, commonly known as bamboo and not native to the area, is part of a settlement agreement in September in a lawsuit brought by out-of-town surfers who accused the Lunada Bay Boys, a group of local surfers, of bullying and harassment.
Palos Verdes Estates City Manager Kerry Kallman said this week that the “complicated operation,” will take place, weather permitting, from 9 a.m. to around 3 p.m., on Monday.
“We have a crew that’s going to have to hike down,” Kallman said. “There’s no other way to access the area except by foot. You can’t really come in via the ocean because of the rocky shoreline. So we have a landscape crew that’s going to hike down.”
The best option to remove the bamboo, Kallman said, was by helicopter.
“Rather than have to hike out bamboo clippings, which is quite heavy, the landscape contractor proposed this concept,” Kallman said.
The helicopter is expected to make one or two trips between Lunada Bay and the helipad at the Ken Dyda Civic Center for refueling.
Local surfers known as the Lunada Bay Boys were accused of reportedly harassing and intimidating out-of-town surfers in the original lawsuit filed in 2017.
The city of Palos Verdes Estates was sued for reportedly not stopping the harassment and agreed in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2024 to pay attorney’s fees, from $1 to $4 million.
The city was ordered to also make Lunada Bay more welcoming by adding amenities for visitors including a drinking fountain, trail markers and benches, as well as landscaping, Kallman said.
That has to be completed by September 2026, according to the settlement, Kallman said.
Part of the settlement was to clear out the bamboo that was “sort of carved out and has created somewhat of a of a hangout area,” Kallman said.
“That was important to the plaintiffs to remove,” Kallman said.
At its March 11 meeting, the Palos Verdes Estates City Council approved a “conceptual design” for the Lunada Bay bluff top project.
Connor Rudmann, a habitat restoration specialist with Dudek Inc. who was hired to help the city create the conceptual plan, said the plan has “four benches, two welcome signs, two trail signs, one interpretive sign and one water fountain, as well as a defined trail and landscaping of drought tolerant native plants.”
Rudmann said at the March 11 meeting that the mantra of the project is “less is more” to develop the top of the bluff with a “natural look and feel, but inviting and welcoming look and feel.”
Kallman said this week “we understand there’s going to be impacts to our residents.”
“We appreciate the patience of residents as we perform this court required operation,” Kallman said. “It’s complicated, and it’s taking quite a bit of resources and time to do this the right way, responsibly, and while meeting our obligations.”