A landslide threatening a Lake County subdivision appears to be stabilizing, but nearly half of the residents in the Lakeport neighborhood have fled their homes.
"There's been no significant movement since May 14," Deputy County Administrator Chris Shaver said Wednesday. "It's pretty much stabilized at this point. Prior to that, it had been moving a foot to two feet per day."
Seven homes in Lakeside Heights have been deemed uninhabitable and 10 others have been issued voluntary evacuation notices since the slide began in late March. The public water system, sewer system and several roads have also suffered damage from the slide.
The Board of Supervisors declared the neighborhood a local emergency and requested state and federal funding earlier this month. Gov. Jerry Brown has not yet responded to the request, although geologists from the California Emergency Management Agency have been out to survey the site.
The delay concerns Lake County Supervisor Anthony Farrington, who represents the area.
"I see the wheels turning too slowly, which is bad news for Lake County and my constituents," said Farrington. "We have very limited county resources, and without a declaration from the governor we won't be able to access state monies for assistance."
Supervisor Denise Fanning will meet with U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein in Washington, D.C., next week to discuss federal funds for the local disaster area. A representative from Boxer's office will also be visiting the site next week, Farrington said.
Feinstein has sent a letter to the governor expressing her support for the state emergency declaration, as has both state Sen. Noreen Evans and Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, Farrington said.
A third leak detection test is scheduled to be performed Saturday, said Garey Hurn, a resident of the neighborhood and treasurer of the Lakeside Heights Homeowner's Association.
Hurn said around 40 percent of the 29-home neighborhood has evacuated either forcibly or voluntarily, and several more are planning to leave.
"Other homeowners are packing out of caution, ready to make a move in a heartbeat," said Hurn. "They're fearful about what's going to happen."
The source of the landslide has still not been determined, despite the recent discovery of two small leaks in the public water system. The original March 25 leak detection test found no breaks in county lines, but a second test May 9 found the leaks, which were fixed within 24 hours.
Farrington said the landslide has caused $1.2 million in damage. The county has already spent $80,000 on items like repairing some of the infrastructure and hiring geotechnical firms to determine the source of the issue, he said.
"We don't know where everything is between the county level and the governor's desk," said Hurn. "We need to know the governor's decision so we can make plans for the future, but without a state decision we're really lost."
Farrington is concerned the delayed response means the governor will oppose a state emergency declaration.
"Two months into this nothing has happened, so I'm going to assume the governor is most likely not going to make the declaration," said Farrington.
The board will receive an update on Lakeside Heights June 4.
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