Engineer Lawrence Cuaresma, right, points out aspects of the landslide to Rep. Janice Hahn, center; Col. R. Mark Toy, Army Corps of Engineers; and Councilman Joe Buscaino on a tour of the landslide area on Monday, April 2, 2012. (Scott Varley/Staff Photographer)

Laying the groundwork for federal assistance as part of the eventual fix for San Pedro's coastal landslide, U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn took the Los Angeles district commander for the Army Corps of Engineers on a personal tour of the site Monday.

"It's all going to be about resources in the end," Hahn said as she began the tour with Col. R. Mark Toy. They were joined by city District Engineer Lawrence Cuaresma, Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, and several members of the community.

"I have a feeling this is going to have a price tag on it whether we rebuild, reroute or close the road," Hahn said.

A survey commissioned by the city is scheduled to be finished and ready in draft form sometime this month, with a public presentation of the findings anticipated around mid- May. That report will have to be analyzed before any plans can be made to shore up the collapsed bluff or rebuild the road. Community sentiment also is expected to play a central role in the decision of whether to rebuild a road.

Toy said that if wave action is found to be partly responsible for the Nov. 20 road collapse, it could qualify for Army Corps assistance under the agency's civil works umbrella that addresses flood management and environmental restoration.

If waves are deemed to have "caused damage to the bluff, it would allow us to consider options such as a sea wall to avoid further erosion," Toy said. It would be up to Congress to authorize and appropriate funding and other assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Engineers continue to closely watch the slide area, with long-term projections for stability very much an unknown. But so far, Cuaresma said no new, significant movement has been detected at the site by surveyors who have 26 monitoring sites set up to measure ground shifts.

This was the second time Toy has visited the landslide site, which remains closed and fenced off to the public. Community opinion appears to be divided on whether the road should be rebuilt, with some local residents in the immediate area saying they'd prefer that the road not reopen. There also is concern that rebuilding the road would likely impact the 102-acre White Point Nature Preserve across the street from the landslide.

Others, however, say the road is a key connector on the south side of town and an important link for residents as well as emergency vehicles as they try to reach the various neighborhoods along San Pedro's south-facing ocean cliffs.

The city report is expected to address possible road options for the site. A decision on whether to reroute and rebuild the road probably won't be made for some time.

"Our No. 1 concern is the stabilization of the bluff, then we will talk about the road," said June Burlingame Smith, president of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council.

Buscaino said the safety of the residential neighborhoods adjacent to the area remains his main priority. Authorities say no homes are threatened, but one homeowner said he had noticed new, small cracks appearing in the street near his home in recent weeks.

Although Hahn represents most of San Pedro, the landslide area falls within the jurisdiction of U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, an Orange County Republican who had an aide attend the tour and pledge support for repairs that will be needed.

"We're doing all the things we can right now to lay the groundwork," Hahn said, adding that no


Rep. Janice Hahn toured the Paseo del Mar landslide area on Monday, April 2, 2012, to gather information and determine what federal help may be needed to restore access to the San Pedro site. (Scott Varley/Staff Photographer)
one was prepared for the collapse of the road.

A sinkhole appeared to be forming last summer along the stretch of Paso del Mar between Weymouth and Western avenues, prompting city and county engineers to begin monitoring the area. They closed the road in October when cracks and underground movement appeared to be accelerating at a rapid pace.

The road finally gave way on a rainy Sunday afternoon a month later.

The 45-minute walking tour behind the security fences on Monday provided officials and residents alike with a closer view of the extensive damage, which remains stunning to onlookers. One resident called the scene of sheared-off cliffs, along with broken and suspended chunks of roadway and underground pipes, still "surreal."

"If the study comes out saying we can engage the (help of the) Corps, I wanted Col. Toy to be ready," Hahn said of her decision to tour the site. "I want to make sure we have the best possible endgame."

Once the city's report is finalized, Hahn said, "we'll just have to work through" the process.

"This is so important to this whole region," Hahn said. "This really was a disaster on so many levels