8H
Date: July 14, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Alvin Papa, Public Works Director
By: Shin Furukawa, Deputy Public Works Director / City Engineer | [email protected]
Subject: Public Works – Adopt Categorical Exemption Under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Sections 15269(a) and 15269(b), and Authorize Payments for Emergency Slope Repairs and Water Main Design Services between Vista Montana and Vista Largo. Expenditure: $653,561.75 (Non-General Fund).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the Public Works Director that City Council:
1. Adopt a finding that the project is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15269 (a) and 15269 (b); and
2. Authorize direct payment to Clarke Contracting Corporation of Lawndale, CA (Clarke) in the amount of $614,699.75 for emergency slope repairs between Vista Montana and Vista Largo performed in September and October of 2024 and April and May of 2025; and
3. Authorize direct payment to BKF Engineers of Newport Beach, CA (BKF) in the amount of $38,862 for emergency design services performed between September 2024 and July 2025, and for future as-needed construction engineering support services during construction repair of water facilities damaged between Vista Montana and Vista Largo.
FUNDING
Funds are available from the following source:
Funding Source Amount
Miscellaneous Water Main Replacement project (I 153-SW0001- Water Enterprise Funds
$653,561.75
DISCUSSION
On February 5, 2024, the slope on a City-owned parcel between Vista Montana and Vista Largo was damaged by heavy precipitation which saturated the hillside (see Attachment 1). The weight of the saturated soil caused a portion of the hillside to fail, resulting in a water main break and significant erosion of the slope. The erosion undermined Vista Montana requiring the closure of this roadway until repairs could be made.
1 City Council
July 14, 2026
Staff hired the geotechnical engineering firm of Hamilton & Associates of Torrance, CA (Geotechnical Engineer) to investigate the slope and provide repair recommendations. The Geotechnical Engineer recommended a two-phased approach that would allow the Vista Montana roadway to be reopened sooner, followed by restoration of the supporting slope. Restoration of the broken water main would take place later as a separate effort.
Phase 1 – Retaining Wall and Roadway Restoration - The first phase consisted of constructing a retaining wall at the top of the slope and repairing the damaged roadway on Vista Montana. Ford Foundation Drilling, Inc. constructed the retaining wall which was completed on June 7, 2024, at a cost of $378,543.66. Following completion of the retaining wall, Clarke replaced damaged curb, gutter and pavement on Vista Montana at a cost of $46,385.00. This work was completed on July 2, 2024, and Vista Montana was reopened to traffic on July 27, 2024. Photographs of the retaining wall and roadway repairs are provided for reference (see Attachment 2). Payment for this work was authorized by City Council on November 19, 2024.
City Council authorization is now requested for payment of the following emergency restoration efforts:
Phase 2 – Slope Restoration - The second phase of the repair involved restoring and strengthening the damaged slope between Vista Montana and Vista Largo. The work included placement of imported soils, reinforcing geotextile, subdrains, irrigation and landscaping. Slope restoration was performed by Clarke in September and October of 2024 and was then tarped to prevent erosion during the winter rains. Clarke resumed work in April and May of 2025 to install irrigation and landscaping on the completed slope. This work was completed at a cost of $614,699.45. Photographs of the slope repair are provided for reference (see Attachment 3).
Water Main Restoration Design - A 6-inch water main was damaged during the initial slope failure.
Restoration of this water main is required to restore higher water pressures to customers on Vista Largo. Staff pursued this effort as an emergency to expedite restoration of water pressure. In August 2024, staff conducted an expedited request for proposals (RFP) process and selected BKF to design the replacement water main for a total cost of $38,862.
Upon completion of design, staff elected to utilize the traditional Public Works bidding process to obtain more competitive construction pricing. The construction bidding process was completed and eight bids were received. A Public Works Agreement was awarded by City Council on November 18, 2025 to American Pipeline Services of Monrovia, CA to repair the 6-inch water main between Vista Montana and Vista Largo. Construction started in June and will last through August 2026.
2 City Council
July 14, 2026
The table below shows the restoration costs related to the 2024 slope failure:
Description Contractor Amount
Retaining Wall Ford Foundation Drilling, Inc. $378,543.66 Roadway Repairs Clarke Contracting Corp. $46,385.00
Subtotal (Previously authorized by City Council on 11/19/24) = *$424,928.66 Slope Restoration Clarke Contracting Corp. $614,699.75
Water Main Design BKF Engineers $38,862.00
Subtotal (Current City Council Authorization Request) = $653,561.75 Water Main Construction American Pipeline Services $376,880.00 TOTAL = $1,455,370.41
Torrance Municipal Code §22.3.090 provides that in the case of emergencies, the City Manager is authorized to “contract for the immediate expenditure of public funds to safeguard life, health or property”. This code section also requires the City Manager to report emergency purchases to City Council that exceed the delegated authority set by City Policy 3 (>$250,000).
The Public Works Department received invoices from Clarke for the emergency slope restoration work and verified costs as being appropriate. It is recommended that City Council ratify payment to Clarke in the amount of $614,699.75 for emergency repairs performed in September and October of 2024 and April and May of 2025 on the slope between Vista Montana and Vista Largo.
Additionally, the City received invoices from BKF in the amount of $34,320.64 for engineering design services provided for repair of the water main. It is recommended that City Council ratify these payments and authorize future payments to BKF in an amount not to exceed $4,541.36 for as-needed construction support services, which would bring the total of payments to BKF to $38,862.
FEMA
On April 13, 2024, President Biden declared disaster DR-4769-CA making federal disaster assistance available to the State of California to supplement recovery efforts in areas affected by winter storms from January 31 to February 9, 2024. The emergency work may therefore be eligible for Federal assistance. City staff is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to secure reimbursement for all or a portion of repair costs.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Section 15269 (a) and 15269 (b), projects to maintain, repair, restore, demolish, or replace property or facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in a disaster stricken area in which a State of Emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act, and emergency repairs to publicly or privately-owned service facilities necessary to maintain service essential to the public health, safety or welfare are categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA. This emergency work is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA because it was a result of damage that occurred during a State of Emergency as proclaimed by Governor Newsom on February 4, 2024, and the emergency repairs were necessary to maintain public health, safety and welfare. City Council adopted a Categorical Exemption pursuant to the above CEQA Sections on November 19, 2024.
3 City Council
July 14, 2026
ATTACHMENTS
1. Location Map
2. Photographs – Retaining Wall and Roadway Repairs
3. Photographs – Slope Repairs
4 Attachment 1
VICINITY MAP
PROJECT
LOCATION
N
VISTA LARGO EMERGENCY WATER MAIN REPAIR
5 ATTACHMENT 1
LOCATION MAP
Retaining Wall
Roadway Repairs
Attachment 2
6 ATTACHMENT 2
Attachment 3
Restoring the slope – September 2024
Restoring the slope continued – September 2024
7 ATTACHMENT 3 (1 OF 3)
Attachment 3
Tarping the slope for winter – October 2024
The Completed Slope - May 2025
(with irrigation, jute netting, trees, bushes and grass just sprouting) 8 ATTACHMENT 3 (2 OF 3)
Attachment 3
View from the top
9 ATTACHMENT 3 (3 OF 3)