After weeks of residents begging for outside help with landslide damage in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, some assistance is finally on the way. The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council on Tuesday allocated $2.8 million — more than half of a $5-million grant from Los Angeles County — for direct relief to residents in the Portuguese Bend area facing landslide damage or a loss of vital utilities — or in many cases, both. … In the absence of outside help, city officials are trying to find ways to respond to the growing emergency despite mounting expenses — ideally, before the rainy season. Rain and runoff are known to exacerbate and accelerate the land movement, as groundwater drives the geologic shifting.