Easter storm threatens to worsen Topanga Canyon landslides

Officials hope the hillsides along Topanga Canyon Boulevard will hold up during this Easter storm after landslides blocked the roadway a few weeks ago.

"I live in Woodland Hills pretty much at the base of Topanga Canyon," Gabby Fabrocini, who works nearby, said. "Typically, it would be a quick 25 minutes up the canyon. Now, it's more like 35+ minutes."

The hillsides first came down on March 9 during a heavy rain storm. Since then, Caltrans said a crack had been discovered in the hillside, and geologists sensed some movement on Thursday. 

"The hillside is unstable still," Caltrans spokesman Jim Medina said. "We're still seeing rocks and boulders falling down."

Shelby Sims lives in West Hollywood but decided to visit Rosenthal Wine Bar in Malibu during the calm before the storm. 

"I'm so sad the weather is going to be terrible this weekend," she said. "I heard today was my only day to get outside when I have a day off. So, I love coming outside and getting some sunshine before the weekend."

Road work along the Pacific Coast Highway is slated to continue until May, but one traffic lane will be closed.

Normally, there's nothing on a weekday from the city out here to Malibu but today there was a lot more traffic," one 

Fabrocini is concerned about the rain's impact on business, limiting how many people they can serve. 

"Definitely if you see rain cloud in the forecast," she said. "You have an outdoor venue, you're probably going to change your plans. We do our best. We have umbrellas and covering, but ultimately, we only have so much space inside."