HOAs/Rancho Palos Verdes/LA County
Portuguese Bend Beach Club
Portuguese Bend Club Homeowners Association covers the beach colony in the guard gated Portuguese Bend Club, on Yacht Harbor Drive, Spindrift Drive, Spindrift Lane, Seawall Road, Seascape Road and Sea Urchin Lane, south of Palos Verdes Drive South. The Palos Verdes Corporation opened the club in the late 1940s, and the first cottages stood on land leased from Palos Verdes Properties. The association was formed in 1986, and in 1987 the owners of the 51 beachfront homes bought their lots, the beach, the common area, the gatehouse and the roads from Transamerica. The 51 homes were built from 1949 to 2002 and sit on private streets served by a private sewer system. A separate nonprofit, Portuguese Bend Beach Club Inc, maintains the beach, which has a summer lifeguard, paddle tennis and volleyball courts, a playground and palm thatched ramadas. The 43 homes of tract 16540 on Maritime Road and Sea Horse Lane are also in the gated club and have their own association.
Quick Facts
| Type | Homeowners association |
|---|---|
| Location | Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County |
| Registered name | Portuguese Bend Club Homeowners Association |
| Also called | Portuguese Bend Club, Portuguese Bend Club HOA, Portuguese Beach Club HOA, PBBC |
| Homes | 51 single family homes |
| Gated | Guard gated |
| Built | 1949 to 2002 |
| State record | California entity 1543726, formed October 6, 1986, active |
| IRS record | Separate entity: Portuguese Bend Beach Club Inc, EIN 33-0398845, 501(c)(7) social club, IRS ruling November 1991, 4100 Palos Verdes Dr S, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 |
| Boundary | County lot lines for lots 1 of tract 22635 and lots on Yacht Harbor Dr, Spindrift Dr, Spindrift Ln, Seawall Rd, Seascape Rd and Sea Urchin Ln (LA County Assessor parcels). |
Boundaries come from city GIS records, county tract maps or county parcel lines and are not survey lines. Management companies change, so confirm the contact with the association before relying on it. Board members and homeowners are never listed here.
Details
- The Palos Verdes Corporation developed the Portuguese Bend Club, a beach club completed by the late 1940s around a clubhouse with a large saltwater pool, tennis courts and a pier 425 feet long. Homes for club members were built in the 1940s and 1950s along Seawall Road, Yacht Harbor Drive and Maritime Road.CEQAnet (state environmental filings)
- The first homes were summer cottages and small homes on land leased from Palos Verdes Properties, on leases of only 25 years.City of Rancho Palos Verdes
- The Portuguese Bend landslide began in 1956 and led to the clubhouse closing. The clubhouse and its facilities were torn down by 1958, and what was left of the pier was removed in 1973.CEQAnet (state environmental filings)
- Residents began negotiating to buy their land in 1975, and by the time the purchase closed in 1987 the land belonged to Transamerica. The owners of the 51 beachfront homes then bought their cottage sites, the beach, the common area, the gatehouse and the roads. The common area included 19 acres. Only a tax assessor's map existed, so lot lines were surveyed after the purchase.City of Rancho Palos Verdes
- Transamerica kept a 19 acre area from the gatehouse down to the first house on Yacht Harbor Drive and planned homes there as late as the early 1990s. A resident later bought it, and in 2002 a home was planned on it.City of Rancho Palos Verdes
- A state subdivision public report for tract 22635, a small tract at the east end of the colony, was issued to Transamerica in January 1992.California DRE public reports
- The city's 2002 article describes the whole Portuguese Bend Club as 38 acres with half a mile of coastline and 94 homes, with its own seven member board of directors.City of Rancho Palos Verdes
- The association registered with the state on October 6, 1986 (entity 1543726) and is active.State record summary (CommunityPay)
- Portuguese Bend Beach Club Inc, a separate 501(c)(7) social club with a 4100 Palos Verdes Drive South address, maintains the beach property and its facilities. In 2002 the club offered year round membership to about 300 Peninsula residents.MLS listing; IRS filings (ProPublica); City of Rancho Palos Verdes
- A 2009 agent post says beach club membership is automatic for homeowners of the club and that there is a homeowners association with dues.local agent's guide
- The homes moved from septic tanks to a private sewer system with its own pumps and lines around 2000. In 2024 the city noted that the club's sewage collection system is gravity fed and can run on generators.City of Rancho Palos Verdes [2]
- Yacht Harbor Drive, Spindrift Drive, Spindrift Lane, Seawall Road, Seascape Road and Sea Urchin Lane are private streets in the city's street map.Rancho Palos Verdes city GIS
- The west end of the colony, along Spindrift Drive, Spindrift Lane, Seascape Road and Sea Urchin Lane, is inside the city's mapped Greater Portuguese Bend landslide complex and the Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement District, which was formed in 1981 and is funded by assessments on property within it. The city's 2002 article says the club is within the district's jurisdiction.Rancho Palos Verdes city GIS; City of Rancho Palos Verdes [2]
- After land movement, SoCalGas shut off gas to 24 homes in the club on September 6, 2024, and SCE was set to cut power to 54 customers in the lower Portuguese Bend Beach Club on September 9. The city reported in August 2026 that power had been restored there.City of Rancho Palos Verdes [2]
- The 43 homes of tract 16540 on Maritime Road, Sea Horse Lane and Palos Verdes Drive South are also in the gated Portuguese Bend Club and have their own association, the Community Association for Tract No. 16540.CEQAnet (state environmental filings); local agent's guide; State record summary (CommunityPay)
- Parcel Map 17161, filed January 13, 1987 for Transamerica Development Company, divides the land into three parcels. Parcel 2, 21.74 acres gross and 18.67 net, surrounds the cottage sites out to the mean high tide line. Parcel 3, 18.33 acres gross and 16.53 net, lies southeast of the colony, between it and tract 16540, and runs from Palos Verdes Drive South to the tide line. Parcel 1, 45.15 acres gross, is dedicated to the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.LA County recorded map
Amenities
- Private sand beach with a lifeguard in summer
- Paddle tennis courts and a volleyball court
- Playground
- Palm thatched ramadas, picnic tables and barbecue areas
More information
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes newsletter, Summer 2002: The Portuguese Bend Club
- Portuguese Bend Beach Club Inc nonprofit filings (ProPublica)
- State corporation record (CommunityPay)
- Club history in the Portuguese Bend landslide cultural resources report, 2023
- City land movement updates, 2024
- City land movement updates, 2026
Sources
- CEQAnet (state environmental filings), Club history in the Portuguese Bend landslide cultural resources report, 2023
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes newsletter, Summer 2002: The Portuguese Bend Club
- State registration summary (CommunityPay directory)
- IRS filings (ProPublica)
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes, City land movement updates, 2024
- Rancho Palos Verdes city GIS, document 1
- Rancho Palos Verdes city GIS, MapServer
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes, City land movement updates, 2026
- CEQAnet (state environmental filings)
- State record summary (CommunityPay)
- LA County recorded map
Some details also come from MLS listings or local agents' guides, which are named but not linked here.
Contact
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