"We anticipate this to occur in mid-to-late 2023, if not sooner." That's how the City of Manhattan Beach's own FAQ for Underground Utility Assessment Districts 12 and 14 answers the question of when the poles will come down, and the line is still posted on the district page. The poles in El Porto and the north end of the Sand Section are still standing. Property owners voted to form both districts, and the City Council approved the assessments on October 1, 2019.
District 12 runs from Moonstone to 45th Street, and District 14 runs from Rosecrans to 41st Street. Both stretch from the Strand to Highland Avenue. If you're buying a home in that grid this fall, you take on two separate obligations from the project. The assessment is the one everyone asks about, and it's also the more predictable of the two. The cost that varies from house to house never appears on the tax bill.
Two costs, and only one shows up on the tax bill
The City's undergrounding fact booklet, last updated in August 2023, treats them as two different things, and so should a buyer.
| The assessment | The private service conversion | |
|---|---|---|
| What it pays for | Undergrounding work in the public right-of-way | Connecting the house itself to the new underground system |
| Approved range | District 12: $19,754 to $43,583 per parcel. District 14: $23,421 to $56,185 | The City estimates $5,000 to $15,000 or more for the Sand Section |
| How it's paid | In full, or yearly installments plus interest on the property tax bill | Out of pocket, directly to a licensed electrical contractor |
| Can it change? | It can't be raised without new balloting | Depends on the house: trench length, surface materials, panel condition |
| Where a buyer sees it | On the property tax bill | In the parcel's conversion and permit status with the City |
The assessment is the predictable part
The booklet describes three ways owners could pay their share. They could pay the full amount within 30 days of the City's "Notice to Pay Assessment," which the booklet estimated would come to about 9 to 12 percent less than the stated assessment because it avoids financing fees. Or they could pay all or part of it in yearly installments plus interest, as a lien on the property tax bill for up to 20 years. The interest rate on that lien is set when the bonds are sold. The final engineer's reports for both districts expected a 20-year bond term. The bonds were rated in November 2019 as Series 2019A limited-obligation improvement bonds.
The booklet's financing table shows how much the payment choice mattered. A $40,000 assessment paid off within 30 days was estimated at about $35,200. Financed over 20 years at a simple rate between 5 and 7 percent, the same assessment totaled between $63,356 and $74,428. The booklet calls these illustrations, and the actual rate depended on the bond sale. So two homes with the same assessment can carry very different remaining balances, depending on what the 2019 owner chose to do.
Once approved, an assessment can't be raised without a new ballot. California also has a disclosure statute on the subject. Civil Code section 1102.6b applies, under the conditions it sets out, to sales of property subject to a fixed-lien assessment collected in installments to secure bonds under the Improvement Bond Act of 1915. In those sales, the seller must make a good-faith effort to obtain the local agency's assessment disclosure notice and deliver it to the buyer, as long as the agency makes the notice available. Whether that statute applies to a particular El Porto parcel is a question for the City and your escrow and legal team.
The conversion depends on the house
A service conversion has two steps. A contractor first extends the Edison, Frontier and Spectrum conduits from the property line to the home's electrical panel, telephone box and cable box. The overhead service wires are then disconnected and the underground ones connected, a step the City calls the cut-over.
Whether a house needs that work, and how much it costs, depends on its construction history. According to the City's FAQ, a home already served underground from the nearest street pole needs nothing more. A home served overhead does, and so does a home whose underground line runs to a backyard pole with no street access. Since 1977, the City has required empty conduit in new homes and in remodels of more than 50 percent, but the booklet notes that some builders got exemptions. Even the City can't always tell whether a builder installed that conduit. The FAQ suggests asking the builder or hiring an electrician to check.
The cost goes up if the owner misses the deadline. The City says it will hire a contractor to do the work and bill the homeowner under Municipal Code Section 7.28.100. It also says that in past bidding, it typically paid two to three times more for the same work because of bonding, insurance and prevailing-wage requirements. The City may also require a panel upgrade if the existing panel can't be served from below or is failing.
So two neighboring houses can carry the same assessment and face very different conversion bills.
Where the project stands this fall
The houses still waiting on conversion have been holding up the whole project. At the October 21, 2025 Council meeting, staff reported that 220 of 471 properties, or 47 percent, had converted. Staff pointed to permit and inspection bottlenecks, limited contractor capacity, and conduit problems on the Frontier side. On November 4, 2025, the Council approved a one-time waiver of permit-extension and reinstatement fees for delayed conversions in both districts. Staff estimated it covered about 284 permits and about $50,000 in refunds and waived fees.
The City's September 2026 update shows how far the work has moved since then. Right-of-way construction and cabling are complete. About 90 percent of properties have either finished their electrical conversion or passed the City's release inspection and are waiting for Southern California Edison to convert them. In August, six more properties converted and 11 more passed inspection. Spectrum has disconnected its overhead system from 45th Street to Seaview Street and is removing it from 45th southward. The City expects pole removal to begin toward the end of 2026. The City's figure combines finished conversions with homes that have passed inspection and are still waiting for Edison, so not all of that 90 percent is fully converted.
Local coverage is less optimistic. In an October 12 Q&A from MB News with the City Council candidates, the paper described the El Porto project as about four years behind schedule, "with no clear end in sight, according to some residents." The candidates gave different explanations, from Edison's scheduling capacity to inspection timing. Amy Howorth pointed to biweekly meetings with SCE since mid-2025 and to the permit-extension fee waiver.
For a buyer, the late stage of the project matters. The remaining unconverted homes are the ones holding up pole removal for the whole district, so they get the most attention from the City.
What to settle on a specific parcel
The City's utility undergrounding page links to an interactive status map for every District 12 and 14 parcel. The UUAD project manager can be reached at [email protected]. Before you commit to a home inside the two districts, it helps to get these answers in writing:
- Is the parcel converted, released and waiting on Edison, or not started? The status map and the project manager can answer this.
- If it isn't converted, is there an open conversion permit, and has it been extended or reinstated?
- Does the house have pre-installed conduit, or is it served from a backyard pole? The City's FAQ treats these situations differently.
- Did the original owner pay the assessment in full or finance it? The answer determines the remaining installments and how many years are left.
- Has the seller provided the assessment disclosure notice described in Civil Code 1102.6b?
- If work remains, who pays for it, and does the purchase timeline leave room for permit and inspection?
The rest of the city is at different stages
El Porto's districts aren't the only ones. District 19-4 in the Hill Section, covering parts of 1st Street, Duncan Place and Duncan Avenue, Dianthus Street and Boundary Place between Ardmore, Poinsettia, Dianthus and Sepulveda, shows all four phases complete. Its approved assessments ranged from $14,651 to $128,323. A buyer there inherits the lien without the unfinished construction.
Districts 8 and 13 are earlier in the process. District 8's petition gathered 87 signatures from 138 parcels, and District 13's gathered 199 from 307. Both cleared the 60 percent threshold for City-funded design. SCE's preliminary designs are complete, while Frontier's and Spectrum's design proposals were awaiting Council funding approval. After that, the City plans an engineer's report and a Proposition 218 ballot. A buyer in either area could end up voting on an assessment. If the El Porto timeline is any guide, the poles could stay up for years after that vote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the assessment go away when the poles come down? No. The assessment pays for bonds that funded the right-of-way work, which is already complete. Installments follow the bond schedule, and the engineer's reports expected a 20-year term.
Can conversion costs be added to the tax bill? Generally no. The booklet says private property expenses can't be financed with the assessment except through the City's deferment program for qualifying owners.
Do I have to use a contractor from the City's list? No. The City publishes a list of contractors who do conversion work but says any licensed electrical contractor may do it, with a City permit and inspections.
This is general information drawn from City and state sources, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how an assessment and a parcel's conversion status apply to your purchase with your attorney, escrow officer and the City.
If you're considering a home between Rosecrans and Moonstone, Merritt & Sanderson can help you confirm that parcel's assessment, conversion status and permit history before you commit, so the purchase price covers everything you'll owe.
