California couple say they spent $300,000 fixing alleged county damage, then got $676,703 bill

Rubin and Stein said they spent more than $300,000 repairing hazardous conditions they alleged were caused by the county (Representational AI photo) A California couple who say Santa Clara County damaged their property while trying to deal with a landslide threatening a public road have been allowed to continue parts of their legal fight. The couple say they spent more than $300,000 repairing the alleged damage, only to later receive a $676,703.22 bill from the county for its work. A federal judge has dismissed their current complaint but allowed them to amend some of their claims.Alejandro V Rubin and Lisa M Stein own property in an area designated as a “high-hazard landslide zone”, according to the court document. Their land includes a hillside overlooking Mount Madonna Road, a public road maintained by Santa Clara County. According to their complaint, a landslide began around March 2024, sending “soil and debris onto Mount Madonna Road”. The situation continued to worsen despite efforts by the couple and the county.In June 2024, the couple told the county that the landslide “posed an imminent threat to public safety”. The county then issued a Summary Abatement Order and entered ...