January 2008 – State Supreme Court Deals Double Wammy To Developers

California’s Top Court Supports Lincoln Place Tenants, Playa Vista Environmentalists

The Supreme Court of California, last month, refused to hear appeals by AIMCO (the corporate owner of Lincoln Place) and Playa Vista. The Court’s action left standing decisions that should allow evicted tenants the right to return to their Lincoln Place homes, and in Playa Vista’s case, will stop further construction on the wetlands.

Playa Vista’s $1.1 billion Phase 2 construction has been stopped in its tracks by the successful court action, led by attorney Sabrina Venskus. The Supreme Court let stand an appellate court ruling that PV’s environmental review was deficient in several respects.

Lincoln Place tenants still have more legal hoops to jump through, including having a judge return legal possession of their apartments to them. The tenant association now has momentum with them. Their case was precedent setting for tenant rights. AIMCO’s scheme to build luxury condos at Lincoln Place appears more dubious with each tenant victory.

January 2008 – When Jack Kerouac Came To Venice

By John Thomas

Jack I didn’t know.  Never met him.  Only saw him once — not much more than a glimpse, then.  And he surely wasn’t at his best that night.

What night?  Back in 1959 — late summer, if memory serves me.  In Venice.  I was running the Gas House and cooking free meals twice a day for some twenty artists, sculptors, writers.  Well, Bill Riola came bopping in from the Ocean Front, looking even more amped than usual.  

“Hey, man!” he said to me.  “Kerouac’s out there!”

“Kerouac?  Really?  Where?”

Bill drew me to the front door and pointed up to the Match Box, a lesbian bar a block away.

“See ‘em all up there?  They been drinking their way to Larry Lipton’s pad.  Wanna go to Larry’s?  Come on!”

And it was Jack, with a few hangers-on.  They were obviously drunk.  Jack was shit-faced.  

He was trudging along, swigging wine from a half-gallon jug.  White port and lemon juice it was, by later report.  As they headed north towards Park Avenue and Larry’s place, he periodically burped loudly and yelled out into the night.

“I’m a genius!  I’m a fuckin’ genius!”  Over and over.  “Listen, I’m a genius!”

They disappeared into the Match Box, only to emerge again, cursing, in a New York minute.  Scotty, the double-tough night bartender, would serve no man.  The only time I’d gone in, she’d hefted a machete.  God’s truth.  After that I drank (when I drank) at the Bamboo Hut.  Peaceful.  Just outlaw bikers.

“Well, fuck you too!” Kerouac shouted as they left.  “You just eighty-sixed America’s greatest living writer!  I’m a genius!”

I turned and headed back to the Gas House kitchen, where I’d been cooking barracuda chowder.

“I’ll pass, Bill, but you go ahead.  You can tell me about it tomorrow.”

Which he did.  And since Larry Lipton taped everything, I heard the entire evening months later.  Not inspiring.  Essentially it was Larry asking lame questions and Jack repeating (you knew already, right?), “I’m a fuckin’genius!”

Later, I did try white port and lemon juice.  Just once.  I don’t recommend it.

But let me lay three truths on you.  Truth:  I loathe most drunks.  I detest them.  A personal prejudice I can’t overcome.  Truth:  Kerouac brought a great new spirit to America … and reading him surely changed my life.  Truth:  he was — at least in several of his books — a lovely writer.  As he yelled to Scotty that summer night, Jack was a fucking genius.

Jack Kerouac, author of On The Road, was the leading inspiration of the Beat Generation. John Thomas was the bouncer/cook at the Gas House Coffee House at Market Street and Ocean Front Walk. He was one of the great Venice West poets and, later, husband of Philomene Long.

January 2008 – Letters

•  5 Rose Avenue Apartments - Shirley M. Anderson

• Beach Access for All - C.V. Beck

———–

 

 5 Rose Avenue Apartments
Dear Beachhead,
This letter was sent to our Councilmember, Bill Rosendahl. 

I am writing to you so that in the future you as my representative may have a window into the daily life of one of your constituents here in Venice. I am a 30-year-old woman married to a disabled man who still works as an artist. We chose the building on 5 Rose for serious reasons. I am an epileptic and have not driven for five years because of uncontrollable seizures. Since I work for Santa Monica/UCLA Medical Center, I like the accessibility of the public bus system as much as the affordable rent compared to apartments closer to the hospital. When my husband was working, he was able to ride his bicycle instead of drive, which saved on gasoline and other expenses. The building was a community within itself that offered a neighborly atmosphere as well as security. Overall, the building made life convenient and comfortable, the things that a home should be.

Things here have changed. Since the new owners have taken over, the rent has increased and it has been made clear that it could rise higher. One of my neighbors has received an eviction notice after paying rent late, despite a history of timely payment in all previous months. The lack of understanding during his appeal made it clear that pushing him and rest of us out was their ultimate goal. Security cameras have been placed throughout the building and there is a growing sense that we, the residents, are the ones that are being watched. I have informed all friends and family not to visit us here at 5 Rose in order to circumvent any possible reason to find fault with us. 

There has been construction on our building and when another neighbor complained of the fumes and dust in his apartment, quick retaliation in the form of another eviction notice came to him for being on the fire escape. If the fire escape is not safe, is it not a hazard that should be repaired?

A common area in the building known as the Recreation Room has been taken away. When we asked for an explanation in writing, the response was vague and ambiguous. It seems we must wait until after the holidays to know what the plans for our Recreation Room are. We are paying for the use of this space and our request for compensation has been ignored. There was a loading area in the rear of the building that the tenants used for grocery drop off and 15 minute parking (since parking is such a hassle in this neighborhood). So many of us are disabled and elderly and it is impossible to bring a full week’s worth of groceries from two or more blocks away. 

Since the purchase of the building, however, the space where the manager used to park is now gated off and therefore she is forced to park in the loading zone. When we addressed this in our letter to the new owners they asked for make/model and proof of disability for the tenants who want to park there. Many of us, including myself, find this request moot. If the manager cannot park where she used to park what good can come out of supplying a company in Calabasas information about what kind of vehicle I own? 

There have been an uncommon amount of “inspections” since the building has been taken over. During the first few months I was dismayed to discover there were photos taken of the inside of my apartment without my approval. This was during a time when my husband was dealing with a lot of pain and was under a lot of prescription medication. I cannot ask legal questions of a patient in the hospital under the influence, what gives them the right to interrogate him about our belongings? I was forced to remove a lot of the collectable items that we own as well as art reference books to appease the utilitarian expectations of the new owner. The space I pay for is not my own to live in comfort anymore.

I refuse to leave out of sheer annoyance. I have been saving for a house so that I can be a homeowner in this community and if that dream is squashed by this new company’s greed then I have nothing else keeping me in Venice. If I am evicted then UCLA will lose an employee and the city will lose a taxpayer and voter. The worst part of it is I will not be replaced. This building’s future is unclear. What is certain is the empty apartments in our building are not being filled. I speak with my neighbors in this community and my situation is not isolated. The middle and low income professionals are being squeezed out for an enigmatic vacuum of “luxury” that nobody can afford. As my representative, I am telling you that is not what I want for this community. I want a neighborhood filled with real people, not vacant real estate and LLCs.

Respectfully, Shirley M. Anderson

———–

Beach Access for All

To Beachhead and Venice Neighborhood Council:
 
In the matter of overnight parking in beach area, it is important to remind people that the beach belongs to everyone – beach access must not be denied to anyone, no matter how they might look to you.
 
Sincerely, C.V. Beck, Lincoln Place

January 2008 – It’s 2008 – Run For Your Lives

By Jim Smith

The new year, 2008, is likely to be a fateful one for all humanity. It may well be the last chance we have to affect climate change without waiting for thousands of years to see the results. Good luck to us all with George Bush and gang running the country. Sad to say, but big business and the military seem to be firmly in control of the Congress as well. Setting things right with the climate will involve stepping on some very big toes, the auto industry, the coal industry, the oil industry, the military-industrial complex and many more.

Yes, Dr. Kevorkian is out of prison, but this is no time to use the services he advocates. We need every person, able-bodied or not, to enlist in a citizen’s army that will take on the polluters and war mongers at every turn. Unfortunately, the oligarchs seem to have become successful in numbing the overwhelming majority of the populace with TV, sports, video games, and other trivia. All we need are plug-ins a la Matrix to make it complete. So long, breathable world.

Meanwhile, George W. Bush is scheduled to remain as President (and Dick as VP) for the entire year of 2008. But waiting in the wings is a crew of Democrats that won’t pledge to have all troops out of Iraq by the END of their four-year term. With candidates like that, who needs an election? Besides, it is written that a Clinton will replace a Bush. Barring any last minute name changes by the other candidates, that leaves Hillary as the anointed one. Who will be the Republican chump who runs against her? Hopefully someone who acknowledges the possibility of evolution.

No matter who is elected in November, the control and monitoring of us undesirables (that includes you and me) will continue to be ramped up. You’ll be urged to put the names and personal information for all your friends on the internet, where all your personal information already resides. You’ll be on camera at least 100 times a day as you go about your business. Your cell phone and your car will betray your every move. In 2007, you can’t go to Mexico or Canada without a passport. The way things are going, in 2008 you won’t be able to leave your house without an official identification card. We must fight terrorism, you know.

A devastating economic crash is likely in 2008. It will cause hardship and suffering for billions of people around the world. When it is over, we’ll wake up to find that we live in a third world country. On the plus side, perhaps worsening economic conditions will push people around the world – and us – to say enough is enough, and throw out the petty thugs and punks who control most countries  by force and terrorism. And first among these are our own Bush and Cheney who should be shipped to The Hague to undergo a trial for war crimes and crimes against the people. More than one million Iraqis – men, women and children – and nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have died because of their illegal invasion. They have shredded the Geneva Convention with their wholesale use of torture. There are many more charges awaiting a prosecutor.

Already too many families have seen their children and their friends disappear into prison for the crime of getting high, or disappear into the military, and never return. Just a generation ago, students in California could take advantage of nearly free college education to improve their lives over those of their parents. In 2008, they’re living with their parents because they can’t afford the cost of college, let alone the cost of an apartment. The main impact of the digital revolution so far has been to eliminate jobs and health benefits. In a humane society, it could have meant an unprecedented increase in the quality of life, including the end of poverty, hunger and homelessness.

Here in Venice, we can expect the corporate cookie-cutter to continue its work of homogenizing our pleasant oasis. That means more chain stores, more soulless cuboid buildings masquerading as homes, and more attempts to stifle the dissent for which Venice is known. Of course, it’s really our fault. We Venetians allow our overlords downtown to make decisions that should rightfully be ours to make.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Collectively, we have the power to stop the war in Iraq, end global warming and create a paradise on Earth. All we have to do is get off our collective duffs and refuse to let a small elite – including the Republican and Democratic candidates – run our lives for the benefit of corporate greed.

Happy New Year, and have a great 2008!

January 2008 – Lakota Nation Declares Independence. Can Venice Be Far Behind

By Erica Snowlake

Haumikole! Hello my friend!

On December 19, the Lakota Freedom Delegation announced unilateral withdrawl from all U.S. treaties to a small group of Press and well-wishers in the Plymouth Congregational Church in Washington, DC. The same church hosted the American Indian Movement in the1970s.

Delegates Mni yuha Najin Win, Phyllis Young from Standing Rock; Oyate Wacinyapin, Russell Means, Pine Ridge; Canupa Gluha Mani, Duane Martin Sr., Hill City, Black Hills; and Tegihya Kte, Garry Rowland, Wounded Knee, made presentations, sang and drummed traditional songs, and cut up their driver’s licenses.

The delegates have been in discussion with traditional treaty councils across Lakota in the communities of Pine Ridge, Porcupine, Kyle, Rosebud, Lower Brule, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock, and Flandreau. The withdrawl is said to be vested on the power of the Lakota people and their children, in accordance with the Strongheart Warrior Society and its Grandmothers.

Citing provisions of the1868 Fort Laramie Treaty which have never been upheld, the Lakota have been subject to colonial apartheid conditions, an ongoing catastrophe on the Reservations of alcoholism, drug abuse, unemployment, and extreme poverty, suffering high incidences of diabetes, tuberculosis, infant mortality, and teenage suicides, possessing one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, and the lowest life expectancy of any country in the world.

Further, “Lakotah, have waited at least 155 years for the United States of America to adhere to provisions of the treaties, whose continuing violations have resulted in the near annihilation of our people physically, spiritually, and culturally.” These violations have been in breach of Article VI of the United States Constitution rendering all treaties made “the Supreme Law of the Land.”

The five-state area of Lakotah emcompasses North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It’s all now Lakotah! The mineral-rich Black Hills, the Paha Sapa have always been held as sacred ancestral land by the Lakota.

Invasions into the Paha Sapa by gold-seekers in the1870’s provoked the so-called “Red Cloud’s War” leading to the legendary Battle at Little Big Horn, 1876, where George Custer was defeated, and the subsequent infamous massacre of hundreds of unarmed Hunkpapa and Mniconju men, women, and children with Si Tanka (Chief Big Foot), at Wounded Knee in 1890.

Legends live on, and the descendants of assasinated spiritual warrior leaders Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Dull Knife and Conquering Bear still cry for justice today and their cries will be heard.

Lakota have always maintained their insistence upon the return of the Paha Sapa, accusing the U.S. of violations ranging from Homestead and Citizenship Acts to forced relocations, disallowment of their religions, and truly, the intentional genocide of their race.

Emerging from the conflict in the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973, the International Indian Treaty Council formed with more than 5000 delegates representing 98 Indian tribes and Nations from North and South America to create a Manifesto from the wisdom of the People, their Ancestors, and the Great Mystery. Acknowledged within the 1974 Declaration of Continuing Independence is “the historical fact that the struggle for independence of the Peoples of our Sacred Earth Mother have always been over sovereignty of land, historical freedom efforts involving the highest human sacrifice.”

As international nations welcome and recognize Lakota independence, they will begin the adventure of birthing a new nation into Being. To this end they will issue passports, driver licenses, and a tax-free economy, provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship. They will also begin to administer liens against real estate transactions made by non-Lakotas.

To celebrate and mark this autonomy, 44 people mounted horses on December 15 in Standing Rock to ride the spirit trail of Chief Big Foot and his people in the 21st Annual Ride. They will be joined by many others along the way, swelling their numbers to over 100 on the 13 day journey, returning to Wounded Knee a Free Lakota People.

“We are no longer citizens of the United States and all those who live in the 5 state area encompassing our country are free to join us.”,  declares Oyate Wacinyapin, Russell  Means. We at the Beachhead commend this action and hope it may inspire Venetians to restore Venice cityhood, entering into a liberating independence from Los Angeles.

After visiting the embassies of Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, and South Africa, the Lakota Delegates will continue on their diplomatic mission in bringing the good news of their freedom to the world.

Mitaku Oyasin! – We Are All Related!

For more information and to show your support: http://www.republicoflakota.com

January 2008 – Swami X Speaks

By X Swami X, 

People who don’t know how to listen should be restrained from writing books.  People who don’t know how to listen should be restrained, and…made to watch television.

I’m not against genocide, I just wish they would stop calling it war.  I’d like to be in a position to select the next group that is to go.  Of course, we all go, one way or another.  What’s the fuss?   

Pain, people object to pain.  I don’t blame them.  I’m not big on pain myself.  I feel most of our pain is self-inflicted, in an effort to get back into our feelings, which are windows of the soul, if you’ll forgive my language.  If not, fuck you.  I jest. I hope. Laughter makes for good blood and semen.

So far so good, as I continually respond to inquiries about my health and well being.  To be honest with you, I would like to live in Disneyland until 2020, at which time I plan to have a monkey gland operation and fuck Paris Hilton into ecstasy and sanity.

I’m jesting you.

To be semi-serious for a moment, I am sending this message because I feel you are close to being a mature human being with possibilities for spiritual liberation, enlightenment and activity.  I hope I haven’t over-estimated you.  There’s alot of that going around these days, and especially in political circles–and squares.

So life is an endless journey, commencing and climaxing in ecstasy and then commencing again, endlessly.  

Sounds monotonous, but it’s not.  It gets newer, richer and more real all the time.  Just ask Harry Houdini when you see him.  He’s over there, on the other side, preparing a magic trick…for you.

January 2008 – Venetians In The Street

This month’s question: 
What are your hopes and dreams for the Boardwalk in 2008?

 

Alicia Garcia de Leon is an artist on the Boardwalk for the last five years. 
Permits are given to almost anyone and I think this is wrong. The lottery should be available only for those who create their own art or craft. Performers and people who practice self expression should also be available to be in the lottery. Jewelry making is also a type of art or craft therefore hand made jewelry should also be accepted and permitted. No commercial vending should be allowed. I think that after 12pm space holders should lose their space if they are not present.

 

———–

Brian Mylius is a painter and resident of Venice. 
I would like the public to be a little more aware of what happens here for us artists. The public does not know much about the struggles and problems that we have out here. And I would like to see more music. You can’t find any music because of all the regulations they pass and I think that is really sad because it should be about art and music, not about commercial vending.

————

Michael Deane is the store manager at Ocean Blue and a resident. 
I would like to see help to rehabilitate the homeless. Help clean them up and bring them back into society. I would like the ordinance on the other side of the boardwalk straightened out, and not allow them to compete with businesses who pay rent. The majority of the revenue that this area generates is coming from people in the shops.

————

Ra Ra Superstar is an Ocean Front Walk artist and resident. 
I have been in Venice for 12 years and I would like to see the changes of more freedom and less police harassment. I would like to see people get better space opportunities without the lottery. Yeah, so I would like the lottery to end, and for it to go back to the way it was before, an open market, first come first served.

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Sandra Edwards is homeless. She’s been living on the streets in Venice for 15 months.
I would really like to see more facilities available for the homeless. Hot showers would be great. I would like to see them bring back the Hare Krishna Temple which used to bring vegetarian meals down to the boardwalk to feed the people in need. It would be nice if there was a hot meal delivered to the people who really need one at night.

————

Richard Wellington is a street performer. 
What I would like to see happen is non-performers not be allowed in a performer’s spot and that is about it.

January 2008 – Martin Luther King In His Own Words

“Man has the capacity to do right as well as wrong, and his history is a path upward, not downward. The past is strewn with the ruins of the empires of tyranny, and each is a monument not merely to man’s blunders but to his capacity to overcome them … 

This is why I remain an optimist, though I am also a realist, about the barriers before us. Why is the issue of equality still so far from solution in America, a nation that professes itself to be democratic, inventive, hospitable to new ideas, rich productive and awesomely powerful?   

The problem is so tenacious because, despite its virtues and attributes, America is deeply racist and its democracy is flawed both economically and socially … justice for Black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society … exposing evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society. It reveals systemic rather than superficial flaws and suggests that radical reconstruction of society itself is the real issue to be faced … 

It is time that we stopped our blithe lip service to the guarantees of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. These fine sentiments are embodied in the Declaration of Independence, but that document was always a declaration of intent rather than of reality … to this day, Black Americans have not life, liberty nor the privilege of pursuing happiness, and millions of poor white Americans are in economic bondage that is scarcely less oppressive.” 

–Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 2008 – The Martin Luther King Kingdom Day Parade

 has been celebrated for the last 20 years and over a million people take to the streets of Los Angeles to remember the life and works of the great man.

The 2008 parade, themed “30 Years of Continuing the Dream,” commences on Martin Luther King Blvd at Crenshaw and lasts for two miles until Western. It includes more than 150 floats, 20 drill teams, ten dance groups, and celebrities aplenty. 

Local vendors and restaurants spill out onto the street in the carnival atmosphere. Streets around the parade area are closed off at 8.30am, so if you’re planning to drive, you’d better get up early.

When: Jan. 21 – 11am
(King holiday) 

January 2008 – California Presidential Primary is Feb. 5

Here is the list of candidates who will appear on the ballot:

American Independent Party

Don Grundmann
Mad Max Riekse
Diane Beall Templin 

Democratic Party

Joe Biden
Hillary Clinton
Chris Dodd
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama
Bill Richardson

Green Party

Jared Ball
Elaine Brown
Jesse Johnson
Cynthia McKinney
Kent Mesplay
Ralph Nader
Kat Swift

Libertarian Party

John Finan
Barry Hess
Dave Hollist
Daniel Imperato
Bob Jackson
Michael P. Jingozian
Steve Kubby
Alden Link
Robert Milnes
George Phillies
Wayne A. Root
Christine Smith

Peace and Freedom Party

Stewart A. Alexander
John Crockford
Stanley Hetz
Gloria E. La Riva
Cynthia McKinney
Brian Moore
Ralph Nader

Republican Party

Sam Brownback
John H. Cox
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
Alan Keyes
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson