June 2008 – Welcome To Summer In Venice – A Guide For Visitors And Residents

By Jim Smith

Summer in Venice is hectic and thrilling. It’s an all day carnival of the crazy, the craven and the conniving. It’s a place where you can have experiences that will change your life. Just being in Venice has brought enlightenment to thousands, and thousands more have found the love of their life. At the least, you can survive, and have lasting memories by following a few simple directions.

What to Do:

Residents and Visitors: Enjoy Venice. Forget about the outside world. It isn’t real anyway. Venice is a world apart because of the ocean, the texture of the sky, the mix of people from all over the world. Everyone “does” the Boardwalk (Ocean Front Walk). It’s more than a mile of sensory overload and can absorb your entire visit or weekend, if you “go with the flow.” Check out the Graffiti Pit (it’s new respectable name is the Venice Art Wall). It’s on the beach, out from Windward Avenue. In the evening, head out on the sand to the Drum Circle. 

But Venice is much more than the ocean front. Visit the canals (south of Venice Blvd.), Visit SPARC, the world’s best mural center, in the old Venice jail, 625 Venice Blvd., where you can see people’s art (as opposed to commercial art). Next door is Beyond Baroque, poetry central in Venice. On the other side of SPARC is the Pacific Resident Theater, where first class plays are performed.  

Stumble around town and you’ll be rewarded with sights and people that make it all worthwhile. Venice is full of hidden murals and gardens. Don’t miss the Wall of Tiles at the Vera Davis Community Center at 610 California Ave. (just off Abbot Kinney). The intricate tiles were designed and painted by the children and youth of Venice in the 1990s. They tell the story of multi-racial, multi-cultural Venice. 

If you want a quiet beach experience, head down the peninsula south of Washington Blvd. There are few people on these beautiful Venice beaches. Problem is you’ll either have to walk or bike down Speedway to get to them. You can also visit the last remaining Venice pier at Hamburger Square, where Washington Blvd. meets the sand.

Venice is relatively free of chain stores, and we mean to keep it that way. Please DO NOT PATRONIZE them. There are way cool local shops and restaurants on Ocean Front Walk, Windward Avenue, Abbot Kinney Blvd., Rose Ave., Washington Blvd. and Lincoln Blvd. Coffee houses, head shops, speciality stores, small cafes and restaurants abound. Please patronize those that advertise in this community newspaper. 

Nightlife

Check the Beachhead Calendar for events this month in Venice. Many are within walking or biking distance.

Getting Around

Driving around town is so unVenetian. Venice, unlike L.A., is a walking city. In addition, timing tests have proven that you can get around Venice as quickly on a bike as by car, when parking is taken into consideration (see Nov. 2002 Beachhead at http://www.freevenice.org). There’s also the Big Blue Bus that has several routes in Venice. The regular fare in 75 cents.

Parking:

Residents: Don’t even think about moving you car on weekends if you only have street parking. You won’t find another parking place until Monday. Do your shopping on Friday at the latest. Plan your weekend around neighborhood stores, restaurants and events. If you stay off Ocean Front Walk, you’ll find plenty of room to move around and enjoy paradise.

Visitors: If you’re driving, come early, before 9AM if you want to park near the beach. Otherwise, park a mile or more away and catch a bus to Venice. It’s a lot cheaper than paying for parking near the beach. If you want to avoid all the hassles let the MTA do the driving for you.

Where to Stay:

No problem for residents, but if you’re just visiting, whether you’re a transient, traveler, or tourist, check out Venice’s hostels. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be from another country to stay at a low-cost hostel. Rooms run from $22 – $52 per night. All you need is a passport to enjoy the low rates for a bed in a dormitory or a private room. Here’s three that are recommended by a friend: Venice Beach Hostel – http://www.venicebeachcotel.com, 1515 Pacific Ave. – 310-452-3052; Venice Beach Cotel – 25 Windward Ave. – 310-399-7649. The Hostel California, about a mile from the beach has dorm rooms for only $17. – http://www.hostelcalifornia.us,  2221 Lincoln Blvd. – 310-305-0250. 

If you’ve got more bucks, the most charming hotel is probably the Cadillac Hotel – 8 Dudley Avenue –  www.thecadillachotel.com – 310-399-8876. It’s right in the thick of the action. Summer rates are high – $139 – $200 per night! 

If you’re coming in an RV, make sure you move every day to avoid the random irritable homeowner. If you just have the clothes on your back, you should know that it’s illegal to sleep on the beach. Look for an isolated spot to bed down. Be aware that there are predators on the beach as well as friendly people.

Little known facts about Venice:

1. Regardless of what you have heard on TV, there is no such place as Venice Beach. It is Venice. While we’re at it, there are no such places as Santa Monica Beach or Malibu Beach. At least try to get our name right.

2. Venice has been under occupation for 83 years. John McCain would love it here. We were taken over by Los Angeles in a bloodless Anschluss years ago. There are still insurgents resisting the occupation, who the occupiers call gangs and troublemakers, but in general, tourists are relatively safe. If you see men with guns and uniforms, keep a safe distance.

3. Venice is one of the most leftwing communities in California. We compete with Berkeley for that title. In 2004, George Bush got 13 percent of the vote. Visitors will find us open minded and happy to make new friends.

Have a great time:

Residents: Don’t hyperventilate about the traffic, all the people and the noise. All things will pass. In the meantime, pretend you’re a visitor seeing Venice for the first time.

Visitors: There is nothing like summer in Venice. Whether you’re rich or poor, you’ll likely be welcomed by Venetians if you are friendly and courteous. The ocean, the coast, and the good times belong to everyone! Enjoy.

June 2008 – How Others See Us: Another Kind of Life

By Peter Rajchert

(I recently visited Venice for the first time and found myself immediately drawn to its community. I live in Canada, but hope to return with my fiancée some time soon, whenever that may be. – Peter)

It wasn’t the last stop for the 704 but everyone was getting off and I did too. Maybe it was societal pressure. I did need to urinate after all that soda on the ride from Hollywood. I had my heavy pack of books and clothes. It tired me out, made me thirsty all over again.

“This is Santa Monica,” I thought. “It’s clean and neat with a promenade of dinosaur fountains, stores and folks meandering worry-free and not a public restroom in sight.” 

So, I drifted toward the ocean with the other crowd, the crowd that didn’t have shopping on its mind.

This was big. I had never seen the Pacific before and there it was below Palisades Park, enormous and different in temperament from its Atlantic cousin. Here I also found a restroom, just across Ocean Avenue at the edge of the park. Now relieved, I took in the varying rich hues of green found in the leaves of palms, bushes and lawns. The men resting on the lawns wore old clothes, older than mine. They weren’t in Santa Monica on vacation.  Together we inhabited two different universes. Although, that’s the wrong way of looking at it, isn’t it? If someone lives in another universe, it’s much easier for me to ignore him.

Four pretty women in shorts, sandals, and loose tops walked past me and turned down the nearby staircase, their slowness a result of the measured way of life in Santa Monica. The broad beautiful beach below waited for them. The women would have a lot of space to rest. Summer was months away and with it the promise of thousands of near-nude bodies, some only inches from one another, others touching pleasurably skin to skin.

I listened to the excitement in the women’s voices as they moved down the stairs and across the bridge over the Pacific Coast Highway. They were sharing the joy of the moment with one another. The only way I could share my joy with my fiancée was through a text message, which I sent to her English mobile phone, hoping that my digital words would convey the saltiness of the air and the warmth of the California sun.

I had to taste the ocean, feel it on my feet and hands, take a dip in it if I could; although, there was barely a soul bathing in the water. But the sand was warm and soft. I sat in it and luxuriated myself, removing my sneakers and letting the waves tenderly caress my feet. That’s when it occurred to me that I was relaxed. I had entered another frame of mind; I was at peace, unworried and without a bother.

My trip wasn’t finished, however. Mom and Dad were a few miles away at a hotel in Venice Beach. I began walking towards them with my shoes off, dangling from pack. Every so often, I ran into people – parents with overweight kids rolling in the waves making sand-pies, a slender teenaged girl in a white bikini jogging for the life of her, and a few others. Mostly I was alone with the Pacific and its steady purifying breeze.

At one point, it occurred to me that if I kept to the ocean, my ocean, I would end up missing my parents’ hotel. Thus, I started to cut across the beach and into the arms of humanity. Its unified life-affirming pulse began to pound harder and harder. This was Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach. I knew right away – as unbelievable as that may sound – that I had entered a real community. And I don’t mean people simply living together in one place. This sort of setup exists wherever one goes. On Ocean Front Walk every person, be it a tourist or local, belonged to Venice Beach. This belonging created unspoken relationships between all the people in town, but placed no pressure on them to conform. Knowing this was delightfully liberating. The muscular man in black briefs, the reggae band, the tourist with a camera hanging from his neck, and everyone else – including me – was a member of a happy collective, nonjudgmental and welcoming.

My parents’ hotel bore witness to this scene of humanity gone right. In the hallway on the second floor just down from our room, I could sit by the open window, feel the presence of the ocean and take hope that maybe in the future humanity would turn out all right.

June 2008 – How Others See Us: Venice is seedy?

By Clare Kitchen (from London, UK)

An LA resident told me that ‘Venice is seedy and a home of weirdos and don’t go.’ Being curious I went this week, stayed a night and found it to be full of warm welcoming people and a ‘seed bed’ for creativity. What I find ‘seedy and weird’ about LA is the obvious denial of the existence of people in vulnerability and an attitude of ‘survival of the fittest’.

As a lone female traveller I felt safe in Venice but remain appalled by the lack of shelter and social care for homeless, needy people. It made me ashamed to see people asking for money for the basics. Maybe Arnie when next jogging along Venice beach could ‘feel enough’ to address these social issues and by turning his ‘predator’ powers into serving the vulnerable in LA society. I was brought up loving the dream  and community of Martin Luther King – what is Arnie’s American dream? and how best does it serve people?

Lawrence Lipton, Beat Poet, once wrote about the poverty of Venice – what has changed? I leave LA hoping that Venice will be supported more fairly in future and that the next Beat generation of poets can grow, expressing the true diversity of voices in the community. The endowment fund suggested by Lipton’s late wife Nettie could be established to meet cultural aims and develop a constructive agenda for affordable, supported social housing serving the most vulnerable in our troubled society. Mental health issues must be a priority as well as respect of older people.

In Fairfax Village yesterday I saw motorists driving over a walking stick – it was tossed about with the traffic – I see that as a symbol of the attitude to vulnerability prevalent in LA. 

P.S. Thanks for a great read this month. As an outsider visiting from London I found the paper really helpful and inspiring and was a good intro to the Venice Community which I experience as a vibrant one. It inspired me to write today.

June 2008 – Letters

•  Wants Beachhead Sustainer – Karen Reeves
•  Crime Scam
•  Renovations – Ida Lee

Wants Beachhead Sustainer

Dear Peaceful Persons at the Venice Beachhead,

Hi! I would like to become a sustainer of my favorite newspaper and receive the fringe benefits. I’d like to advertise my child care business, “Karen’s Kare” for four issues as mentioned in the sustainee offer.

I’d like to tell you a little about myself: I’m Karen (Preston) Reeves and I had the amazing job of going to the beach in the early seventies to work at the Venice Beach Playground, (next to the seniors card room and the Meatless Messhall). I was the Recreation Leader. I’d already worked with five year olds up to teenagers for the city of Torrance and Culver City and the Westchester YMCA, but this was especially sweet for me being connected to a regular little community of mothers and their preschoolers and their dogs too!

At that time Ida Finhandler was a Venetian regular with her son, Freddy, and her grandsons. She took me under her wings and mentored me in many of her loving ways. Then in 1974, I moved from Venice to Mar Vista, (at Rose and Cabrillo), and have been blessed with my own successful family child care business ever since!

Now is the season of children graduating and going on to their next adventure, and I’m in the market for little people, at least 20 months old and preferably on a part-time schedule during the week. Email me at: melek@earthlink.net or call me at 310 390-4589.

Thank-you for your time and for the ever-enlightening Beachhead!

Peace and Love,

Karen Reeves

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Crime Scam

Dear Beachhead,

I am sure your readers would like to know that there is a scam going on in the Venice area where a man will run up to your car and tell you that you hit his bumper.  He seems to have a friend who saw you do this. When asked to produce the person, he is unwilling to do so.  If you want to call the police he backs off.

I had this happen to me and several of my neighbors. Please do not use my name and/or e-mail.   

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Renovations

Twenty-plus years I have lived in “A” building.

Management and/or ownership announced changes. No more roof leakage into third floor apartments. New look was needed.

New look

Luscious thorn tree shaded my patio from strong summer sun.

Sawed down

House wrens and squirrels lost their favorite play place where they amused me.

Gone

Doves had searched there for safe spring nesting.

Found hanging patio plant the best place.

That too was soon eliminated

New look

Cactus plants I planted and watched grow to protect me from summer heat.

Sawed down

Apartment window enlarged, floor to ceiling eliminated wall space. New wall space needed for large antique armoire.

New look

My patio furniture and decorations were taken
to company storage.

New regulations

Many months later I was not allowed my annual lease which I’d had for twenty-plus years, only given a six months lease.

New regulations

No more hanging plants on patio. No more paintings on patio. Only patio furniture and 

plants.

New look

Many months later my patio belongings, minus a few plants, pots and decorations were brought back. I got notification that some furniture candles and decorations had to be removed from patio. New regulations were in effect.

New regulations

Couch I had put on patio awaiting sale, I had removed according to date demanded. New notice arrived Friday night under my door. Yesterday, Monday, was the deadline to escape legal council being called in on the case. Saturday at 9AM I called for help. Was told it was impossible. Only one person available. Possibly on Sunday. No call on Sunday. My long time friends were Sunday dinner guests and earthly angels. They insisted on giving me last minute rescue. High moguls notified early on Monday, I asked for inspection to stop new notices from the law!

             –Ida Lee – age 88

June 2008 – Results Of The May Beachhead Poll

Should RVs have designated parking areas in Venice?

43 percent of respondents said, Yes, while 56 percent said No.

Some of your comments included:

– but if there is only a few spaces, what about the other people?

– Yes, if they do not crucify the ones still left on the street

– There’s a parking shortage as it is,drivers of gas guzzling RVs should be penalized not rewarded

– An RV is all they have. Why torment them?

————

NEW ONLINE

Beachhead Poll

Is Venice too crowded in the summer?

Yes, No, Maybe

To Vote, go to: http://www.freevenice.org

Poll ends June 26

June 2008 – In Brief

•  Save Venice Manor Apartments
•  Military Plane Violates Venice Airspace
•  Colonoscopy Required on Homes 
•  VNC Tables Homeless and RV Task Force Committees 

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VNC Tables Homeless and RV Task Force Committees 

The Homeless Task Force was to have been put on the agenda for a later date last Monday but instead both the Homeless Task Force and the RV Task Force were tabled. New committees and members are to be established at the 15 July meeting from applicants.

According to the final board of officers meeting agenda, dated 15 May, for the 20 May meeting “An Ad Hoc Homeless Committee and an Ad Hoc RV Parking Committee have been formed with the chair/co-chairs and members to be chosen and ratified at the July 15 Board meeting from solicited applicants.”

Mark Ryavec, head of the petitioning movement against the RV Task Force, spoke at the meeting as did others.  Ryavec’s contention was that the Homeless Task Force violated the Brown Act and was composed mainly of “service providers, homeless advocates, and homeless persons” with few residents from the community at large.

The Homeless Task Force was tabled at the meeting but the RV Task Force was included in the tabling in the final board of officers meeting agenda.

– Reta Moser

————

Colonoscopy Required on Homes 

L.A.’s Bureau of Engineering has adopted a policy requiring homeowners to pay for and provide a video inspection of their sewer lateral line when making an application for a building permit on any structure built prior to 1965. 

A city inspector will review your colonoscopy to determine if you need a costly operation on your waste disposal. 

–Thanks to Betsy Goldman, 

http://www.betsysellsvenice.com

———–

Military Plane Violates Venice Airspace

Just when the noise ordinance went into effect on Ocean Front Walk, the deafening sound of a large plane, seemingly about to crash into our homes, was heard around Noon, May 26. 

Observers said the craft was a four-engine cargo plane about the size of a 747. It appeared to be flying slowly at about 200 feet. 

It was not immediately clear why the military chose the anti-war community of Venice for this show of force. 

Several residents reported to the Beachhead that they believed the plane was about to crash into their homes, and that they feared for their lives.

Buzzing a populated area is definitely illegal – unless the military is above the law – and complaints can be made to the Federal Aviation Administration at 800-255-1111 or by filling out an online form at http://www.faa.gov/safety/ safety_hotline.

————

Save Venice Manor Apartments

A mass uprising against RAD Ventures, in 2006, defeated its plans for a gated community at the MTA lot on Main St. 

Now RAD is back with plans to destroy 28 rent-controlled apartments, called Venice Manor, and replace them with 18 multimillion-dollar houses. The garden-style apartments at 542-568 S. Venice Blvd. resemble those at Lincoln Place (where a long battle has been raging for affordable housing), but they are actually older, having been build in 1947, two years before LP.

At its May 23 meeting, the Venice Town Council voted to oppose the destruction of the Venice Manor Apartments. Various other organizations will likely be lining up to save these affordable units, which are vanishing from Venice like an endangered species.

Want to help? Contact VeniceManor@gmail.com or http://www.savevenice manor.org.

June 2008 – City Of Venice Town Council Revival!

By Erica Snowlake

   I felt honored to attend the first meeting of the revived Town Council Friday night,May 23 at the Venice United Methodist Church Auditorium on Lincoln Blvd. 

Nearly 50 people and one mellow dog gathered in a heptagonal round to re-animate “the Body.” Anticipatory excitement filled the air as we shared a communal feast courtesy of Food Not Bombs, while listening to the soothing homespun tunes of Venice bard Peter Damien, (praising those immortal shopping bag ladies). 

Demetrius and Peggy Lee Kennedy co-inspired a marinara for the hemp seed topped pasta, with a green salad and sweet pineapple chunks for dessert.

We introduced ourselves in a go-around, heard announcements, then chose a facilitator/ chair and secretary/note taker for the evening. 

Jim Smith led us in a comprehensive reading of the “Resolution,” stating the aim and purpose of the council; specifically “Whereas, The people of Venice need a forum for expressing themselves, and making decisions, on the important issues affecting them.” 

This not-for-profit organization will consider placing anyone’s item on the meeting’s agenda, though you must be a Venice resident, i.e. local, to vote. All decisions are (hopefully) agreed upon by consensus, otherwise a vote of hands or a carrying aye or nay will do. The Venice Town Council plans to meet once a month, yet people are so fired up with the urgency of the issues at hand the group moved to meet again in two weeks! (due to scheduling problems at the auditorium, the meeting will be held on June 13 at 7pm).

  And the issues are: Solutions for Homelessness, Venice Boardwalk Ordinances and Lottery, Beach Environmental Protection, Permit Parking,  Save the Venice Art Walls, Venice Cityhood, Protection for the Trees of Venice, Police Relations, red curbs that go on forever, and perhaps most importantly, a renewed Moratorium on Development. 

The Town Council has already taken positions on several important issues, including saving 28 rent-controlled apartments at the Venice Manor, and opposing Proposition 98, which would ban rent control in California. We also voted for very democratic rules to run the organization, including having a rotating chair/facilator and secretary.

The previous VTC enjoyed a nearly 20 year run and organized very effectively against unsustainable development in Venice, influencing L.A. City Council decisions and the Coastal Commission reviews.

   So dear Venice is embodying a Body once more, of and for the people. A group mind with limitless power to create and uphold a healthy and happy sustainable community for all, a forum in which to discuss the details of our timely co-existence. 

Manifestations of true democracy, free speech, and free assembly for the respectful sharing of ideas and actions in equality and dignity to ensure we live in a land of harmony and longevity.

  Indeed, the evening was fairly merry-spent, lastly, we thanked one another for coming out to participate, caring enough to leave, at least for the evening, car commercials and war machines far behind. The next meeting, scheduled for Friday, June 13, 7 pm, again at the Venice United Methodist Church Auditorium, 2210 Lincoln Blvd., promises more lively fun and unity, please join in!

June 2008 – Vandalism On Pacific – Getting The Rules Straight With The LAPD

By Cristina Rojas

 In my letter to your May Issue, I described the vandals on Pacific who I saw taking a light fixture as “white youths”. I did so because it was so, but also, to counter comments I have heard supposing that vandals in general are probably either Gangs, or African-American, or Latino, or homeless, or “bums”…

 Since last month, there have been a few more acts of vandalism that I know of: another left side car mirror hanging just by a thread (really!), and a right side mirror smashed.

    In looking into the LAPD solutions to this particular problem our neighborhood is experiencing, I contacted various police officers referred through 911.

 A “lead” officer returned my phone message, and after hearing my story and my questions, proceeded to tell me in no uncertain terms that I needed to educate myself on the correct procedure and the correct numbers to phone….that the community had to get educated.

And no, he does not read The Beachhead!

So, mindful of his 4 suggestions, and in an effort to bring my involvement with this question to a close as I share it with you, here is the gist of it:

1.- Do not call 911 – Unless it is life threatening.

2.- Call 1 (877) 275 52 73 / 1 (877) ASK LAPD, the LAPD non emergency number. If you are not aware of this number, as I was not till then, you may go on the Web and find it.

    Personally, as I watched from my parked car as the vandals took down a neighbor’s front door light around past midnight I did not have access to the Web, only to my cell phone. And my lifelong hearsay limited education resulted in my calling 911.

    Now, mindful of the suggestion, I have phoned 1 (877) ASK LAPD.

I was informed that this is the main police car dispatch number, and that possibly there are more urgent requests which might take priority…hence my 45mn wait the night I reported the vandalism.

    In checking this number again tonight for this letter, there was more education: 

–call 911 if you see a crime in progress,

–call 1 (877) ASK LAPD if the perpetrators are leaving or have left the scene.

3.- If you do not know the 1(877) ASK LAPD number, call 411 to get that right number in case of vandalism. I did tell the “lead” Officer that 411 will just give you 911. He disagreed. I tried his suggestion…a couple of times. The surprised, slightly amazed answer came back each time: 911

    When I suggested that there might be another number, the operators got really flustered…until I assured them that I was just checking for a story.

 4.- Unless you get a slip, your report is not filed. The two officers who showed up 45mn after the vandalism of one of my neighbor’s door lamp, long after the vandals had weaved their way towards Venice Blvd, did see the hanging exposed wires, and listened to my story, and the 911 officer had also listened to my story twice.

But, without a written report resulting in a slip, it is as if it had never been reported.    

If only there had been such lack of “dynamism” in the LAPD/Feds/ATF February 19 Operation Oakwood.

 

Back in the late 1970s, I lived in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. We started hearing and reading about neighborhoods “suddenly” becoming increasingly dangerous: gangs, drugs, violence…and Chicago’s Finest to the rescue. 

Then there was a rash of “inexplicable” fires, and families shivering out in the street watching their homes burn to the ground.    

And then there was “gentrification,” “urban renewal,” or as we used to call it, “urban removal,” of the people that is…scattered like leaves…

I think I may be having a Deja Vu all over again.   H

June 2008 – Good Bill, Bad Bill

Good Bill - 

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl Applauds Same-Sex Marriage Decision

I am elated and moved beyond words by the news that the California Supreme Court has struck down the ban on same-sex marriage. Like my sisters and brothers in the LGBT community, I am thrilled, proud and excited by the court’s just and wise decision affirming our basic civil rights.

As a teenager living in the closet, or as gay man watching my friends die from the scourge of AIDS, I never thought I would see the day when our rights would be fully recognized. This is an important and historic day. I am proud to be a Californian, and proud to be a gay man.

I applaud the legion of activists, lawyers, and elected officials who have made this day possible. There have been tens of thousands of quiet, invisible soldiers who have applied remarkable talent, incredible heart, and tireless commitment to this issue for more than a generation. We are part of a community rich with heroes.

I also applaud and thank our allies, of all political parties and sexual orientations, who helped make this day possible. Just as we shared our struggle for civil rights with them, we share our moment of celebration.

Together, we will make sure that this decision is not overturned at the ballot box. And together, we will work to make sure that someday soon our equal rights are recognized by the federal government. 

–Bill Rosendahl

————

Bad Bill -

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl Calls RVs “Blight” on our community

Dear Neighbor-   

Thanks so much for your email regarding City government efforts to prevent people from living in their vehicles on city streets. Many of you have asked about my position on an ordinance banning the overnight parking of oversized vehicles, such as campers and RVs, on certain City streets.  I voted in favor of the ordinance in 2006.  I supported it then, and I continue to support it now. I believe strongly that you, me and our neighbors deserve a quality of life that includes clean and safe neighborhoods. Oversized vehicles and people living in cars on our residential streets imposes blight upon our community.  That problem must be stopped. 

Currently, the City’s Department of Transportation is implementing a pilot program enforcing this ordinance in two neighborhoods in San Pedro and Brentwood.  As soon as these pilot programs are completed (in about a month), DOT will evaluate how well the program worked and was enforced, and report to the Transportation Committee.  At that time, I plan to ask DOT to begin implementing the ordinance in Venice.  I am confident that LAPD will effectively enforce these new rules. 

Many of you are also asking about the status of requests for more comprehensive Overnight Parking Districts.  At my request and with funding I have secured, the City’s Bureau of Engineering is working on issuing the permits for those parking districts, which would allow parking by permit only from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. in certain areas.  The OPDs are being fast-tracked and should be in place by late August, unless they are appealed to the California Coastal Commission. 

While I am moving forward with these restrictions, I want to underscore that I am determined that we not criminalize homelessness and punish those who live on the margins and in the shadows of society.  I continue to seek alternative locations — in Venice, in other areas of the 11th District, and other parts of the City of Los Angeles — where people who are forced to live in their vehicles are allowed to park.  I am encouraged by the leadership and vision of the Homeless Task Force of the Venice Neighborhood Council, and I look forward to reviewing the VNC’s recommendations. 

This is a difficult and wrenching issue for many people, in and out of government, who genuinely struggle with the sometime competing interests of protecting our neighborhoods and preserving the social safety net.  I encourage each side of this difficult issue to appreciate the concerns and needs of the other side, so that we can work together as a community to address this controversy. 

Regards, 

–Bill Rosendahl

June 2008 – From the Beachhead: Come on, Bill!

Bill Rosendahl has been, in most respects, an excellent representative for Council District 11, including Venice.

He has stood up for Lincoln Place tenants and has opposed many of the most outrageous development schemes for our town.

Yet, he must be judged by the same standard we would apply to anyone, that is: How does he treat the most defenseless members of our society?

The homeless, including those who sleep in cars, are powerless when confronted by city government, the police, landlords, employers, and even homeowners.

We urge our friend Bill to make his first priority finding safe and healthy places for mobile residents to spend the night. Then, and only then, should rules about who can park on our streets be promulgated.