Food for the Soul

By Anne Alvarez

New Life Society is a local grassroots non-profit which was founded in 2001 by Millie Mims, in the mountain community of Badger, California. The original intent was to provide shelter on the family property to people who were in need of temporary housing.

For over ten years, Millie helped people who came to the community and needed lodging. She began going to the local farmer’s market, asking for donations of fruits and vegetables for the small local school, and for families that were in need of food.

In 2010, Millie relocated to Venice, and immediately set up a spot on the Boardwalk to feed the homeless and anyone in need of a hot meal. She sets up a minimum of five days a week, across from the Venice Bistro at 3:30 in the afternoon, and stays until all six gallons of homemade soup, 2 1/2 gallons of salad, rice and bread are all distributed.

She is able to maintain this schedule through the generous donations of local farmer’s markets. On Sundays, she heads to the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market, where local farmers, like Lupe Cordova and her grandson Kyle Moran, donate on a weekly basis.

For about six months, New Life Society was out on the Boardwalk, seven days a week. However, the number of volunteers needed was not met, and she has been unable to maintain that schedule. “We are in need of help on Thursdays and Fridays, in order to get back to a seven-day-a-week feeding schedule. We also need a person with a car to come to the apartment where the food is prepared, to help pick up and drop off at the beach … We need help with people serving, and we need someone that can return back with all the containers. We are also looking for volunteers to help with clean up in the evening for 1 hour, either from 6 to 7, or 7 to 8 PM, would be ideal.”

The New Life Society offers clean water, vegetarian food and emergency shelter to all. Millie and her company are true advocates in the fight to end hunger and homelessness. Remaining persistent in her commitment to help those in need, she is a strong, wise and gentle human being.

Currently Millie is in search of a building in the Venice area, where New Life Society will be able to offer shelter to some of the unhoused looking to get their lives in order.

If you are interested in volunteering please visit http://www.newlifesocietycalifornia.org or you can reach Millie at 310-398-1901.

Writing The American Dream On A Grain Of Rice…

By Anne Alvarez

Vivianne Robinson is one of Ocean Front Walk’s most colorful and successful artists, known for her ability to write on a grain of rice. Her record is 14 letters on a single grain spelling out “Rumpelstiltskin.”

It is an art form that originated in Ancient Anatolia, where artisans began inscribing messages and names on rice, widely known in those days as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune.

Born and raised in Venice, she recalls spending her childhood playing on the Boardwalk, often in bare feet. During her teens, she attended school in Santa Monica, but spent most of her free time rollerskating from Santa Monica to Venice. “I made lifelong friends with the performers, vendors and artists of the time. Growing up in Venice gave me an appreciation for diverse cultures and lifestyles. It helped spark my lifelong love of travel. One of the main reasons I love Venice is the diversity. It is unlike any other place on earth.”

Vivianne should know. During her twenties, she traveled to France, Italy and Germany where she worked as a waitress, babysitter and at McDonalds. “I like to absorb the culture. I have always been fascinated by different languages.” She speaks French and German fluently.

She returned to the States, and received a degree in Recreational Studies from Long Beach State. After graduation, she was offered and accepted a job working for the City of Santa Monica, heading the kids and senior curricular programs. She remained there for ten years.

It was a chance encounter with a kind Indian man in 1994, while vacationing on the beaches of Portugal, that her destiny would change. “He was writing on rice and people were lining up for his trinkets. I asked him how he did it and he took the time to show me. It requires lots of patience and a steady hand,” he said. “He encouraged me to do it back home. As soon as my vacation ended, I purchased some rice, quit my job and was fortunate that a friend had a stall for rent on the Boardwalk, and offered it to me.”

“Never imagining working for myself, I had no experience running a business, and frankly just never thought I would succeed.” Her first day on the Boardwalk, people lined up to get their names on rice, and business blossomed for years. That is, until recently, which she blames on the current recession.

Vivianne has become a staple on OFW, garnering national attention when she was the focus of a Modern Marvels episode for her ability to write the world’s tiniest writing. She only uses Uncle Ben’s rice which she says is “the smoothest, most unbreakable rice out there.”

In 2010, muralist Rip Cronk approached her while he was painting his famous ”Venice Reconstituted” mural, which according to the artist, is a parody of Botticelli”s Birth Of Venus masterpiece. He asked to take her picture, and mentioned making her a part of the mural, but asked her not to tell anyone. Vivianne obliged, and didn’t say a word to anyone, not even her parents. “I didn’t really believe it. I was completely surprised one day as I arrived at the beach and saw myself halfway painted on the wall.”

While attending the 2012 London Olympics, (she has attended 5) Vivianne’s colorful outfits made her an instant celebrity after the Associated Press took a picture of her arriving at Heathrow airport and it circulated worldwide. Throughout her stay in London, she was featured on the cover of various British magazines, finding out about them only when another tourists handed her one. At one point she was approached by a member of the U.S Track and Field team while eating at the food court at Westfield London’s shopping center, “I don’t know her name, she just walked up to me and asked if I had ever gone inside the Olympic Stadium. I told her no, and she then handed me a ticket and told me to go, as the races had already begun. To my surprise it was a seat 10 feet from the track surrounded by Track and Field stars representing every country.” Her seat was also next to the massive Olympic torch.

Celebrities often approach Vivianne to take pictures with her, and to purchase trinkets for themselves and as gifts, such as Halle Berry, the Olson Twins and the late Jenni Rivera, to name a few. Vivianne is one of a handful of vendors on the Boardwalk to have two stalls opposite each other. She is also an avid photographer, often documenting the daily goings on of Venice Beach. She hopes to publish a book of pictures in the near future. In the meantime she keeps busy doing her art and working private parties. Next time you’re on the Boardwalk, stop by, say hi and get to know a very intriguing woman.

To learn more about Vivianne check out her website: http://www.nameonrice.com

Jazz in the Canals

By Anne Alvarez

Chris Bennett sits still during a moment of reflection on the patio of her home overlooking the Venice Canals, as she takes me back through a multi faceted career that spans 3 decades, various  genres of music and a Grammy nomination for co/writing and singing the title track for the film Midnight Express. Bennett worked alongside composer, Giorgio Moroder, who went on to win the Oscar for the film’s musical score.

Her resume is extensive, including among other things being a pianist, songwriter, jazz performer, choreographer and former disco queen. Having sung back up for Johnny Mathis, Rita Coolidge and Donna Summer on her hit “MaCarthur Park” and “Heaven Knows”,  as well as song writing for singer Tina Turner on her 1979 disco music album Love Explosion.

Bennett, an only child of a conservative Illinois Judge and her music teacher mother, grew up listening to Big Band melodies and Broadway show tunes, and was playing the piano by age 5. She often chose practicing instead of doing chores. It wasn’t until her high school days that she developed a love for the performing arts, specifically dance, that led her to open her own dance studio at the age of 16. She pursued the love of performance art after leaving her family behind, and moving to Los Angeles to attend UCLA. However, within a few months of being in town, she was approached by Jim Nabors, known mostly for his role as sidekick on The Andy Griffith Show. Nabors asked Bennett to join his Las Vegas revue which would eventually tour across the country. Getting to perform on stage every night in new venues, and playing to a variety of audiences in different cities helped Bennett gain the confidence and experience of a seasoned professional.

By her mid-twenties, Bennett had become a worldly woman and a well-known vocalist throughout the music industry. In 1976, while touring Germany, she was scouted and hand picked by composer/producer Giorgio Moroder, a man many credit with pioneering electronic music. Moroder asked her to join the popular disco group, Munich Machine, choosing Bennett to be the lead vocalist for their sophomore album which included a dance version of the Procol Harum rock classic, “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Bennett not only recorded the entire album, she also posed for the groundbreaking cover art, entirely naked. Bennett’s runway model’s body and movie star looks caused an international sensation and made for one of the highest charting and highest grossing disco albums of 1978. As exciting as this period in Bennett’s career was, she knew this wasn’t all she wanted to do. Her main passion had always been jazz, so she took time off, to focus on songwriting, composing and her marriage.

Re-emerging in 1993 a full fledged jazz singer, she produced and independently released an eponymous album that featured an eclectic assortment of covers, including “My Funny Valentine,” the Hollies’ “Bus Stop,” and Leon Ware’s “Somewhere”, along with her own original compositions.

Going through Bennett’s repertoire, it is easy to see why she is regarded as one of the most under appreciated singer/songwriters of our time by many in the jazz community, who compare her near vibrato-less voice to Chris Connor’s airiness. While echoing the purity of Doris Day, and at times channeling jazz idol, Anita O’Day, her ability to sing bittersweet melodies and rockin’ swing tunes make her unique. Bennett has released a total of 11 solo albums, including two live albums, a Christmas platter, and most recently Sail Away – The Tahiti Sessions.

She has also become an advocate for equal rights within the gay community, having composed the song, “Everybody Has The Right” with co-writers, Lisa Catherine Cohen and McKinley Marshall, which she performed alongside disco diva queen Pattie Brooks in major events for the Gay Pride events. Bennett, a heterosexual, firmly believes that everyone should have the same basic rights, a point of view which the Gay and Lesbian community warmly embrace.

Asked why she chose Venice as her home,she answers with a sigh and a warm smile, “There’s no place like Venice anywhere in the world. It is a great place to get older, lots of artistic people with individual ideas are around, and for me it offers the best quality of life one can experience.”

Currently, Bennett tours as one quarter of the disco group, Club Majestic with Pattie Brooks, Suzi Lane and Billie Kaman. Bennett is also collaborating on a musical soundtrack for an upcoming Broadway play by Hollye Leven,alongside acclaimed composer/conductor Maestro Dino Zonic.

She takes me into her in-home recording studio,sits in front of her 1928 Steinway and begins belting out one of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard, “Sail Away”, a song about love lost.

One thing is for certain, the only place Chris Bennett is sailing into is peoples’ hearts with her gentle and unassuming presence and style.

To Learn more about Chris Bennett check out: http://www.chrisbennett.com/

Party for Swami at Bill’s

By Anne Alvarez

Friday December 21, the Mayans’ supposed “Doomsday,”  had many expecting cataclysmic and transformative events worldwide. However, for local poet and astrologer SwamiX, the date had a much greater and significant meaning, a time for humanity to re-invent itself, a time filled with endless opportunities.

The day was celebrated with a gathering of local Venice artists, musicians, poets and politicians at Councilman Bill Rosendhals’ home, who despite undergoing chemotherapy in the last few months, was in a great celebratory spirit.

There were musical performances by Suzy Williams, Jingles, Stephen Longfellow Fiske and Peter Demian, who led the crowd on singalongs. Plenty of food and drinks, along with a chocolate cake in the shape of the famous Mayan temple Chichen Itza marked the occasion.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made an appearance taking, a seat on the floor next to his old college friend, Swami. Rosendahl asked for a moment of silence for the Newton Connecticut victims.

He then gave a speech in which he addressed the need for the legalization of marijuana and linked his current health condition to prescription diabetes medication. He reminisced his past work on Robert F. Kennedy’s campaign as well as the last time he spoke to Martin Luther King, and the wise words he shared with him.

More than anything, the evening was a showcase of the unbreakable human spirit. Regardless of any health challenges SwamiX or Bill Rosendhal may be facing, they were the most festive and upbeat people in the room, reminding us all of what it truly is to be Alive.

Being Thankful on Thanksgiving, and Always

By Anne Alvarez

Venice’s spirit shone upon Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day for our less fortunate, and often invisible, Venice residents, many of whom started their day off with a holiday feast and warm welcoming smiles from the volunteers at the dinner held at the Venice Basketball Courts.

Spearheaded by Anthony Perez from the “Send Me a Penny Foundation”, in conjunction with Pastor Eric Tietze’s  “Heart of Compassion”. Both men are equally dedicated to ending hunger city wide.

Dozens of local volunteers, eager to give back any way they could, baked fresh goods. Others donated clothing, and all donated their warm and generous spirits to make this a special day for those that are so often forgotten. Ashley Adams and her girlfriend, Rebekah Soto, heard about the event online and happily donated their time. As did Santa Monica resident, Teresa Russell, who has been doing this for the past few years, donating clothes and helping out at the food line.

About 10 tables comprised one very large buffet table, filled with turkey, ham and all the side dishes and desserts one can imagine. Over 300 people were fed, with many taking large plates and bags of food to go. The smiles on everyone’s faces were priceless, such as Gregory Crumby, a Venice musician who has fallen on hard times for the past 6 years, and didn’t imagine he would be celebrating Thanksgiving this year. Gregory, accompanied by Tommy Mingo, heard about the feast being provided near the basketball courts from 7-9AM, and cheerfully showed up and ate all the holiday favorites that we so often take for granted.

Many thanks went out to “New Community Jewish High School” whose students began a campaign to donate 20 turkeys to the event, and were so successful, they wound up surpassing that number and donating 32.

 

If you would like to share in the laughter and fill your hearts and spirits with joy, you are encouraged to join the next holiday event taking place Christmas day at OFW Basketball Courts from 7-9AM.

If you are unable to make it to this event but would like to contribute:

 

Heart Of Compassion (323) 727-7997  hocdistribution.com

Send Me A penny Foundation (310) 619-3885  sendmeapenny.org

Cannabis Update

By Anne Alvarez

Facing the public’s outcry in the form of lawsuits, petitions and criticism: the Los Angeles City Council voted 11-2 to overturn the medical marijuana dispensary ban on October 2, allowing the city to avoid a referendum next year that Council officials said would likely succeed in reversing the prohibition.  Medical marijuana advocates collected in August  well over the necessary 27,425 signatures to put the decision to a March 2013 referendum, seeking to overturn the so-called “gentle ban” on pot shops which the City Council approved in July.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who is undergoing treatment for cancer and uses medically prescribed marijuana to deal with the side-effects from chemo-therapy said ”What we had, the gentle ban, was an ugly ban. I’m here today because we have this vote. Where does anyone go, even a Councilman, when they need medical marijuana?” added Rosendahl in a soft, raspy voice.

Council members said it was time to go back to the drawing board on regulating the city’s nearly 1,000 pot shops.

Members could have voted to place the referendum on the ballot or to repeal the ban. The Council also took up a proposal, which passed, to urge state lawmakers in Sacramento to pass regulations that would allow medical marijuana patients to safely and easily obtain their medicine while preventing illegal business practices.

Council President Herb Wesson and other Council members said they didn’t want to see an election on the issue. ”If we allow this to go on the ballot, it will be a Ringling Brothers circus,” Wesson said in an interview before the vote. “I really don’t think that the voters want to deal with this, we repeal this thing and do what we should have done years ago, which is go to Sacramento, close loopholes so that we can put in force a policy that we can enforce.”

The  Council must now come up with regulations governing dispensaries in the city. Current  action by the Council leaves the city without any rules or regulations regarding the maintaining of dispensaries citywide.

Joel Silver Announces His Immortality at VNC Meeting

By Anne Alvarez

The October Venice Neighborhood Council meeting was held at Westminster Elementary on October 23, and was attended by politicians, Hollywood moguls and neighborhood council hopefuls.

Congressional candidates for the newly formed 33^rd district Representative Henry Waxman (D) and Manhattan Beach businessman Mike Bloomfield (I) took the opportunity to address the audience and lay out their policies.

Bloomfield acknowledged it will be difficult to unseat Waxman, who has been in office for over 38 years. However, he feels he just might win because voters are fed up with the hyper partisanship taking place in Washington D.C   . He also emphasized his independence from the two-party system, choosing to break away from the Republican Party to run as an Independent.

Henry Waxman addressed the crowd, pointing out that his opponent left the Republican Party, and proceeded to donate as much money as he possibly could to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.  He then went on to discuss his opposition of the Santa Monica airport and how he intends to do something about it in 2015, when its current agreement with the city expires. Waxman also mentioned his disappointment that the Venice Post Office was sold; however, he is pleased with the buildings new owner, Joel Silver. He briefly addressed the thousands of homeless veterans that roam the streets while 400 acres of land at the Brentwood Veterans’ Administration are being privately leased out, insisting he has fought to keep the V.A. from being altogether sold.

No questions from the audience or board members were permitted, and as soon as both candidates finished campaigning, they immediately left the building.

The audience was then introduced to over 50 Venice Council hopefuls including former Venice High school principal J.Loyd (Bud) Jacobs, who wants to improve the quality of Venice neighborhood schools and align community support for programs and schools that serve the local community

Through it all Joel Silver, the new owner of our historic postal building sat quietly in a back row of the auditorium  before being asked to address the crowd. He proceeded by saying how much he has always loved Venice and how he was “happy to have been voted off the island,” meaning the Warner Brothers Burbank lot. “It is going to be an incredible time for us to experience what Venice is, it is a dream come true,” he said.

“We want to change the paradigm of Venice, the paradigm of Hollywood,” Silver said. He discussed his plans for the community, and opened himself up for questions from the audience and board members; only 2 people asked questions: one woman wanted to know if he would hire her, the other sang his praises.

No one asked about the Biberman mural. I had a chance to privately ask Silver about the covenant between him and the Postal service and his willingness to release it to the public. He replied that “it is not out of the question and that it would ultimately be up to the Postal service.”

When asked whether he has ever said that the Biberman mural will be view-able 7 days out of the year, as has been rumored, his reply was “never, that is ridiculous.”

Silver also said that temporarily displaying the painting at a public Venice space like the Venice library is something he is willing to look into as long as he gets the okay from the owners of the mural, the U.S.P.S.

Board member Ivonne Guzman asked Silver if upon his death he would consider willing his new office space to the community, garnering a quick “I don’t plan on dying anytime soon” from Silver, and laughter from the board members and the audience.

Cannabis Access Set to Vaporize September 6

By Anne Alvarez

On August 14, the L.A City Attorney’s office sent letters to 1,046 suspected dispensary locations and 728 landlords, stating: “Continuance of a medical marijuana business at this location may subject you to legal action resulting in a court ordered closure and imposition of monetary penalties of $2,500 a day, as well as prosecution for a misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000.00 fine. Each day that the property is used in violation of city law is a separate violation.”

This is taking away the safe and affordable access that medical marijuana supporters approved over 15 years ago, as well as wasting millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars fighting a battle that the State Supreme Court is sure to overturn, just as it threw out a court case that was part of the so-called “legal reasoning” for instituting the ban on Los Angeles dispensaries.

On August 22, the California Supreme Court overturned the controversial decision in Pack v. City of Long Beach, which previously had held that federal law preempts some dispensary regulations.

Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country’s leading medical marijuana advocacy organization, stated that “The California Supreme Court has essentially pulled out the rug from under local officials who have used the Pack decision to deny access to medical marijuana for thousands of patients across the state. Pack is now a dead letter and, because of the California Rules of Court (Rule 8.528), it is disingenuous for any public official to contend that the appellate decision is somehow reinstated.” The Pack decision has been used by several municipalities, including Los Angeles, to suspend or ban outright the distribution of medical marijuana. However, the dismissal of said decision questions the viability of such bans.

ASA along with Patient Care Alliance, Los Angeles, a medical marijuana trade association with more than 300 L.A.-based dispensaries and The Greater Los Angeles Collectives Alliance have teamed up with  labor union United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 to qualify a ballot measure to repeal the ban.

On August 17, the Patient Care Association, along with 11 medical marijuana patients, filed a lawsuit against the city asking for an injunction that

stops the dispensary ban from taking effect, and seeks to block enforcement of  the ordinance. It also asks for an immediate injunction to keep city officials from shuttering dispensaries, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 6.

Meanwhile city officials have responded to the lawsuit by saying that the State Supreme Court decision and the public’s outcry “changes nothing.” The L.A City Council voted August 23 to enlist the help of the federal government, asking local and federal law enforcement agencies to develop new strategies to enforce the shutdown. “We need to get out of the way of law enforcement,” said Councilperson Bernard Parks  in asking the Los Angeles Police Department to coordinate with the district attorney and Drug Enforcement Administration on the enforcement of the ban.

On August 29, with plenty of time to spare, medical marijuana advocates filed more than 50,000 signatures in an effort to overturn the ban on dispensaries throughout the city. The city now has up to 30 days to either rescind the ban or call a special election and put the decision to Los Angeles voters early next year. Depending on the timing, the city may be forced to hold a separate election in addition to the March primary and May mayoral election.

“Because of the ban’s questionable future, the city ought to reconsider its tough stance on enforcing the ban” said Don Duncan, California Director with ASA.

If only President Obama could try to remember the good times he had back in the day while attending Punahou School in Hawaii. According to biographer David Maraniss’ book “Barack Obama: The Story,” when a joint was making the rounds, Obama often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouting ‘Intercepted!’ and took an extra hit.

To make your voice heard and put a stop to local government officials infringing upon your rights, log in to www.stopthebanla.com  and sign the petition. You can also learn more through Americans for Safe Access, the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research at www.safeaccessnow.org.  Contact your local and state politicians listed below and let them know you are against the illegal maneuverings to deprive medical marijuana patients of their legally sanctioned, lawfully prescribed medication.

L.A. City Attorney’s Office: (213) 978-8100

Councilperson Jose Huizar: (213) 473-7014

Governor Jerry Brown: (916) 445-2841

It’s Showtime for Venice Artist

By Anne Alvarez

Local artist Jaquelyn Fox will be unveiling her Venice canals paintings at an upcoming show at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. The Opening Cocktail Reception of “Beyond The Gar- den” will be September 8, from 3:00 to 7:00pm, and will feature free wine and cheese. Everyone is invited.

A native Californian, her zest towards her art is much like her approach to life: full of adventure and wonder. Her current series depicts the canals in a gentle, multi-dimensional manner, truly wondrous to look at.

Before devoting herself to painting, she was a successful photographer and ran her own studio for over a decade. She credits photography for giving her the discipline and clarity that come through her paintings.

If you would like to see Fox’s paintings up close, check out her Santa Monica exhibit, which runs from September 8 to October 6 at Shomburg Gallery, in Bergamot Station.

Bergamot Station Arts Center 2525 Michigan Ave. E3A, Santa Monica, CA 90404

310.453.5757

Hours: Wed – Sat 11am – 6pm

http://www.jacquelynfox.com

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries’ Future Up in Smoke

By Anne Alvarez and Greta Cobar

On July 24, L.A. City council members voted unanimously to ban medical marijuana dispensaries citywide. The ordinance did not initially receive a unanimous vote, as Councilperson Paul Koretz (who backed an opposing plan, which would have allowed up to 182 dispensaries that existed prior to 2007) voted against it. However, he changed his vote after council members agreed to advance his proposed plan.

The ban is set to take effect 30 days after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs the bill into law.

The council also voted to instruct city staff to draw up a separate ordinance that would allow 182 dispensaries to remain open. Officials said that proposal, which would grant immunity to shops that existed before the 2007 moratorium on new dispensaries, could be back to the council for consideration in three months.

This new ordinance is similar to one passed two years ago, which was supposed to shutter hundreds of pot dispensaries while capping the number in operation at 70. That ordinance was never enforced, and instead of hundreds of collectives being shut down, in actuality, more opened.

All previous similar ordinances were not enforced, and if history is any indication, this one will be no different. Chances are medical marijuana dispensaries will continue to flourish unabated this time as well. The cost of shutting down successful businesses would not profit anyone, including our police force. Patients would suffer the most, as they would have to travel longer distances to the nearest shop, and fewer shops would most likely result in higher prices.

Bill Rosendahl, 11th District councilperson, who has been an outspoken supporter of medical cannabis, recently admitted to being a medical marijuana patient. He was unable to cast a vote on the July 24 ordinance due to a back injury. However, he posted this statement on his Facebook page: ”I support the use of medical marijuana and oppose a total ban on dispensaries in the city. I also believe we need smart regulation to prevent a proliferation throughout the city and to keep dispensaries away from schools and other sensitive uses. I would have voted against the ban, and supported the proposal which will grandfather in some of the 182 of the first generation of dispensaries.”

This decision by our elected city officials has many citizens outraged, including those in attendance, who shouted: “You don’t care about the people!” It is a slap in the face to the thousands of patients that are dependent on medical marijuana for the relief of chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, migraines, glaucoma, nausea, asthma, hepatitis, fibromyalgia, multiple-sclerosis and anorexia, to name a few. Not to mention the financial strain this will put on thousands of people who are currently employed at the estimated 800 dispensaries city-wide. Thousands of jobs would be lost in the middle of the great recession while the economy is crumbling, with layoffs and foreclosures on the rise. Venice itself is home to over 20 dispensaries, each employing an average of ten people. More than half of those stores are slated to close under the new ordinance.

Council members cited an inability to control the hundreds of medical pot shops that have spread across Los Angeles over the past few years. Nor have they considered that pot is California’s biggest cash crop, responsible for $14 billion a year in sales, dwarfing the state’s second largest agricultural commodity, dairy, which brings in $7.3 billion a year, according to USDA statistics. Clearly there would be no reason for our city to be in financial distress if marijuana collectives where regulated properly. The city council should focus on is a better regulatory system, which could be a huge source of revenue.

If you would like to voice your opinion against the medical marijuana ban, contact the following elected officials: Bill Rosendahl at 310-575-8461 or councilman.rosendahl@lacity.org; Paul Koretz at 310-289-0353; Jerry Brown at 916-445-2841