Who We Are

A lot of positions have been mistakenly attributed to Venice Action. This is who we are and we invite all to join us in working for a better Venice. 

1. We are not opposed to restrictions on camper/RV parking in Venice.
    
   
2. We think that Overnight Parking Districts are a stupid way to deal with the camper problem. They inconvenience all vehicle owners instead of targeting campers.
   
   
3. Like Mark Ryavec and other members of the Venice Stakeholders Association, we support the creation of a Safe Parking Program modeled on those in Eugene OR and Santa Barbara.  Like those VSA members, we do not believe Venice should bear the entire brunt of this problem. We believe it is a citywide problem that requires citywide leadership. Unlike VSA, we believe that since the problem is concentrated here, we should take leadership instead of waiting for the City Council to wake up and smell the coffee.
   
   
4. We think it is irresponsible to institute parking restrictions without addressing the problems of those in campers who need and would accept help. We invite those who want restrictions to join us in doing both at the same time.
   
   
5. We believe less draconian approaches, such as those employed in Santa Barbara and particularly in Eugene in tandem with safe parking programs, can be very effective in resolving the problems the community is now experiencing with campers.
   
   
6. We know there has been a lot of talk about those who would reject help, but let’s not engage in collective punishment of all for the behavior of some. It is simply bad government to push a problem from one neighborhood to another without doing anything to address it. According to Shelter Partnership, as quoted in the AARP Bulletin, “In Los Angeles, hundreds of people are living in their cars because shelters can accommodate only about a third of the city’s estimated 73,000 homeless population.” So let’s not pretend that all homeless are criminals any more than we should pretend that no criminals are homeless. Painting all vehicle dwellers with that brush makes it easier to justify harsh treatment, but it’s dishonest. Let's face our problems and tackle them in ways that are both humane and effective. That is not an oxymoron. Other cities do it.  We can, too.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 2 : CITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS VSA SETTLEMENT

Venice Action Alliance succeeded in making public the terms of the settlement between Mark Ryavec / VSA v. Coastal Commission and City of L.A. Now on Wednesday, those terms will be discussed and voted on by the City Council.

These are no terms for the good of Venice or for L.A. Parking access will be hampered for both Venice residents and for visitors to our beaches. The terms of the settlement make the OPDs all but inevitable after allowing 6 months for "experimental" parking measures.

This is an issue that should be decided by all of Venice not just one person setting the terms. Let the Council know what you want.

Read the documents (see previous post) and come out to City Hall and Say No to the council. Don't let them make parking a burden for everyone.

City Hall

200 N. Spring Street

Los Angeles

Session begins at 10 am

(call Councilman Rosendahl's office for a parking pass)

What We Do

Venice Action Blog provides information about the fight to keep the streets of Venice free and open for the residents and the beach-going public.

We have successfully advocated for the terms of the settlement in the case of Venice Stakeholders Association v. Coastal Commission to be revealed to the public and will continue to advocate for Venice's right to unrestricted parking at the City Council and Coastal Commission. Posted here are the settlement terms and the times and places where it will be heard in City Council and at the Coastal Commission.

COASTAL COMMISSION IN CLOSED SESSION VSA LAWSUIT

 On Wednesday, June 9 at their Marina del Rey meeting, the Coastal Commission will consider the settlement terms of Mark Ryavec for his lawsuit Venice Stakeholders Association v. Coastal Commission and City of L.A. Anyone may make a comment during the General Public Comment:

GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. Public comments will be heard at 9 a.m. for no more than 30 minutes. For attendees who are unable to attend the early comment period, there will be a second comment period prior to or after the lunch break. Agenda items will begin or resume after public comment.

THE DRAFT SETTLELEMENTS REVEALED

On Tuesday, May 25, the City Council voted to waive their confidentiality in the matter of Venice Stakeholders v. Coastal Commission and City of LA thus allowing all Venice stakeholders a chance to view the settlement agreement and to speak during public comment at the scheduled council meeting. We need everyone to speak or write to the involved representatives (see sidebar for the names).

Here are the proposed agreements:
Stipulation
Agreement to Remand Order
Summary of Terms
Draft of Amended OPD

TELL THE CITY COUNCIL: BRING IT OUT OF CLOSED DOORS

Call or Email City Councilmembers and ask them to support Tuesday's motion by Rosendahl to make the terms of the OPD settlement public. Bring it out from behind closed doors where people can see the impact it will have on residents and beach goers access to the coast and our own parking places. No more back room deals:

 EMAIL BILL ROSENDAHL

CITY COUNCIL TO REVEAL VSA SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VENICE ACTION FORCES COASTAL COMMISSION SETTLEMENT
OUT FROM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Terms—and they’re not pretty—to be made public at LA City Council hearing by May 25 and CCC hearing June 9-11 in Marina Del Rey

May 19, 2010, Venice, Calif—The terms of the settlement in the lawsuit brought against the California Coastal Commission regarding its June 2009 rejection of Overnight Parking Districts(OPDs) in Venice soon will be open to public scrutiny at the Los Angeles City Council rather than being discussed solely in closed session.

“Every Venice resident—as well as public beachgoers—who care about keeping Venice a community open to the public while creating legitimate solutions to the problems of the homeless should take the time to find out what this settlement will inflict on all of us,” said Venice Action’s Karen Wolfe, “and then they should let the City Council and Coastal Commission know how they feel.”

Under severe pressure from Venice Action, the community alliance that has rallied opposition to the imposition of permit parking in Venice, City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl today committed to allow the public to know the content of the proposed settlement. “Now we, the people, will be able to see how we are being sold down the river,” said David Ewing of Venice Action. “The plaintiff tried hard to keep it a secret from Venice.”

Under the terms that Venice Action members have obtained, the City’s existing oversized vehicle ordinance, including the installation of signage, will be in place for six months and have to be shown to be unsuccessful in providing residents relief from nuisances currently alleged to be the result of poorly behaved vehicular homeless persons before OPDs could be implemented with no further Coastal Commission review. The criteria to determine whether the oversized vehicle ordinance has failed or succeeded are unknown at this point. Additional parking meters will be installed in key locations where parking is already in scarce supply.

“It’s criminal that the settlement has been concocted as a pathway to OPDs,” said Ewing. “Six months is not enough time to determine the effectiveness of the proposed enforcement program and OPDs are not an appropriate solution to the problem people are complaining about. They’re a ploy to force residents to pay to park in their own neighborhoods and that’s not what most Venetians want. Even the plaintiff admitted he’d prefer a better solution.” Venice residents voted in April 2010 in what amounted to a referendum on the issue. The election, which drew one of the largest voter turnouts in the history of L.A.’s neighborhood council program, was won by a substantial majority of candidates opposing OPDs. Venice Stakeholders leader Mark Ryavec, who filed the lawsuit against the CCC, lost in that election by a large margin.

After lobbying extensively for an open process, Venice Action learned from the Council Office that an agenda item, serving the sole purpose of waiving attorney/client privilege in the matter, will appear Friday, May 21 or Tuesday, May 25 in Council.

Venice Action also learned that Councilmember Rosendahl will try to push the settlement through the City Council in time for the Coastal Commission to vote on it at its June 9-11 meeting in Marina Del Rey, even though the CCC did not plan to include the issue on its June agenda. The timing will allow one week to ten days of public comment on the settlement terms before the full Commission votes at the public meeting.

“We’re happy to see this secret deal dragged into the light, and to enable all the citizens of Venice an opportunity to be heard on this contentious issue,” said Venice Action spokesperson Chris Plourde.
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