COASTAL COMMISSION AFFIRMS JURISDICTION OVER PARKING

In a stunning cliff-hanger after five years of conflict and tactical confusion, the California Coastal Commission deliberated for one hour after hearing three and a half hours of impassioned testimony from dedicated activists on both sides of the OPD issue.

Venice won!  The Commission affirmed, for the third time, that its jurisdiction includes parking in the Coastal Zone and that Los Angeles has, for the third time, failed to prove that imposition of OPD would not negatively affect coastal access.

A link to the June 13 CCC hearing is here:  http://www.cal-span.org/cgi-bin/media.pl?folder=CCC

We share our thanks with all who participated and informed the work that led to this victory for Venice.

We're celebrating for a day.  Enjoy this beautiful weekend!

THE OPD STOPS HERE

COASTAL COMMISSION HEARING IS

 THURSDAY, JUNE 13

Long Beach City Council CHAMBERS
333 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802

Just Say No to OPD!

 

Thursday bus and rideshare hotline: (310) 845-6034 

The Commission meets at 8:30am.  Though our item is 10a on the agenda - which would normally put it at mid-day, we have reason to believe that the City will ask to move the hearing to a morning time.

We must arrive early.  We will meet at Beyond Baroque Thursday at 7:00am.  Don't miss your ride! 

Your outpouring of support is both overwhelming and universally positive, with flyers, letters and more petitions.  New support also came from #KeepVeniceFree, a group that understands the need to work for solutions instead of restrictions.

Can you join us?  If so, and/or if you know folks who can join us Thursday:

How many people will you bring?
Do you need a ride?
Can you give a ride?  For how many?
If we have a bus to the meeting, would you ride it?

We must know by Monday night how many people are confirmed to attend Thursday's hearing.  Let us know:  I'm coming to Thursday's hearing.

YOU CAN STILL TAKE ACTION TODAY:

We need to keep sending letters:


Email to us and we'll fax them to the Coastal Commission.  

Fax them directly to the Commission:  FAX (562) 590-5084.   Use the heading:  NO OPD FOR VENICE.

Hand-carry your letter - or have a Long Beach friend print and deliver it to:

California Coastal Commission

200 Oceangate, Tenth floor 

Long Beach, CA 90802-4416 

Attn:  Chuck Posner

Your message can be as simple as "I oppose the Overnight Parking District in Venice" or you can add your own reasons for opposing OPD.

Forward this page to friends and neighbors.  Urge them to send an email or letter to the Coastal Commission as well.

Download the flyers and pass them on to your neighbors:  

• One-page fact sheet 
• Parking ticket warning
• Gorgeous Just Say NOPD flyers

 Support the cause:  Select the PayPal link or send a check to help with legal fees:  Venice Action Alliance, 1234 Preston Way, Venice, CA 90291.

Thank you for your support.  With your help, we will defeat the attempt to restrict Coastal Venice parking!

LOCAL TALENT TO PERFORM AT RALLY

Who's performing at our Rally:

The New Directions Veterans Choir is an award winning a cappella group that sings renditions of doo-wop, soul, traditional gospel and popular music. The Choir is comprised primarily of men and women who have served proudly in the United States Military. Following their service to our country, they became homeless. New Directions gave them hope and direction. These talented veterans are an inspiration to others.



Kathy Leonardo is a local presence "like a diamond in the rough, Kathy withholds within her being a rare unaffected honesty that audiences can not seem to resist. In contrast her driving up tempos her ballads a breathlessly soothing while her lyrics are emotionally complex.

The Cages are "Clayton and Sebastian, a dynamic duo from Santa Monica, in search of inspiration and music magic! Their brand of rock/ pop/ could best be described as “For Sure Not Boring”. Formed in 2010, two like minded gypsies— aspire to make music that excites, invites, and  rock your socks off. Born and raised in sunny Santa Monica, Sebastian developed a taste for great music. Clayton has a long history making music and record deals, as original founder of “The Cages”, signed to Capital Records in 1990, he produced and penned many critically acclaimed songs and toured the planet. Since becoming a father in 1993, Clayton has focused his efforts on raising a son and perfecting his producing and dancing skills. The Cages embrace all styles of music into a sound that expands your awareness— great music touches us all deeply –we as humans are vibration holding form through consciousness. We will be embarking on a world tour in 2013..."

COME TO THE RALLY SATURDAY

JOIN THE RALLY TO PROTECT FREE PARKING IN VENICE

Saturday, June 1 

 2 to 5 pm

BEYOND BAROQUE

(681 Venice Boulevard at Shell)

Numbers matter. Let's together tell the Coastal Commission to just say NO to OPD. The hearing is June 13 in Long Beach. Saturday we will rally to:

Organize: Sign letters to the Coastal Commission. Sign the petition. Arrange transportation to the hearing (you are all going, right?)

Communicate: Make your own t-shirt with a specially designed graphic. You can bring your own t-shirt or we will have some for purchase.

Support: Please make a donation to help prevent permit parking in Venice. We will take donations Saturday or you can donate on this site.

Enjoy: We have some great music (see below) and food. So come and make your voice count!

Our Flyers

Download our flyers and pass them around to friends and neighbors. There is good information in them  to help write your letters to the Coastal Commission and to talk with neighbors.


One-page fact sheet. Download

Warning Ticket with Rally Information. Download

"Not a Parking Ticket" Front Download
"Not a Parking Ticket: Back Download

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

The following organizations are supporting the No OPD campaign:

Beyond Baroque
First Baptist Church of Venice
Food Not Bombs
Fee Venice Beachhead
Holiday Venice tenant Action Committee
Latino Resource Organization
Mildred Cursh Foundation
Occupy Venice
POWER
Reach for the Top
Safe Place for Youth
SPARC
Spirit of Venice/The Benefit Network
Surf Rider Foundation
Tech Team Computer Learning Center
Venice Action Alliance
Venice Community Housing Corp
Venice Community Unity Coalition
Venice Justice Committee
Venice Neighborhood Action Committee
Westside Center for Independent Living

NOT YET A PARKING TICKET

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT.

But the fact remains, an OPD brings inconveniences to the neighborhoods and is not a solution to any of present parking problems in Venice.

Please print out and distribute this two-sided flyer to your neighbors. Download front side. Download back.

KEEP VENICE PARKING FREE - NO ON OPD

NO TO PERMIT PARKING

As part of third lawsuit settlement, the Coastal Commission will be hearing another application for an OPD (Overnight Parking District) in the Venice Coastal Zone. Please join us in keeping Venice Beach open and accessible to everyone - all the time.

Actions you can do now:

1. Email the Coastal Commission and tell them your displeasure that the OPD is being considered again and you hope they will again deny it as they did in 2009 and 2010. Email Coastal Commission.
Feel free to use any of the points below and of course, or write your letter.

Dear California Coastal Commissioners,

• Overnight Parking Districts are not good for Venice. They create a needless headache and expense for residents without solving any of our real parking problems.  This is not about anyone having trouble finding a parking space. This is about an ongoing effort to reshape Venice into an elite enclave.
• Like most Venetians, I chose to live here largely because of its exceptional openness and diversity for a beach community. Please do not cater to those few who see in an OPD the opportunity to restrict access to our beachside neighborhoods.
• Please protect Venice for all of us who love it because it is Venice, not in spite of it. Abbot Kinney, Venice's founder, called it "the People's Beach." We like it that way, and we think it's worth protecting. It's been the source of Venice's creative energy for over a century.
• Please honor Section 30001.5 (b) of the California Coastal Act, which states that one of the "basic goals of the state for the coastal zone is to "Maximize public access to and along the coast and maximize public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone."
• Please protect Venice's special social chemistry, which makes it a "Sensitive coastal resource area" as defined by California Coastal Act, Section 30116: (e) Special communities or neighborhoods which are significant visitor destination areas. (f) Areas that provide existing coastal housing or recreational opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons.

Please protect the Venice we love.

Yours truly,

[Your name, address]

2. Print out these flyers and distribute them to friends and neighbors. Ask them to act now too.
    One-Page fact Sheet : the facts on why Coastal Commission should not approve the OPD for Venice.
     Warning Ticket : flyer telling us what will happen if you don't have permit displayed; information on Rally and Hearing.
3. Forward these flyers to your email friends. Hand out to your neighbors.
4. Rally! on June 1. Beyond Baroque 2-5pm.

Unless our Voices are heard, the Coastal Commission is likely to pass the Overnight Parking District (OPD) for all of Venice west of Lincoln Boulevard.

BE INFORMED - KNOW THE FACTS

VENICE ACTION has started to send out Informational Emails about the implementation progress of the Streets to Homes program. Here is our first one:


STREETS TO HOMES

If you would like to receive these emails, contact us: Yes, I want to be informed.

MAYOR RETURNS OVERSIZE ORDINANCE WITHOUT SIGNATURE

On July 13, after the City Council approved an ordinance that would allow individual council members to establish districts to install oversize vehicle restrictions on the streets of Los Angeles, the Mayor again returned an ordinance without signature. He had done this as well with the settlement with the Coastal Commission on Overnight Parking Districts. The Mayor urged Los Angeles to work harder on finding workable solutions for the growing population of homeless. Here is his letter and VA's response to his welcomed action:

Read Mayor's Letter

Read Venice Action News Release

Helping Homeless Makes Good Business Sense

Oregon also has one of the first Safe Parking Programs in the country in the city of Eugene.

Read the article

CITY COUNCIL AMENDS OVERSIZED VEHICLE ORDINANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 29, 2010, Venice, Calif.—The Los Angeles City Council today voted to pass amendments to the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) drafted at the request of Councilmember Bill Rosendahl. This “enabling ordinance” sets out the procedures for creating districts that restrict parking of oversized vehicles. An “implementing ordinance” will be crafted to determine the precise locations of the districts.

Because the ordinance impacts a large vulnerable population, Venice Action is gratified with Councilman Rosendahl’s repeated promise to implement the oversized vehicle restrictions only in conjunction with a Safe Parking Program for vehicle dwellers.

“Venice Action has always supported the use of the OVO in tandem with a Safe Parking Program,” said David Ewing of Venice Action.

Councilman Rosendahl has repeatedly referred to the OVO as necessary in his “carrot and stick” approach to the problems of homeless people forced to sleep in their vehicles. The “carrot” is the Safe Parking Program, currently being outlined by the councilmember’s office and for which he has secured $750,000 in funding. He has requested Venice Action’s input regarding the locations of potential parking spots for the RV’s. Additionally, the councilman has sought the opening of the public restroom facilities at the beach in order to alleviate some of the sanitation concerns associated with homeless people.

“We need to understand that the population of people living in their vehicles is diverse. Many people living in their cars are veterans and senior citizens who need a safe place to park and the right connection to services. Many are economically disadvantaged, in need of help getting back on their feet.” Councilman Rosendahl said in an earlier statement.

At the City Council hearing today on the “enabling ordinance”, members of Venice Action expressed various public policy concerns that will need attention in the implementation phase. The ordinance gives tremendous latitude to each council member in determining the procedures, as well as specific criteria and standards for districts. In fact, according to the DOT, a parking district could theoretically be created for the entire city.

“Where the rubber meets the road is the ‘implementing ordinance,’ said Ewing, “and we look forward to working with the Council office on crafting that.”

MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA OPPOSES OVERNIGHT PARKING RESTRICTIONS IN VENICE

LA WEEKLY, By Dennis Romero, Thursday, Jun. 24, 2010

​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently expressed his opposition to a deal that would have allowed Venice residents to create overnight parking...
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/city-news

Here is the Mayor's letter in its entirety. Mayor's Non-Signing

VENICE PAPER COVERS MAYOR'S REJECTION OF SETTLEMENT

by Tibby Rothman

June 21, 2010. Venice-- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has added his name to the California Coastal Commission's in rejecting an agreement that would pave the way for permit parking in Venice.

His actions add a new player to the highly contentious permit parking battle. A debate that has seen ...

http://venicepaper.net

ARGONAUT REPORTS CCC VOTE

By Vince Echavaria, June 17, 2010

“What we are being asked of is to approve a restriction in the Venice area. That restriction, in my view, does in fact limit access and I’m not convinced we need to do that at this point,” Coastal Commissioner Mark Stone said.

http://argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2010/06/17/news_-_features/top_stories/2v.txt

LA WEEKLY COVERS VENICE VICTORY AT CCC

By Dennis Romero, LA Weekly

The issue has been a political fault line in Venice, often with newer homeowners backing parking restrictions in an effort to keep RVs and other potential outsiders at bay, and longtime, liberal residents saying permit parking in the community would not reflect its open, bohemian roots and would restrict access to the coast.

The group Venice Action Alliance praised the commission's 6-3 vote as a move that would preserve access to the coast:

http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/city-news/venice-overnight-parking-1/

LA TIMES COVERAGE OF CCC DECISION

By Martha Groves, Los Angeles Times

June 12, 2010

...But Commissioner Sara Wan said the commission's vote was justified.

"We were essentially rehearing the original permit requests," Wan said. "What the city was trying to do was use preferential parking to solve their social problems. They need to deal with their own social problems."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-venice-20100612,0,2002637.story

PRAISE FOR THE COASTAL COMMISSION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 10, 2010, Venice, Calif.— The Venice Action Alliance today lauded the decisive 6-3 vote by the California Coastal Commission to reject the City of Los Angeles' second attempt to impose overnight permit parking districts on Venice. The group, part of a broad coalition of Venetians supporting solutions instead of restrictions, called it a triumph of wisdom and good policy.

"The Coastal Commission once again recognized and carried out its mandate to protect coastal access against attempts to make the beach less available to the general public," said Chris Plourde of Venice Action.

“The problems created by homelessness in Venice are real," added Plourde, "and we look forward to working with all Venetians to put a real solution that addresses the needs of all--a Safe Parking program--into place.”

The decisive vote followed a 4-1/2 hour hearing at the Commission's meeting held at the Marina del Rey Hotel in Marina del Rey, the same site where overnight permits were rejected the first time almost exactly one year ago. As many as 99 people signed up to testify, more than three-quarters of them in opposition to the permit scheme. Presentations by the City of Los Angeles, the Venice Stakeholders Association and the Venice Action Alliance set the stage for the long public session.

"No one with an open mind could have sat through that array of technically cogent and sometimes moving testimony against permit parking and come away thinking it was a good idea," said David Ewing of Venice Action. “We completely support the need to deal with bad and criminal behavior amongst vehicular dwellers and the general population and will keep working with the City and others in the community to find effective ways to do so. Permit parking isn't one of them."

"The arguments for permits came across like pleas for using parking restrictions to fight crime," said Karen Wolfe of Venice Action, "while those against permits sounded like a community trying to defend its diversity and a tradition of embracing the public.”

The issue was back before the Commission thanks to a lawsuit by Venice Stakeholders Association, which is now expected to go back to court as a result of the Commission's decision to reject permit parking. That lawsuit is currently backed by the City of Los Angeles and the Pacific Legal Foundation, the latter a notorious antagonist to the Coastal Commission having filed or participated in many lawsuits attempting to constrain the Commission's authority to protect the California coast.

Venice Action will continue to work with Councilmember Bill Rosendahl's office, and invites the Venice Stakeholders Association to join them, to expedite the creation of a "safe parking" program intended to get vehicle dwellers off residential streets in the community and begin moving them toward services and housing opportunities.

# # #

Victory is Sweet

A poster on the DailyKos

Victory is Sweet

VENICE NEEDS YOU : COASTAL COMMISSION MEETING THURSDAY

The Coastal Commission hearing is next Thursday, June 10. It is important that they hear from all of Venice not just the few who claim to speak for the rest of us. 

WHAT CAN WE DO? Come to the hearing. Speak or just let them know you care. 

Tell them that beach access is important to Venice and the solution to a problem is not to impose restrictions on the residents.That all of Los Angeles needs to find a compassionate and humane answer to the homeless that also protects and supports the needs of the homed and Venice is ready and willing to find that solution. But OPDs are not that solution. We don't need to place impositions on access for the rest of Los Angeles to accomplish this. Tell them that you think this is a bad settlement, that it weakens their ability to protect our coast, that it imposes an unnecessary burden on the residents and would not offer the solution that the few are seeking.

Marina del Rey Hotel
13534 Bali Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
9:00 am

Hearing starts 9 am. Come early to submit a speaker's card. As of now, this is the last agenda item..

If you cannot attend, please fax your comments NOW to:

Send your comments to them.
Fax to 
Peter Douglas, Executive Dir, 
California Coastal Commisssion
FAX (415) 904-5400
Re: June 10. Item 14a-c

Email your comments to us at nopd@veniceaction.org