Venice Stakeholders Issue Letters Supporting Beach Curfew

The Venice Stakeholders Association today released a letter to the Los Angeles Police Department and city officials supporting the City’s 12-5 AM beach curfew, noting that the curfew is an inherent municipal police power and expressly exempt from purview of the Coastal Act and the Coastal Commission.

“The framers of the Coastal Act carved out the police powers of coastal cities from the requirement to obtain a coastal development permit (CDP),” said Mark Ryavec, the VSA’s president.

Ryavec, a former legislative analyst for the City of Los Angeles, said the exemption for cities is straightforward.  “The State Legislature did not want the Coastal Act to prevent the police from protecting residents and visitors.”

In the letter the Venice leader noted that “while the curfew does limit “access to water,” so does a line of police tape that is placed across entry points to the Boardwalk in emergency situations or around sites in the VRBA when a crime has been committed.  The curfew is simply a proactive version of police tape designed to prevent crime, vandalism and the violation of quality of life ordinances that protect residents.”

“No CDP is required for any of these exercises of police power to protect citizens and property.”

Also released was a letter supporting the curfew from long-time Venice resident Jack Hoffman, who is the past president of the Venice Action Committee.  (Hoffman lives one-half block from the curfew zone.)


Venice Stakeholders Association

June 25, 2014

Captain Brian Johnson
Commander, Pacific Division
Los Angeles Police Department
12312 Culver Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90066

Re:  Venice Beach Curfew 12 to 5 AM

Dear Captain Johnson:

The Venice Stakeholders Association strongly supports maintaining the City’s 12 to 5 AM curfew for the Venice Beach Recreation Area (VBRA).

Enforcement of the curfew has brought the first serious relief to long suffering residents who live on the Ocean Front Walk and on the nearby walk streets.  Until it was enforced residents lost many nights of sleep to loud music, screaming campers and drugged-out meth addicts yelling just to yell.

The curfew has also noticeably reduced crime during the curfew hours in the area by removing those who would engage in theft, destruction of public property, and vandalism.

We have consulted with legal counsel and do not believe that a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) is necessary for the curfew to be in effect.  The curfew is an exercise of the City’s inherent police powers, which are expressly exempt from Coastal Act requirement for a CDP.  While the curfew does limit access to water, so does a line of police tape that is placed across entry points to the Boardwalk in emergency situations or around sites in the VRBA when a crime has been committed.  The curfew is simply a proactive version of police tape designed to prevent crime, vandalism and the violation of quality of life ordinances that protect residents.  No CDP is required for any of these exercises of police power to protect citizens and property.

Sincerely,

Mark Ryavec

Mark Ryavec, President

cc:  Mayor Eric Garcetti
       City Attorney Mike Feuer
       City Councilman Mike Bonin

VSA President Calls for Appeal of Decision Voiding LA's Ban on Car Camping

VSA's president Mark Ryavec was interviewed Monday, June 23, on the Doug McIntyre Show on KABC Radio about the 9th Circuit Court's decision that LA's car camping ban is unconstitutional because it is too vague about what constitutes lodging in a vehicle.


He called upon the City authorities to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court and to reinstate the last remaining tool the LAPD and residents have to remove car campers from their doorsteps.

Click here to listen to the interview or go to the Doug McIntyre Show on KABC.

Examples of car campers: