Today the Venice Stakeholders Association filed a lawsuit against
the City of Los Angeles and the California Coastal Commission, challenging their
approval of a 154-bed homeless shelter in the Venice neighborhood, in violation
of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the California Coastal Act
and other laws.
“The
City and the Coastal Commission jammed this project through the system and bypassed
the environmental laws and the Coastal Act,” said Mark Ryavec, president of the
VSA, a non-profit corporation dedicated to protecting Venice residents and
their neighborhoods. “No government or project
is immune from these laws.”
The
City’s so-called “Bridge Housing” facility would be located in the middle of a
residential neighborhood just one block from Venice Beach. It includes a large semi-permanent “tent”
building containing a 100-bed dormitory, an outdoor dining area, a large
outdoor kennel for residents’ pets, and several other buildings. Despite having 154 beds and dozens of staff,
the project would have as little as 20 parking spaces.
According
to the lawsuit, the City approved the project “at lightning speed,” in just 11
days, while the Coastal Commission approved it in just nine days. The Venice Neighborhood Council, which is
elected by Venice residents, was not even consulted. “The neighbors and the public were ambushed,”
said Ryavec.
Ryavec
acknowledged the need for shelters and other facilities to address Venice’s persistent
homeless problem. However, he added, “a residential
neighborhood like this one is not the right place for such a project,
especially since much of the facility is essentially outdoors, and just across
a narrow street from homes.”
The
VSA lawsuit says that the City refused to do any environmental review for the
project under CEQA, and the Coastal Commission granted the City a waiver from
the usual requirement of a Coastal Development Permit, thereby avoiding any
analysis of the impacts of the project on coastal resources such as parking and
water quality.
“Just
because the City and the Coastal Commission think this project will benefit the
public doesn’t mean they can avoid considering its impacts under the
environmental laws and the Coastal Act,” said Ryavec. He noted that other beneficial projects, such
as hospitals and schools, must comply with these same laws.
“If
a developer proposed a 154-bed convalescent hospital with dozens of staff
people, an outdoor kennel and dining facility, just feet from residents’ living
rooms, with only 20 parking spaces, the City would require an environmental
impact report and mitigation before approving it,” he said. “A homeless shelter is no different.”
The VSA is still collecting funds to support this lawsuit. Donations may be made on this site to the right by credit card.
