Fox News Story on Venice Beach Homeless Burden

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6080063740001/#sp=show-clips

VNC Process Overrides Common Sense and Public Safety

I have promised to keep my supporters informed about my service as a Community Officer on the Venice Neighborhood Council and this is the first in a series of occasional reports from the front-lines.

Early on I proposed the re-establishment of the VNC's Ad-Hoc Committee on Public Safety.  

Certainly the rash of assaults, break-ins, hot prowls, transient occupation of empty residences, bike thefts and chop shops, and shootings demands a stronger coordination between the VNC, residents, and the LAPD and other departments.  I wrote up the following mission statement and it was considered by the VNC Administrative Committee on July 8th.  (The "AdCom"committee must approve the creation of any AdHoc committees and their mission statement.)

The Public Safety Committee's mission is to work with Venice stakeholders- residents, school staff, and business owners - and the Los Angeles Police Department, the Department of Sanitation, the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Board of Public Works and its bureaus to prevent and reduce crime, promote clean public spaces, remove conditions that invite disease and vermin, and act as a liaison to city agencies to assure timely response to resident concerns. The committee's objective is to increase perceived and actual personal safety for residents and visitors alike.

Jim Murez opposed the wording of the statement.  He apparently thought it was too specific, so in committee I accepted some amendments to have the statement read as follows:


The Venice Neighborhood Council's Public Safety Committee's mission is to work with Venice stakeholders and city, county and state departments and agencies to reduce and prevent crime, promote clean public spaces, remove conditions that invite disease and vermin, and act as a liaison to government agencies to assure timely response to resident concerns. The committee's objective is to increase perceived and actual personal safety for residents and visitors alike.

So, then we voted on the new, amended version, which Jim had helped amend.  I and Melissa Diner and George Francisco voted yes and Hugh Harrison, Charles Rials and - oddly - Jim Murez voted against it.  (President Ira Koslow abstained and C.J. Cole was not present because the agenda mistakenly stated the start time as 7:30 and Mr. Koslow started the meeting at 7:00, which was a clear violation of the Brown Act, California's Open Public Meeting law.)

So on August 12th I brought back a slightly revised version which included "promoting fire safety," because the lack of that focus was mentioned at the meeting on July 8th as one of the shortcomings of the  original mission statement:
 

The Venice Neighborhood Council's Public Safety Committee's mission is to work with Venice stakeholders and city, county and state departments and agencies to reduce and prevent crime, promote fire safety, promote clean public spaces, remove conditions that invite disease and vermin, and act as a liaison to government agencies to assure timely response to resident concerns. The committee's objective is to increase perceived and actual personal safety for residents and visitors alike.


When the item came up on the 12th Mr. Koslow passed out a copy of the amended motion from July 8th and announced that the new version (above) was the same motion and reconsideration could only occur if it was requested in advance of the meeting by one of the members who had been on the winning side.

I pressed Mr. Koslow on his decision - since the mission statement before the committee was different than the one I had originally introduced on July 8th - and he told us that my mission statement, in either form, was "anti-homeless" and he was opposed to it.  Of course, there is no mention of the homeless in either version the committee considered.


I continue to believe that a VNC public safety committee is desperately needed in Venice.  If you agree, please send an email to president@venicenc.org and urge Mr. Koslow to establish a public safety committee of the VNC.

Support Installation of "Hardscaping" and Planter Boxes on City Parkways at VNC Meeting Tuesday Evening

Two Motions will be on the VNC Agenda this Tuesday evening that would promote the diversion of polluted rainwater away from the ocean and instead contain it on-site under city parkways.

Over the last several decades commercial property owners have paved over parkways, the space between sidewalks and curbs, to cut watering and gardening costs.  This stops the natural process of a rain's "first flush" from infiltrating the soil and instead results in rainwater running off the sidewalk and parkway, picking up pollutants and rushing to the ocean, where it contaminates the Santa Monica Bay.

These two motions would urge the City's Bureau of Engineering to quickly process applications for permits to saw-cut concrete parkways and create grade-level landscaping or install raised planter boxes, both to contain rainwater and allow it to infiltrate the ground.  (Recently the Bureau has taken literally years to process applications or refused to accept them.)

If you support this "green" retrofitting of parkways please write a note to Board@venicenc.org in support of items #13G and 13H and show up to support the Motions Tuesday evening at Westminster Elementary School at 6:30 PM.

 13G    Planting On Parkways ​(20 minutes)  MOTION:​ The Venice Neighborhood Council strongly urges the City’s Bureau of Engineering to support  and rule on all applications within 60 days for removal of concrete over parkways along city streets for  the planting of said parkways for the purpose of beautification​,​ rain infiltration and containment  Uploaded Documents: ​Download 1565065899.docx Recommended by Neighborhood Committee 8-0-1 on 7/24/19   

13H    Planter Boxes On Parkways  ​(20 minutes)   MOTION: ​The Venice Neighborhood Council strongly urges the City’s Bureau of Engineering to support  and rule on all applications within 60 days for removal of concrete over parkways along city streets for  the installation of planter boxes on parkways for the purpose of beautification, rain infiltration and  containment.  Uploaded Documents: ​Download 1565065899.docx Recommended by Neighborhood Committee 8-0-1 on 7/24/19