One hears about the land use and planning committee and the election committee and occasionally other committees but one doesn’t hear about the neighborhood committee.

Neighborhood committee just by the mere name seemed like the perfect place for local problems, gripes if you will,  to be heard and then funneled  thru the proper channels to the local and city governments.

Marc Saltzberg, vice president of VNC and chair of the neighborhood committee, was asked what the purpose of his committee was, who belonged, and what they had accomplished.

Marc said the purpose of the committee is to promote greater awareness of available City resources and services and act as a conduit between the Board and Venice neighborhoods, assisting in community outreach and bringing neighborhood issues to the attention of the Board.

When reviewing the list of members, it was noted that there were many areas where members were needed. If you are interested in representing your area, contact Marc at:  marc.saltzberg@venicenc.org:

Members are:

East of Lincoln, south                                 Lydia Pelosi

East of Lincoln, Rose to Palms                 Michael Stenger

Marina Peninsula, northeast                    Adam Glick

Milwood                                                            Jerry Jaffe

NoRo, Lincoln to 5th                                  Nicholas Hippisley-Coxe

Oakwood west, Westminster to Navy,

Pacific to Abbot Kinney                       Daffodil Tyminski

Oakwood north, Brooks to Rose

Corridor                                                      Antoinette Reynolds

Oakwood south, Broadway to

California                                                   Gogi Overhoff

Oxford Triangle                                            DeDe Audet

Presidents Row                                           Joshua Blacker

Silver Strand                                                 Bill Boyd

Silver Triangle                                              Ron Sittler

Venice Beach north, Windward to

Washington                                            Robin Rudisill

Venice Canals                                             Jay Cole

Walk Streets, Lincoln to Shell             Jerry Jaffe

Windward Circle                                      Michael Nelson

Those who also served:

Venice Beach, north                                   Colleen Saro

Venice Beach, central                                Jesica Coakley Martinez

Walk Streets                                                    Margot Michon

What we accomplished: 

1)    Obtained crosswalk approval for 26th Street/Pacific and Boccaccio/Abbot Kinney.

2)    Obtained stoplight approval for Abbot Kinney/Coeur d’Alene and 3-way at Pacific/Brooks.

3)    Conducted an evaluation and ranking for CIP projects ($24,000 value of projects).

4)    Produced personalized postcards describing the Neighborhood Committee and VNC and initiated door-to-door contact with neighbors.

5)    Increased committee membership from 9 to 20.

6)    Worked with LA County to significantly increase parking spaces at Washington Blvd. Beach Parking Lot after repaving / restriping

7)    Obtained resident input regarding curfew and enforcement on Ocean Front Walk.

8)    Identified areas for public trashcan placement.

9)    Worked with Nextdoor.com to improve Venice maps.

10)  Worked with Institute for Public Strategies to develop map showing existing alcohol permits, schools, parks and crime statistics to assist with permit applications.

11)   Conducted emergency preparedness meetings at Community Expo and in the Silver Strand.

12)   Increased communication and cooperation with VNC Land Use and Planning Committee.

13)   Began discussions about sea level rise and mitigating its impact on Venice.

14)   Engaged with the City to address the following neighborhood issues:

• Oakwood: Parking enforcement and permits for film crews, speeding and tree trimming along Brooks, construction issues related to development concentration
• Ocean Front Walk – South:  Sand and grass maintenance and tree trimming, fence repairs and new fencing along beach parking lot at Washington and Ocean Front Walk; saved trees from being removed in same area
• East of Lincoln: Sidewalk maintenance, Penmar Park projects, Lincoln Place, turn lanes on Walgrove at Venice
• Rose Avenue Corridor: Neighborhood parking concerns related to new restaurants
• Silver Strand:  Recurrent power outages and interruptions, making the Via Dolce Park child-friendly (work in progress)
• Silver Triangle: 522 Venice development plan (after securing Council Member Bonin’s help, plan was rejected on appeal to West LA Planning Commission and LA City Planning Commission)
• Venice Canals: Bridge repairs – (a safety issue with efforts well underway), illegal boat docks and barges in canals (still work in progress).
• Walk Streets: Identified City department responsible for walk street maintenance
• All:  public safety near bars and local restaurants, worked with LUPC on concentrations of alcohol serving establishments at Pacific/Washington and other areas of Venice, Conditional Use – Beverage and restaurant permit conditions to address employee parking, worked with City and County to address beach traffic gridlock