By Kevin “Kip” Pardue
The Venice Neighborhood Council is the only way for Venice to communicate with city government in an official capacity. For years, that representation has maintained the myth that Venice doesn’t deserve the city’s attention. We constantly seem to get the short end of the stick – litter, potholes, garbage removal, graffiti, and of course, homelessness and enforcement. The reason that myth is being sold to the city is captured below.
That is a picture of a group of volunteers explaining to homeless people on 3rd Avenue their right to vote. THIS IS NOT ILLEGAL, by the way. This is simply the game that the homeless service providers are playing with Venice. For their votes they offer food and promise a future for this type of life in Venice.
Below is a quote from the 2016 Neighborhood Council Election Manual:
In Neighborhood Councils requiring documentation to verify voters, homeless voters will be exempt from providing such documentation if they affirm that they are homeless and that they meet the voter requirements for the seat(s) for which they are voting.
If you’ve ever wondered why the homeless are NOT being transferred to housing, just look closely at that picture.
If you’ve ever wondered why the city thinks Venice is made up of only homeless people and those willing to tolerate the filth, just look closely at that picture.
Maybe it is scenes like this that give Mike Bonin the idea that all of Venice is comfortable with the growing population of homeless and travelers.
The people in this picture WILL BE VOTING. If you are comfortable with these few dictating your voice to the city, by all means, do not vote. If you’d like things to change in Venice, YOU MUST VOTE.
If you actually want to help Venice residents – both homeless and otherwise, you need to vote. If you want to clean up the streets and actually improve the lives of those stuck on the streets, you need to vote.
Venice has a population of 40k plus people…but the average VNC election sees fewer than 2k. In the past, posts have been won and lost by two votes.
I cannot stress enough just how important this is. Do your own research. Find those that represent you best. But vote.
Email me at VeniceAlliance@gmail.com and I will send you a list of candidates that I support. More research on candidates can be found here: https://cityclerk.lacity.org/nccr/nccand/cand.html?nc=VENICE%20NC
GOOD GOD Kip. Get a grip. I happened to walk by that same scene myself yesterday and they were actually social workers from some organization who were there to talk to them about the city’s plan to get them off the streets. The mere fact that you would actually make up some story out of whole cloth about them being volunteers talking to them about their right to vote says a whole lot about you and your agenda. I understand your acting career is going down the drain but why would you take out your frustrations over your failed career on a bunch of homeless people ? Ever dawn on you that maybe you’re just a crummy actor ?
All a matter of perspective – You might be right about who they are – Social services helping maintain the cash cow this population provides for them. Pathetic situation –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOF0Hgt8nXU