News of Venice, CA and Marina del Rey CA
Ado Restaurant is seeking a conditional use permit to continue dispensing beer and wine for on-site consumption in a 1000-sqft restaurant with 26 seats. Hours of operation are 5:30 to 10:30 pm Monday thru Saturday and Sunday 5:30 to 9:30 pm.
Hearing will be held 10 am, 5 May at West LA Municipal Building, 1645 Corinth Ave, 90045. For questions or comments contact Matthew Quan 213-978-1320.
By California Highway Patrol, Southern Division
Traffic collisions are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States, ending more young lives every day than cancer, homicide, and suicide combined.
An average of 11 teens in the U.S. die every day in car crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in California alone, traffic collisions killed 349 young people in 2013, a headcount comparable to the capacity of more than two 737 Jets.
“Although national data shows a decline in the number of young drivers involved in vehicle crashes over recent years, they are still at greater risk than any other age group. The CHP will always be dedicated to promoting safe habits for California’s young drivers,” Commissioner Farrow said.
The CHP offers free “Start Smart” teen driver education classes to help reduce these tragedies. Parents and teenagers can sign up for a free Start Smart class by contacting their local CHP office. To locate a CHP office near you, visit www.chp.ca.gov and find out how this two-hour class can save a life.
Start Smart is taught by CHP officers and promoted within 146 high schools across California. It is offered by 46 traffic courts as an alternative sentencing method for juvenile traffic offenders.
This week is National Teen Driver Safe Week. Join us in raising awareness.
By Mark Ryavec
Corner of Pacific and Windward clip shows two transients fighting this morning (27 May). This is not far from where Brendon Glenn was fatally shot. No police in sight.
As sure as the sun comes on Venice Beach we will have more tragedies here until Mike Bonin, Eric Garcetti, Rec. and Parks and the LAPD stop the camping that is attracting these folks from all over the nation.
Mansionization. LA Times has article regarding “Bel-Air mansion builder ordered to remove work.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-belair-mansion-20150408-story.html
Walgreens LA Times has article “Walgreens to close about 200 U.S. stores.” http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-walgreens-store-closures-20150409-story.html
LA Times columnist Josh Stephens addresses the fact that LA has too few bars in “LA’s parched bar scene.” http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-stephens-bars-20150409-story.html
An LA Times editorial regarding Mayor Eric Garcetti’s vision for LA had to do with Garcetti’s 20-year strategy for fighting pollution and climate change while also addressing poverty and economic inequality. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-sustainable-city-plan-20150410-story.html
My Voice Matters! Film was received today from the Venice workshop put on by Institute for Public Strategies 11 March at Oakwood Recreation Center.
Panelists were Brenda Simmons, executive vice-president for Institute for Public Strategies; Tricia Keane, planning director for Councilman Mike Bonin; Claudia Martin, local neighborhood prosecutor for quality of life issues from City Attorney’s office; and Sarah Blanch, Westside impact project manager for Institute for Public Strategies.
Dennis Hathaway of Ban Billboard Blight has asked citizens to stop alcohol advertisements on City owned property. The vote in council is today.
Email or call your council office to stand up and say that bus shelters, kiosks, and other public spaces should not be used for this advertising that often targets young people who are especially at risk for excessive drinking and alcohol addiction.
“Alcohol advertising is a big revenue source for sign companies, but we can tell our leaders that the city should not allow the public right-of-way to be used for these ads,” wrote Hathaway. “The Los Angeles County MTA bans these ads on its buses and trains, as do a number of other cities and transit agencies around the country, and with your support we can proudly add the city of L.A. to that list.”
Click here for City Council Directory with email addresses and telephone numbers.
The Venice Neighborhood Council will be discussing three major motions at their meeting tomorrow night (17 Sept) starting at 6:30 at the Westminster Elementary school, 1010 Abbot Kinney in addition to their regular meeting. These motions have to do with the sale of vacated property, short-term rentals, and alcohol establishment enforcement/compliance.
These motions are so significant to Venice that they are printed in their entirety here. Thru the VNC process they can be approved as stated, modified, tabled, postponed, or denied. These motions, if approved and as amended, will go to Councilman Mike Bonin
Vacated Property in Venice
MOTION: Whereas, the VNC has just learned that an LA City-owned, 10×80-foot alley (901 Abbot Kinney Blvd/Brooks Court) was recently vacated by the LA City Council and given over to private ownership; and
Whereas, this act of the City Council was voted on by the Councilman Bonin, who represents Venice; and
Whereas the Venice Neighborhood Council and Venice community had no notice about this vacation of property until after it was approved; and
Whereas, Councilman Mike Bonin states that he strongly believes in governing from the grass roots level and wants input from his constituents, (including his Neighborhood Councils) before acting on major neighborhood issues
Therefore be it resolved that the Venice Neighborhood Council shall send a letter to CD 11Councilman Bonin requesting he inform and request input from the VNC prior to making decisions on the use, sale or disposition of all city owned land in Venice; And further, that the Councilman introduce a motion to the City Council to create an ordinance requiring public notice to neighborhoods and Neighborhood Councils on the use, sale or disposition of all City owned property and to include research on fair market value of City property as currently the cost to vacate an alley is $10,000.
Short-Term Rentals
MOTION: Whereas, short-term vacation rentals are rapidly increasing in Los Angeles as the result of internet-based brokerages listing available dwellings and facilitating rental reservations – one online site lists 746 short-term vacation rentals in Venice; and
Whereas, the demand for short-term vacation rental units has resulted in long-term rental units being withdrawn from the market; and, Whereas, the City does not regulate the short-term vacation rental market as it does hotels and motels, but the City has a duty to protect both the proprietors of such dwellings and their customers; and
Whereas, the City has an opportunity to add revenues from the licensing of short-term vacation rentals by licensing such rental units, applying taxes to renters and putting in place enforcement personnel to assure such fees and taxes are properly calculated and collected.
Therefore, be it resolved, The Venice Neighborhood Council requests that Councilperson Mike Bonin introduce a motion to the full City Council requesting that the conditions surrounding short term rental of dwellings in Los Angeles be investigated by appropriate City Departments; that an ordinance be drafted regulating such rentals; and that the ordinance be submitted to a vote of the City Council prior to 02/15/2014 with implementation of the ordinance taking effect prior to May 26, 2014.
Motion Regarding Alcohol Dispensing Outlets in Venice
MOTION: Whereas, Venice has 32 alcohol outlets per 10,000 residents while Los Angeles City Council District 11 has only 21.5 alcohol outlets per 10,000 residents, and
Whereas, Venice is experiencing continued growth in establishing new alcohol related businesses, while there do not appear to be adequate local policies regarding findings of public convenience or necessity for such businesses, and
Whereas, it is recognized that alcohol dispensing establishments can create significant quality of life and safety problems in neighborhoods, and
Whereas, enforcement of city and state alcohol laws and conditions of use falls on a number of government agencies including the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the Los Angeles Department of Planning and the State of California Alcohol Beverage Control Board, leading to uneven, inefficient environment without a single point of responsibility;
Therefore, be it resolved, the Venice Neighborhood Council calls on the City Council Member for CD11 to introduce a measure in the Los Angeles City Council that would create an alcohol establishment enforcement / compliance unit, fully funded by a regulatory fee on establishments selling alcohol
Members of the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Land Use and Planning and the Neighborhood Committee met Tuesday night to discuss the proliferation and concentration of alcohol sites in the Venice area.
Because Venice has 32 alcohol outlets per 10,000 residents while Los Angeles City Council District 11 has only 21.5 alcohol outlets per 10,000 residents many wanted to limit sites (one of the “whereas” statements). There really wasn’t any clear proposal as to how to limit sites.
Some also felt there was a correlation of alcohol sales to crime and safety in a neighborhood. One person brought up the fact that crime was less where one bar was put in on Ocean Front Walk.
Stewart Oscars came prepared with a resolution to limit the number of alcohol sales–onsite and offsite in the Venice area. The resolution went thru many transformations by the group. Marc Salzberg, vice president of VNC and head of the Neighborhood Committee, sent the latest version of the resolution via email to Update next day. Resolution will be presented at the next VNC board meeting. It reads as follows, excluding the “whereas” statements:
Therefore, be it resolved, the Venice Neighborhood Council calls on the City Council Member for CD11 to introduce a measure in the Los Angeles City Council that would create an alcohol establishment enforcement /compliance unit, fully funded by a regulatory fee on establishments selling alcohol.
The problem, which was discussed, was that many organizations are involved with enforcement of alcohol but nothing gets accomplished.
Right now enforcement of city and state alcohol laws and conditions of use falls on a number of government agencies including the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the Los Angeles Department of Planning and the State of California Alcohol Beverage Control Board, leading to uneven, inefficient control and without a single point of responsibility.
The City Planning Department’s new Code Compliance Unit (CCU) was discussed at the meeting. CCU is in its infancy stage and is planned to be functional by January 2014. Many at a Sunday meeting of CCU with Rocky Wells, CCU’s new head, wanted to propose a resolution to the City Council to add a money fine for noncompliance and fund a group of inspectors needed to do the inspection.
Marc wanted to make sure the Venice resolution regarding alcohol was in sync with the resolution to be proposed for the new CCU unit. Some thought perhaps the new CCU could become the central source for handling alcohol site enforcement and preliminary selection in conjunction with the State and local agencies. But the group took a stand and the resolution states “create an alcohol establishment enforcement /compliance unit, fully funded by a regulatory fee on establishments selling alcohol.”