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Venice News Updates

News of Venice, CA and Marina del Rey CA

Bonin Proposes Commission of People Who Are Formerly Homeless

Posted by :reta On : October 1, 2019
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Category: Homeless Committee, Uncategorized

From Councilman Mike Bonin’s September Neighborhoods First Newsletter

Mike is pushing the City of Los Angeles to get input on its homeless strategies from people with expertise — people who are or have been homeless in Los Angeles. Mike and his colleagues hear regularly from government officials, non-profit executives, business associations, neighborhood councils, homeowners, developers, and activists from a variety of organizations and perspectives. But they rarely from people who have experienced homelessness, people whose voices can tell them which programs work, and which ones don’t, and why. The Commission on Lived Experience with Homelessness would be modeled after city advisory commissions on disability issues, children’s Native American issues, and transgender issues, and would provide expert and real-world experience to improve policy-making, program development, and budgeting decisions.

Find out more at the link below.

https://11thdistrict.com/news/mike-proposes-new-commission-composed-of-people-who-are-or-have-been-homeless/?fbclid=IwAR1p95n9sh8LxfdSDpRpvt6h9wn91z3VmANmNABVKYBjA2m_3i5g6Aw0hcA

500-Foot Homeless Restriction Would Remove Homeless from Beach and Portions of 3rd, 4th

Posted by :reta On : September 10, 2019
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Category: City, City Council, Councilman, Homeless Committee, LAMC41.18(d), Uncategorized


This is the map for Venice as shown in the LA Times article.

LA Times mapped the areas that would be affected by the proposed 500-foot radius restricting homeless from schools and parks. The motion, modifying LAMC 41.18(d), has been proposed by the Chair of the Homeless and Poverty committee Councilman Mitch O’Farrell and Councilwoman Nury Martinez.

Next step is to present it to the City Council for a vote.   Both civil rights attorney Carol Sobel and Councilman Mike Bonin are against it.  It was passed unanimously in City’s Homeless and Poverty committee with two absences, one of whom was Bonin.

Mark Ryavec of Venice Stakeholders Association made the statement that the proposal did not address the residential areas.

According to the map, a large portion of Venice would be restricted.  The complete Venice Beach area would be off limits.  Looks like 3rd and 4th would be be off limits to a great extent.  The Ocean Front and 3rd Ave are two dense areas for the homeless.  The LA Times estimates that about 25 percent of the City’s sidewalks would be effected.

The design of the proposal is to work around the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.  The court said they never indicated that people could not be restricted from certain areas.

LA Times article.

The electronic LA Times article has many more maps and statistics.

 

Bridge Housing Measure Tabled at August VNC Meet

Posted by :reta On : August 22, 2018
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Category: Bridge Housing, Homeless, Homeless Committee, Uncategorized, Venice Neighborhood Council

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meet

By Angela McGregor

Tuesday night’s meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Board drew a large and vocal crowd, most of whom were there to debate the merits of a Bridge Housing development in Venice.

The motion on the agenda, titled “VNC Support for Concept of Bridge Housing in Venice with a Community Benefits Agreement”, contained a “President’s Note” that the motion was “not about the MTA Bus Yard”, despite recent mailers and phone calls from Councilman Bonin’s office specifically referring to the use of the Bus Yard for Bridge Housing.

The meeting opened with the usual motion to approve the meeting’s agenda, at which point Board member John Reed immediately proposed to amend the agenda to table the Bridge Housing Item to a future meeting. He explained that this was motivated by an email from Councilman Mike Bonin’s office that the Board had just received announcing that the Mayor’s office was initiating a feasibility study to determine whether or not the MTA Bus Yard was suitable for such a project.

In light of the promise of forthcoming clarification of some of the most contentious issues with the project, including whether or not the bus yard is environmentally suited for it — Reed contended that a vote on Bridge Housing would be premature.

VNC Homeless Committee Members Hollie Stenson and Sunny Bak — who both voted in favor of the motion at the July VNC Homeless Committee meeting — each stated that they felt more vetting of the project was necessary prior to a vote in order to gain the public’s trust. VNC Homeless Committee Chairman Will Hawkins argued vigorously in favor of leaving the item on the agenda, since it was merely a referendum on whether or not the concept of Bridge Housing would be appropriate for Venice and would ultimately result in the reduction of homeless encampments.

Any future discussion of the merits of a specific site for the project would be taken up by the Land Use & Planning Committee (LUPC), at which point the results of the City’s feasibility study could be taken into account. The motion to table the Bridge Housing motion to a future meeting of the VNC Board narrowly passed, 8-7, with Board President Ira Koslow abstaining.

Koslow encouraged the many Venetians who’d shown up to make their opinions known on the now-tabled motion to stay and state their opinions in general comments. Many did, and comments were relatively equally divided between those in favor and those opposed.

Many in favor indicated that “something has to be done” to address the crisis, while many of those opposed expressed concerns that the project would be located too close to residences.

Tanaz Golshan, a representative from Mayor Garcetti’s office, spoke for several minutes regarding Bridge Housing, describing it as “not the typical shelter” and “a whole new concept” — “interim” housing rather than shelter beds, with residents — all of whom would be from local encampments — required to accept services in order to stay. The facility would also feature 24/7 security and result in increased clean up and enforcement of laws in Venice’s homeless encampments.

The other contentious item on the Board’s agenda — the construction of a 77 unit, mixed use building at 2454 Lincoln Blvd. (the current site of the Lincoln Millennium Car Wash) — was also shelved. The motion on the agenda recommended denial of the project due to, among other things, a flawed traffic study, disregard for community concerns regarding traffic and alley access, and the lack of a shade study. According to LUPC Chair Matt Royce, the applicant had decided not to attend the Board meeting.

In other VNC Board-related news, Matt Shaw has been removed from the Board due to too many absences, and so his Community Officer seat is now vacant and Venice Stakeholders are encouraged to apply.

Homeless Committee Unanimously Passes Bridge Housing Coupled with “Community Benefits Agreement”

Posted by :reta On : July 31, 2018
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Category: Bridge Housing, Homeless, Homeless Committee, Uncategorized

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Those Against
Those For

By Angela McGregor

Monday night’s Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Homeless Committee meeting attracted a packed house equally divided among those supporting and those opposing the motion to support Bridge Housing in Venice coupled with a Community Benefits Agreement (CBE).

VNC Board President Ira Koslow, who presided over the meeting in order to allow all Board members (including VHC Chair Will Hawkins) speak on the measure, pointed out at the onset of public discussion that the Committee was approving merely the “concept” of Bridge Housing in Venice, not a final project. He stated that he had spoken with Councilman Mike Bonin’s office and, as yet, no final details on the project are available, including the location. “This is the first step of the process,” he told the crowd, some of whom were holding up placards opposing the project. “It’s not the last.”

The motion (the entirety of which can be found here: http://www.venicenc.org/docs/34484446-7554.pdf) contains the following language:

Now, therefore be it resolved, the Venice Homeless Committee supports the concept of executing Bridge Home in Venice for no longer than three years and along with the execution of a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) between the neighborhood of Venice and the City of Los Angeles

May it be therefore resolved that:

1.Those in the CES system be prioritized for placement.

2.Only homeless from Venice be admitted.

3.Every six months or sooner a report is produced to outline the outcomes of

individuals that have transitioned through Bridge Home.

4.A yearly public meeting is organized by the Mayor’s office to discuss the program’s effect on the neighborhood.

Finally may it be further resolved, the CBA contain and guarantees the stakeholders of

Venice that agreed upon conditions will be binding and ongoing to hold the city accountable

for certain agreed upon conditions through the term of the bridge housing’s execution.

Included in this CBA the city should agree to ensure basic program elements such as these examples…a) security, b) sanitation, c) housing placement services, d) reunification, e) sober coaching, f) job placement services, g) green space/community garden, h) social enterprise, and i) specific commitments from LAPD HOPE team and a Senior Lead Officer from LAPD designated specifically for this facility.

First to speak was Venice Deputy Taylor Bazley. He offered an overview of Bridge Housing as proposed by Mayor Eric Garcetti: The MTA has already entered into a joint development to build permanent housing on the site in 3 years or so. He stated that the facility’s residents will be “good neighbors” and the project will include onsite management, security, and rules. In addition, communities with Bridge Housing will receive “significant” additional funding to clean up encampments.

Speakers were equally divided on opposite sides of the room. Supporters felt that bridge housing would improve existing conditions by providing a “triage” facility for homeless willing to accept services, providing them with a safe space in which to receive such services prior to being re-housed.

Opponents were primarily concerned with public safety issues, and many of them lived in close proximity to the St. Joseph’s Center and have seen their quality of life decline precipitously with the opening of that facility.

Those who currently live close to the MTA lot stated they simply do not trust the city’s assurances that their safety concerns will be met, and aren’t convinced the facility won’t attract yet more homeless to Venice.

Supporters countered that not all homeless are addicts, mentally ill or criminals, and that refusing to offer such services seemed self-defeating as well as selfish. In addition, one speaker in favor of the project pointed out that homeless teens, in particular, are in desperate need of such a facility.

One speaker in opposition pointed out that first responders in the area are already clearly overwhelmed and unable to deal with existing crime, and so the city’s promises that such a facility would result in additional police presence rang false.

Another speaker opposed felt the facility — 4 acres in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the heart of Venice — seemed far too large and “too big to work”, as well as “too much money for too little housing”.

Yet another speaking in opposition pointed out that, contrary to assurances that Bridge Housing will allow encampments to be cleaned up, Councilman Mike Bonin has already been quoted in various news outlets as saying that such enforcement, now that the conditions of the Jones Settlement have been met, is “unlikely”.

In the interest of time management, Ira Koslow shut down commentary after ten speakers from each side had spoken, which enraged a few speakers who weren’t able to speak against the project, so much so that they were ultimately ejected from the meeting.

Once things quieted down, the Homeless Committee Board took up discussion. Board member Brian Ulf stated that the CBA being considered must be enforceable, and that “transparency will be key” to the project’s success. He said that the facility will result in homeless willing to accept services having a place to go to receive them, while those who are unwilling can be told to leave. Will Hawkins stated that he “believes in this project” and wants Venice to be the “first through the wall” when it comes to solutions that can actually begin to alleviate homelessness in Los Angeles.

The Board voted in favor of the Motion, 7-0. This motion will now go to the VNC Board for approval. The next meeting of the VNC Board is Tuesday, August 21st at 7pm at Westminster Elementary School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Homeless Committee to Meet 30 July

Posted by :reta On : July 26, 2018
0

Category: Homeless Committee

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Venice Neighborhood Council Homeless Committee will meet Monday (30 July), 6 to 8 pm, at the Oakwood Recreation Center, 767 California Ave.

Here is the 073018 VHC Agenda (new) for Monday.

Homeless Committee June Meet Tables All Motions for Later; Discusses Two

Posted by :reta On : June 5, 2018
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Category: Homeless Committee, Jones Settlement, Uncategorized, Venice

Tags:, ,

homeles

Standing room only for the Homeless Committee June meet.

By Angela McGregor

The most recent Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Homeless Committee Meeting drew a packed house of opinionated citizens to hear four motions set to change the streets of Venice.

The meeting opened with Chairman Will Hawkins delivering the Chairman’s Report, announcing that the committee’s Reunification Program had, as of last week, gotten 40 homeless persons off the streets of Venice.

Motion 1 — Assigned Places on Sidewalk
Motion #1 was a proposal to create a “safe camping” program in Venice, wherein individual blocks could choose to sponsor a specific reserved spot for individuals currently enrolled in the Coordinated Entry System (CES) program in need of a place to reside while awaiting services. The space would only be available from 6am to 9pm, and would require a vote of 2/3 of all of the residents on that block.

Public commentary on this motion was universally opposed to motion. Among the concerns: There is currently no enforcement of any laws when it comes to the homeless (several Venetians cited incidents wherein they had called police to no avail about encampments in their neighborhoods) and so the assumption that the curfew would be enforced was unrealistic; the motion would spread “Rose Avenue conditions” to all parts of Venice; any sort of sidewalk “housing” is unsanitary, unsafe and inhumane; liability for these “adopted” encampments (which could be substantial) would likely fall on the property owners on the block.

Both Venice Stakeholders Association (VSA) President Mark Ryavec and former Homeless Committee member Heidi Roberts opposed the measure on the grounds that Venice needs solutions that discourage street camping instead of codifying it. Will Hawkins spoke in favor of the motion by stating that the committee was looking for ways, in light of the current out-of-control conditions on the sidewalks, to regulate the situation and encourage enrollment into the CES. The motion was ultimately tabled for 30-60 days in order to retool it.

Motions 2 and 3 — Adopt a Tent and Residential Safe Parking 
Motions #2 and #3 — the creation of an “Adopt a Tent” program and a “Residential Safe Parking” program — were tabled to make time to discuss Motion #4, the Motion to Support Bridge Housing at the MTA Bus Yard, which, as presented in the agenda, contained several “TBD” clauses designed to incorporate suggestions made by those at the meeting.

Motion 4 — Proposed Use of Metro Lot
The facility as proposed would service 100 CES-enrolled individuals at a time — roughly half of those living on Venice’s streets who are currently enrolled, and only about 10 percent of the total population (per the latest LAHSA numbers).

According to Hawkins, these individuals would reside at the Yard for no more than 3-4 months at a time, until other services or housing could be found for them. Details of the plan — which will be discussed at a Community Meet with Mike Bonin on June 13th at 6pm at Westminster Elementary School — have yet to be fully revealed, and so several residents objected to the motion on the grounds that it was premature and did not give the residents enough time or information with which to weigh in.

Still others voiced concerns that the facility might actually attract more homeless to Venice in search of services. The proposed shelter is close to a couple of local schools, and residents suggested a “no encampment zone” around it, for perhaps as many as 10 blocks in all directions. While the City has stated that building the facility would allow for more sanitation dollars to go to Venice to clear out encampments, in light of the current conditions many speakers insisted on increased law enforcement as well.

One attendant who said he was representing dozens of residents living at 700 Main Street stated that his entire building is opposed to the idea, and convinced that it will wind up being a permanent structure (the announcement stated it would only be opened for about 3 years, until the development for the site is initiated).

VNC Board member Jim Murez (who was in the audience) pointed out that the use of the Yard for this purpose is a “violation of land use”, and as such Venice is within its rights to ask for a a sunset clause which would close the facility within a certain number of months if the desired result is not obtaind or conditions are not enforced, as well as another such clause to make sure the facility is closed within the stated 3-year period.

Both Heidi Roberts and Committee member Brian Ulf spoke in favor of the facility. Ms. Roberts — who has opposed other City-sponsored homeless projects in Venice in the past — said that this was the first one that made sense to her and has the potential to actually alleviate the situation. Nevertheless, in light of the lack of public trust in Mike Bonin, she felt that this will be a very “hard sell” for the City. Ulf stated that he feels strongly this facility and the increased outreach that will come with it have the potential to “actually break up encampments” by removing CES-willing occupants from the streets, and encouraging the service-resistant to enroll in CES.

The motion was tabled to the next meeting. Will Hawkins closed the meeting by pointing out that “Bridge Housing at the Bus Yard” is coming, and that the community must work to put together a series of “asks” to ensure that it is successful.

VNC Homeless Committee to Meet 4 June

Posted by :reta On : June 1, 2018
0

Category: Homeless Committee

The Venice Neighborhood Council Homeless Committee will meet 4 June, 6 pm, Venice Public Library.

Some of the motions to be considered are “adopt-a-tent,” bridge housing at the Metro Yard.  060418 HC Meeting Agenda

 

Jones Settlement Talley, Citywide Homeless Reunification Office Featured at Homeless Committee

Posted by :reta On : May 3, 2018
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Category: Homeless Committee, Uncategorized

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audience
Venetians who attended the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Homeless Committee meeting Monday night at the Venice Public Library.

By Angela McGregor

The Monday evening meeting of the VNC’s Homeless Committee opened with a presentation by Taylor Bazley from Mike Bonin’s office on Mayor Garcetti’s Homeless Shelter Initiative, dubbed “A Bridge Home”.

This proposal would incentivize neighborhoods to create emergency shelters on vacant city parcels. These 24/7, year-round shelters would facilitate the homeless in getting off the streets by offering them services and entering them into the Coordinated Entry System (CES). The incentive would be extra sanitation dollars in an amount Bazley stated could be “transformative”. A future meeting will be held in order to gather input as to possible locations for such a program in Venice.

Beginning of Bazley’s talk was not recorded. New camera.

The first motion of the evening was a statement of support for a council file titled “Family Reunification through Service Providers”, which would create a citywide program based on Venice’s pilot program, which last year reunited 30 homeless individuals with supportive family members. This motion passed, 8-0, and will move onto the VNC Board for final approval.

The second motion was a letter in support of the West LA Veteran’s Administration Master Plan to provide housing for homeless vets on their campus. The letter includes the following: “The West L.A. campus of the Veterans’ Association was donated specially to serve the veterans who are now living on the street…If all 5,000 beds that the facility was designed to hold were to be made available we would be able to house and care for almost every homeless veteran on the streets of Los Angeles County. It is imperative that we immediately fund and execute this reclamation project and serve each and every veteran that seeks help and assistance.” This measure also passed unanimously.

The final three motions on the agenda all began with the phrase, “Whereas the City of Los Angeles has been handcuffed by the terms of the Jones Settlement to enforce laws that provide safe, clean and clear sidewalks for residents, businesses, and visitors.”

Committee Chairman Will Hawkins explained to the attendees that, in 2005, the City came to an agreement — titled the Jones Settlement — with attorney Carol Sobel which mandated that the City not enforce LAMC 41.18(d) (no sleeping, sitting or camping on sidewalks) between the hours of 9 pm and 6 am until the City had created 1250 units of Permanent Supportive Housing, at least half of which were to be in the greater downtown area. (the full settlement can be viewed here: http://wetnostril.homestead.com/JonesSettlement.html).

In the intervening 13 years, the City has not provided an update on how many units have been constructed or if the terms of the Settlement have been met. In addition, the lack of enforcement has manifested, in some parts of Venice, as a lack of law enforcement generally. Motion #3 on the agenda requested “updated stats and figures that show whether or not the terms of the Jones Settlement have been satisfied”. A similar motion, passed last year, was ignored by the City, but as Hawkins put it, the City needs to show “either their shameful lack of progress on this issue, or their equally shameless lack of transparency”. The motion passed, 7-1.

Motion #4 — to create a safe camping program in Venice — met with more resistance from both attendees and the Committee itself. The proposal was to allow individuals who had registered with the CES to specify and reserved spots on the sidewalk between the hours of 9 pm and 6 am, with the approval of 2/3 of homeowners on the block. Discussion centered around the liability this would create (the original language of the motion was changed to replace “neighbors” with “homeowners”, since property owners would ultimately be liability for any damages this might create), as well as the appearance of condoning sidewalk camping of any kind, which creates a mobility hazard, especially among the disabled. After much discussion, the Committee decided to table this motion until their next meeting.

Motion #5 — which would create a program whereby homeowners would allow homeless individuals to put a tent on their property — and Motion #6, which would create a program to financially subsidize homeowners who wish to allow homeless individuals to park on their properties and make use of their bathrooms — were both tabled for the next meeting due to a lack of time.

Motions 4,5, and 6 will all be considered at the next meeting.

Homeless Committee Meets Tuesday

Posted by :reta On : April 28, 2018
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Category: Homeless Committee

Tags:,

The Venice Neighborhood Council Homeless Committee will meet Tuesday (1 May), 6 pm at the Venice Public Library, 501 Venice Blvd. Agenda follows:

1. 6:00 pm – Approve Agenda as presented or amended
2. 6:00pm – Approve Minutes of last meeting as presented or amended
3. 6:01 pm — PUBLIC COMMENT – 5 minutes on non-agendized items related to Homeless Committee only
4. 6:05pm – Chairman’s Report
Presentation by Taylor Bazley on Mayor Garcetti’s Homeless Shelter Initiative.
5. 6:15pm – (1) MOTION TO SUPPORT LA OFFICE OF FAMILY REUNIFICATION
6. 6:25pm – (2) MOTION TO SUPPORT WEST LA VA MASTER PLAN
7. 6:35pm – (3) MOTION TO SUPPORT SAFE CAMPING PROGRAM
– See attached for text
8. 6:50pm– (4) MOTION TO SUPPORT RESIDENTIAL SAFE PARKING PROGRAM See attached for text.
9. 7:05pm – (5) MOTION TO SUPPORT HOMELESS ADOPT-A-TENT PROGRAM
– See attached for text.
10.7:20pm – (6) MOTION TO SUPPORT TEMPORARY SHELTER IN VENICE
– See attached for text.
11. 7:34 pm – MOTION TO SUPPORT REQUEST FOR 2018 JONES SETTELEMENT STATUS.
12.Old Business Presentation by Stephen Butler St Joseph Center regarding treatment and services for homeless with mental illness.
13. 8:00pm — ADJOURN

Homeless Committee To Meet 26 March

Posted by :reta On : March 23, 2018
1

Category: Homeless Committee

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Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Homeless Committee will meet 26 March, 6:30 pm at Extra Storage Space, 658 Venice Blvd, Venice.  On their agenda is discussion of a 2018 Homeless Town Hall.