Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Open Letter to Venice Residents.

Via: Venice WatchDawg 

 

An Open Letter to Venice Residents About Overnight Parking Districts 

 

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"Be who you are and say how you feel because those who mind 

 don't  matter, and those who matter don't mind."   - - Dr. Seuss 

 

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Dear Readers, 

 

These two articles below will both explain why Venice is being overrun 

with RV "live aboard" campers, while Santa Monica and the Marina are 

not -  and, why you should VOTE to retain the right to restrict 

parking in 

Venice at a special Venice Neighborhood Council election on Saturday, 

February 21st at the Venice Public Library between 12:30 to 3:30 

PM........ 

 

Best, 

 

Rick Feibusch 

Venice WatchDawg 

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Don't Lose Your Right to Choose! 

 

An Open Letter to Venice Residents 

About Overnight Parking Districts 

by Georgann Abraham 

 

Dear Venice Residents, 

Lack of parking in Venice has long been a hot issue. This has been 

made much worse in several parts of Venice by the increase in people 

living in their RVs, vans and cars.  To keep your block's right to 

choose overnight parking permits for residents and guests, you must 

vote in a special election held by the Venice Neighborhood Council on 

Saturday, February 21st at the Venice Public Library (12:30 to 3:30 

PM) . 

 

This election is an attempt by non-residents who live in vehicles and 

their supporters to take this right from the rest of us. Currently, 

you have this right; it is afforded to residents all across the City 

of Los Angeles including Venice. Two initiatives will be up for a vote 

on the 21st: 

 

Initiative A - - would deprive Venice residents of their right to have 

restricted parking from 2-6 AM on their block. As it is, Venice 

residents have a right to restricted parking, if, and only if, a 2/3rds 

majority of their block wants it. Initiative A seeks to eliminate even 

this very limited right to protect access to parking. 

 

Initiative B - - would affirm your right of choice to have restricted 

overnight parking if a 2/3rds majority on your block agrees. 

 

How did we get to this point? Personally, I did not pay much attention 

to people sleeping in vans and RVs in Venice until one day when I was 

working in the front yard and heard my neighbor yelling at a woman, 

who had been living in an RV in front of our homes, as she was about 

to dump a very large bucket of urine and feces in front of our homes. 

That's when I  realized this is a problem, not just the harassment 

that Venice residents endure from those who live in their vehicles, 

but as a real and serious health issue – to residents and to those who 

swim at Venice Beach – because the sewage dumped (or leaked) from 

these vehicles goes straight to the shore. 

 

Advocates of the RV dwellers will tell you that those who support 

overnight parking restrictions are hateful and unsympathetic. This is 

not the case. Some of those supporting residents' rights to set up 

overnight restrictions are also participating in a Venice Neighborhood 

Council Committee that is specifically working on ways to help people 

who are homeless or as well as those who choose to live in vehicles. 

 

This is a compassionate way of dealing with the problem. these 

residents are working hard investigating resources already available 

and brainstorming new and creative ways to help people get out of 

unfortunate situations. I support the efforts of this committee. 

 

Locals find that the hateful behavior is coming from some of the RV 

dwellers. Really, what is more hateful than parking in front of 

someone's home for days at a time and  loudly partying all night, just 

daring residents to do anything about it? 

 

What is more hateful than throwing excrement on someone's property? 

 

What is scarier than finding syringes, spent condoms and pornographic 

material in your yard, hoping it won't be your children finding it the 

next time?  What is more inconsiderate than making the public sidewalk 

one's personal patio and intimidating pedestrians to stay away? 

 

Preserve Your Right to Choose – 

 

o  Vote No  on Initiative A 

o  Vote Yes on Initiative B 

 

Saturday, February 21st at: 

The Venice Public Library 

12:30 to 3:30 PM 

 

The RV advocates are now so brash that  they have proposed giving 

vehicular dwellers "resident stickers," at $50 a year, to make it 

legal for them to park in front of our homes  YOUR HOME!!!. They are 

demanding that these vehicles be exempted from the ban on living in 

vehicles on city streets and the requirement that vehicles be moved 

every 72 hours. 

 

What would this do for the proliferation of RVs in Venice? 

 

How much do you pay in rent, mortgage, and/or property taxes to live 

in Venice?  I don't think most Venice residents would have objected to 

a few RVs in Venice if they were clean and moved frequently. But at 

least one RV advocate literally passed out flyers around the city 

inviting RV dwellers to live in Venice and instructing them on how to 

evade the laws against living in vehicles and how to out-fox the 

police! 

 

Now, it is estimated that over 200 RVs and vans are on Venice's 

streets and more arrive weekly. This puts a tremendous burden on 

residents and we have had no choice but to pursue the overnight 

restrictions. 

 

This is not a "not in my backyard" reaction. It's ALL in Venice's 

backyard. Did you ever notice that there are no RVs parked overnight 

in Santa Monica or the Marina? Every beach community surrounding 

Venice has nighttime regulated parking which has funneled ALL the RV 

parking into Venice. 

 

Whether or not you think an overnight parking restriction is needed on 

your block, this election may be your last opportunity to say that 

Venice residents deserve the right to choose for their own block and 

not have this 

possibility taken away from us.n We face an up-hill battle to maintain 

this right. Due to the VNC's loosey-goosey voting 

 

LIES: 

The RV advocates blatantly lie about the overnight parking district 

(OPD) process. They say that if the 5 OPD overlay zones are approved 

by the Coastal Commission, everyone in Venice will then have to pay 

for a parking permit. 

 

TRUTH: 

The truth is this is just enabling legislation to set the rules for 

small block-by-block initiatives. As of now, only 40 blocks have 

signed up out of over 500 blocks in Venice. If your block does not 

circulate a petition to all its residents – renters and owners alike – 

and garner 2/3rds signatures of every household, there will be no 

restrictions on your block. 

 

LIES: 

The RV defenders also maintain that walk street residents will not be 

allowed to have permits to park in restricted areas. The truth is that 

ALL residents in each of the overlay zones will have the right to 

purchase a permit in their district, including walk street residents. 

They also inflate the cost of a permit, claiming that they cost 

hundreds of dollars a month. 

 

TRUTH: 

A resident sticker is $15 per year, renewable four-month visitor 

permits are $10, and nightly guest permits are $1. But this only comes 

into play if your block signs up and approves restricted parking. 

 

LIES: 

The RV protagonists maintain that the proliferation of RVs is a 

consequence of the current economic crisis. However, longtime 

residents say they have seen the increase in RVs develop over the last 

20 years. In TV and print news stories, RV dwellers have admitted they 

have lived on our streets for years, long before the current financial 

downturn. Residents have photos of the RVs on out streets going back 

to the mid-1980s. 

 

TRUTH: 

Over the years, the inability of the police to effectively enforce the 

ban on living in vehicles has attracted more people to this lifestyle 

and has made Venice a magnet for RVs. 

 

I urge you to come out February 21st to protect your right to set up 

overnight parking restrictions if you find them 

appropriate for your block. 

 

Georgann Abraham, 

RN, Venice, CA 

For further information 

go to:   www.venicenc.org 

or call:  310 569 4643. 

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WHY THE RVs ARE ALL COMING TO VENICE 

AND NOWHERE ELSE, HERE ON THE COAST 

by Stewart Oscars 

January 14, 2009 

 

A Listing of Parking Restrictions on City Streets in the Coastal Zone 

in the City of Los Angeles from the Northern Border of Los Angeles 

south to the El Segundo Border 

 

I recorded an inventory of the posted parking restrictions of the 

streets of Los Angeles in the Coastal Zone from the Northern Border 

(Surfview Drive) to the Border with El Segundo (South of West Imperial 

Highway) on January 9, 2009. 

 

I found that nighttime parking along the coast is restricted 

everywhere except Venice (with the exception of three short blocks 

totaling 6 or 7 parking places). 

 

The following is the description of restricted parking in the survey area: 

 

1) Between L A Northern Border and Santa Monica Northern City Border 

(Castellammare and Pacific Palisades): 

a)  There is no parking on Pacific Coast Highway between the hours of 

10 pm and 5 or 6 am (the am restriction varies by location). 

b) Temescal Canyon has no parking 10 pm to 5 am. 

c) Los Liones Drive has no parking 11 pm to 5 am. 

 

2) Venice: 

a)    Pacific Avenue (from Navy St to Westminster St) has no daytime 

parking 8 am to 8 pm but has nighttime parking.  So parking is 

actually increased at nighttime/early morning because parking is 

allowed on Pacific Avenue from 8 pm to 8 am. 

b) Two blocks West of Speedway  have limited parking:  Ozone Ave is 

signed no parking 10 pm to 6 am. And Union Jack Street is signed no 

parking 9 pm to 7 am. 

c) Inside the Silver Strand at Via Dolce and Marquesas there is one 

block signed no parking 2 am to 6 am. 

 

3) Playa Del Rey to L A Border with El Segundo: 

a) West of Esplanade on Convoy St. there is no parking 11 pm to 5 am. 

b) Pacific Avenue from 62nd Avenue South to Culver Blvd on both sides 

of the street there is no parking 10 pm to 6 am except for a short 

section on the west side of Pacific north of the park. 

c) Vista Del Mar south from Waterview the entire drive to El Segundo 

both sides of the street have no parking 10 pm to 6 am. 

d) Napoleon above Vista Del Mar has a one block section with no 

parking 10 pm to 6 am. 

 

Looking at the restricted street parking established in the Coastal 

Zone in the communities surrounding Venice leads me to ask:  with all 

these precedents established, why are the residents of Venice having 

such a hard time establishing less restrictive parking districts? 

 

Preserve Your Right to Choose – 

Vote No on Initiative A 

Vote Yes on Initiative B 

 

Saturday, February 21st at: 

Venice Public Library 

12:30 to 3:30 PM 

 

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Westminster Elementary TREE PLANTING! 

Please Join US! Saturday, February 21, 2009 

from 8am - 1pm to plant some 35 trees as well as many vines and shrubs. 

 

This is one step toward our MASTER PLAN of a Green School/Joint Use 

Campus!    (open to the community after school and on weekends.) 

 

We will have a good group of folks out on that Saturday, rain or shine! 

Tools and snacks will be provided. WE'd love for you to join us! 

Please see attached promo/donation flyer. 

 

Many thanks! 

Coby Dahlstrom, Westminster Elementary PTA President 

mrsdrdahl@yahoo.com 

 

submitted by Linda Lucks 

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