No Overnight Parking on Venice Streets?
Many Venice residents may be unaware of an effort
to turn all of Venice into a permit parking zone.
A small group of residents of the Oxford
Triangle district, south of Washington Blvd., incensed about recreational
vehicles (RVs) parking on their streets, have gained the ear of Councilmember
Bill Rosendahl in a scheme to make everyone in Venice, who has a car, pay for
the privilege of parking it in front of their house or
apartment.
Annual permits would
initially cost $15. They would be purchased in Van Nuys or downtown L.A. during
business hours. A resident could also buy two visitor permits, per dwelling
unit, for $10 each. They would be good for only four months. Up to 10 one-day
permits could also be purchased. Vehicles not exhibiting one of the permits
would be subject to ticketing if parked on a street between 2 - 6
am.
The regulation has already been
passed by the city council, but is subject to approval by the coastal
commission.
The ordinance states that
the restricted parking is necessary because of “overnight parking of
commercial vehicles and abandonment of vehicles on the streets of this area by
non-residents.” The real reason – driving out those who are forced
to sleep in their vehicles – is nowhere
mentioned.
A Rosendahl staff member
says that around $70,000 has been appropriated from the Venice Surplus Property
Fund to pay for expenses related to having the plan approved by the Coastal
Commission. The Neighborhood Council that previously voted that the Surplus
Property Fund, that is, money obtained by the sale of city-owned lots in Venice,
should only be used for capital improvements in the
community.
The Coastal Commission has
previously vetoed parking permits on the grounds that it restricts access to the
beach. In their view, the beach is open 24 hours per
day.
In any case, the issue probably
won’t be resolved for one to two
years.
Opponents have told the
Beachhead that they object to the plan because it does not provide alternatives
for people who have been forced from their homes and are sleeping in their cars;
the cost and inconvenience of obtaining permits; the misuse of the Surplus
Property Fund; and the further regimentation and gentrification of the Venice
area.
Posted: Thu - November 1, 2007 at 02:14 PM