Neighborhood Council catching its stride
It’s been almost two years since the Grass
Roots Venice Neighborhood Council (GRVNC) was certified by the city of Los
Angeles on March 13, 2002.
After nearly a year and a half of turmoil,
the Venice “government” seems to be at last coming into its own.
Just recently, it qualified for up to $50,000 a year in city funding, some of
which has already been delivered. It’s also seen a proliferation of
committees, and sub-committees, working on various community issues. The Council
has an office at the Vera Davis McClendon Community Center, 610 California Ave.
and soon expects to have a phone and computer
installed.
The recent advancements made
by GRVNC were noted in the letter sent to Treasurer Jim Smith by Dept. of
Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) funding program head, Kevin McNeely, who, in
announcing the release of city funds, said “Congratulations on the success
and continual progress of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council.”
The new progressive leadership of the
council was elected last July but was not able to begin functioning until
October, after election challenges by the losing candidates were resolved.
Adopting a scorched earth policy, the election losers destroyed the website (a
new spiffy website has been established by Communications Officer Tom
O’Meara at www.grvnc.org), and delayed turning over GRVNC records until
ordered to by the city attorney.
Some
of the originators of the neighborhood council apparently fell into
“founder’s syndrome,” which happens in many organizations
where those who started the organization begin treating it as their own private
property.
After challenges were tossed
out, including one in which an opposition candidate, Marta Evry, voted on behalf
of her dog, losing candidates of “Team Venice” began resorting to
guerrilla warfare to impede the new council leadership. Evry (whom the League of
Women Voters has suggested be barred from ever seeking office again – see
Oct. 2003 Beachhead) has kept up a barrage of hostile emails on the VeniceCA
listserve, while Rick Feibusch, another losing candidate, has done the same on
an email newsletter he circulates.
Other Team Venice members who were not
up for reelection including Tisha Bedrosian, John Caldwell and Chris Williams
resigned from the Board. They were followed by several members of the Land Use
& Planning Committee (LUPC).
Some
of them fantasized about a spreading conspiracy that included not only the
Progressive Candidates, the Peace and Freedom Party, the Venice Community
Housing Corp., and this newspaper, but also DONE and the League of Women Voters.
It seemed as if the whole world was conspiring against these good citizens who
just wanted to be left alone to live in an upscale Venice free of homeless
people, campers and people who disagreed with
them.
Several of them claimed that the
neighborhood council would not be credible without their participation, but
instead it seems more productive than ever.
Bedrosian has been replaced by tenant
leader Sheila Bernard; Caldwell by Attorney Paul Ryan and Williams seat is
filled by housing expert Dennis Hathaway. Likewise, LUPC has done an about face
from supporting developers in spite of community opposition, to being a voice
for reasonable and sustainable development in Venice.
LUPC co-chairs Attorney Sabrina
Venskus and Laura Burns have mobilized community opposition to Playa Vista Phase
2 and the massive Lincoln Center shopping center. In addition, they have
supported the St. Joseph’s Center on Hampton Avenue, which is generally
well-regarded by the community but has attracted its share of anti-homeless
opponents, led by realtor and defeated Board member, Barbara
Gibson.
Presently, only a few board
members who have been associated with Team Venice remain in office. They include
VP Greg Fitchitt, Milwood/ Central Venice Rep. Kelley Willis, Oxford Triangle
Rep. DeDe Audet and North Beach Rep. Bonnie Cheeseman. Some of them even deny
being part of the old group. Willis seems to be the only hard-core Team Venice
member left on the Board. His disruptive tactics at Board meetings usually find
no support.
All of them are up for
election this June. Progressive slate members also up for election include
Sheila Bernard (appointed president after Bedrosian resigned) and Alice Stek
(appointed 2nd VP after Chris Wood moved to Colorado).
Others up for election include David
Moring (Penmar North Rep.), Jatun Valentine (Oakwood Rep. appointee), Paul Ryan
(appointed Gov’t. Relations Rep. after Caldwell resigned), Geoff Collins
(appointed at-large rep. after Bernard moved to president), and a vacant
position representing Canals and the Peninsula (vacated by Stek when she became
2nd VP).
Perhaps the most encouraging
development of the new neighborhood council is the expansion of democracy
through committees which are open to all Venice residents and
stakeholders.
The LUPC, Conservation,
and Poverty and Homelessness committees have been active in bringing proposals
to the GRVNC Board.
Other committees
are based on specific neighborhoods in Venice. There is the Envision Venice
sub-committee which focuses on Lincoln Blvd.; an Abbot Kinney Blvd. committee;
and the newly formed Ocean Front Walk
committee.
A Children, Youth and
Families committee, initiated by Board member Lydia Poncé, began meeting
last month. Noise and pollution caused by jets taking off and landing at the
Santa Monica Airport is the focus of yet another committee. The airport
pollution problem for Venice was exposed in a series of articles in Beachhead.
There is a follow-up article on page
10.
Other committees are related to the
council structure, including the executive, elections, budget, by-laws and
communications and outreach committees. Any stakeholder can serve on any
committee (except the executive and land use) and any stakeholder can propose a
new committee by sending an email to communications@grvnc.org or by mail to
GRVNC, 610 California Ave., Venice 90291. To get involved in a committee, just
attend the next session (see box on this
page).
Committees will be on display
with information and invitations to join at the upcoming Town Hall meeting on
Feb. 26 at the United Methodist Church Community Building, 2210 Lincoln
Blvd.
– A.K.
Posted: Sun - February 1, 2004 at 06:33 PM