Venice has a Town Hall Meeting


By John Davis

A gathering of Venice stakeholders sponsored by the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council drew hundreds of members to a working meeting where voters could speak out on a variety of topics affecting their lives.


Organizations and committees distributed informative literature to stakeholders while a working dinner began, inclusive of any members who wished to speak.

This was not just a political meeting, it was also a great feast like those in the days of yore. Venetians sat together and broke bread in a ritual that has unified and strengthened societies for ages.

Rich and poor, tall and small, they were all there. And the auditorium provided by a local church had the air of regal castle where decisions are made and food was shared by a communal hearth. Though a hearth was not present, you could feel that a warm fire of empowerment burned within Venice that night.

Hundreds of GRVNC stakeholders demonstrated mutual respect that resulted in a successful meeting. The Neighborhood Council is mature and now functions to serve the people. Unlike the prior “Team Venice” Board members who locked the Council into an ineffectual state of power hogging, the Progressive Board is sailing into the future with a strong wind filling its sails.

GRVNC is mature compared the Westchester Playa del Rey Council. Playa Vista developers offered employees free food, transportation and cheap booze to vote in that election. This was an overt attempt by a business to control a Neighborhood Council. But the progressive GRVNC Board of Directors will not let that happen in Venice. The Neighborhood Council will continue to show leadership in Los Angeles and the Town Hall meeting was a perfect example of this commitment.

Long-standing community leader and President of the Venice Council Sheila Bernard chaired the meeting.
Our representative to the Los Angeles City Council, Cindy Miscikowski, was present for the duration. The Councilwoman spoke about her successful efforts regarding the two million-dollar Venice Surplus Fund to a round of applause and then sat patiently listening to each and every public comment. Some stakeholders spoke directly to their appointed representative and while not all comments were positive, that did not deter the Councilwoman from looking at Venice eye to eye, much to her credit.

Naming parks is usually done downtown but in this case Venice grabbed the bull by the horns and has once again shown leadership. A fair voting system called instant run-off (IRV) voting was utilized to determine the name of the park. Though this system takes a bit more understanding, it is indeed fair. The preferred name is now Peace Park. The ballot results also confirmed those new GRVNC Board members filling positions abandoned by previous members.

As the working feast proceeded Dr. Alice Stek, 2nd Vice President of the Neighborhood Council presided over the first topic of discussion. Stek is a committed volunteer for the Council and a medical doctor who delivers children. She is also a candidate for the United States congress. Alice is to be commended for her commitment to the Council and community.

The next topic of discussion was the gargantuan project proposed for Lincoln and California streets euphemistically called the Lincoln Center. stakeholders were overwhelmingly against this project since it would encompass the entire lots where Ross Dress for Less and the Ralph’s Market serve Venetians today.

Concerns were raised about lack of low income housing, the fact that it would be several stories high with underground parking, new air pollution affecting local school children, the gridlock it would cause on Lincoln Blvd., and traffic spillover into surrounding neighborhood streets.

Government Relations Officer Paul Ryan led a balanced discussion about the future of Abbot Kinney Blvd. including new parking lot improvements. The Board of Directors recently approved the lots.

Next was an item of great stakeholder interest, the proposed Ocean Front Ordinance. Laddie Williams, a Board member, moderated this discussion.

Again, the majority of stakeholders spoke against the City proposal to regulate free speech to certain zones that artists would have to rent. One person equated the City’s proposal to President Bush’s idea that free speech exists only in zones of his choosing. The speaker said America is a free speech zone and the City cannot legally rent free speech on the Boardwalk.

GRVNC Government Relations Officer Paul Ryan who is also an attorney enumerated many of the legal problems with the proposed ordinance indicating they would be too numerous to discuss at the Town Hall.

Many artists spoke against the proposed law, citing a prior legal action artists had filed against the City in a similar circumstance. The boardwalk artists won that lawsuit. It appears that the artists and free thinkers of Venice will not allow the City to rent their constitutional rights.

Progressive Board member Suzanne Thompson was instrumental in leading the Outreach Committee to hold this event.

In all, the progressive Venice Neighborhood Council Board decided not to hoard and squander the money it has received from the City. Instead it was spent where it counts most, by reaching out to the stakeholders and giving them the power to shape their own community.

Posted: Mon - March 1, 2004 at 05:46 PM          

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