In Brief:


Elections Scheduled at the Neighborhood Council

The Venice Neighborhood Council - which recently dropped “Grass Roots” from its name - has set its annual election schedule.


It is again operating under rules that are more restrictive than those in elections for Mayor, Governor or U.S. President. For instance, absentee voting requires the voter to present her or his self at one of three election information sessions to request a mail ballot. The on-site election will be held on Sept. 17 at Venice High. Eleven of 21 board seats are up for election, including president, vice president, community outreach officer, land use and planning chair and seven community officers. To become a candidate, one must attend a meeting on Aug. 17 at Beyond Baroque.

Building Moratorium on Neighborhood Council Agenda

A meeting to take public comments on a possible Moratorium on Commercial Development in Venice will be held by the Council’s Land Use and Planning Committee at 7:30 pm on August 23 at the Venice High Cafeteria. The proposal would be limited to six months and would include only some streets in Venice. Venice Progressives, and other groups and residents, have been pushing for a Venice-wide Moratorium on condominiums and big boxes.

Hotels near
Boardwalk and Park Place

A hotel project for the Broadway Gymnastics site at Main St. and Brooks Ave. is waiting for the Planning Commission to set a hearing date. It would have 43 hotel rooms, plus condos and retail. Opponents of the project are asking that people write to the L.A. Planning Commission and Councilmember Bill Rosendahl to express their opposition. Mention the case number: ZA-2005-8134-CDP-CU-ZV-ZAI-SPP-MEL.
An even larger hotel, just across the street, was approved by the Neighborhood Council’s Land Use and Planning Commission, July 26. It was first proposed in December, but with the condition that the developer return with final plans. It would include 50 rooms, a pool on the forth floor, and would soar to 50 feet, far above the height allowed by the Venice Specific Plan. Neighborhood Council actions are only advisory. It must still jump through several more governmental hoops.

Lincoln Place Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by Lincoln Place tenants against the city of Los Angeles and corporate-owner AIMCO will be heard on Aug. 16. The suit, brought under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) says AIMCO is not following mitigation procedures before evicting tenants. The city is charged with not enforcing the Act. The hearing before Superior Court Judge David Yaffe comes only two weeks before AIMCO’s deadline for tossing the remaining seniors and disabled tenants out on the street.

Posted: Tue - August 1, 2006 at 05:54 PM          

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