|
Contact l SOV Archives l SOV Blog l SOV Facebook l SOV Myspace l SOV Network l SOV Twitter l SOV Youtube |
|
Contact l SOV Archives l SOV Blog l SOV Facebook l SOV Myspace l SOV Network l SOV Twitter l SOV Youtube |
|
SUPPORT SOV! |
BILL ROSENDAHL MAKES A MOTION TO PROVIDE PARKING FOR RVs IN VENICE BUT WHO'S GONNA PAY THE BILL, BILL?
IT'S IRONIC THAT COUNCILMAN BILL ROSENDAHL et al can come up with funds for parking spaces for RVs, currently parked on public streets (for free) in Venice, but they can't find any money to actually do something constructive about providing affordable housing in Venice. This is just another 'band-aid' solution that will deplete the Venice Area Surplus Real Property Fund No. 434 and other public funding sources AND sneak in the Overnight Parking Districts which were voted down by the Calif. Coastal Commission (currently being sued by Mark Ryavec). It just goes to show what pressure from a special interest group like the Venice Stakeholders Association can achieve with no input from the Venice community at large, who will be impacted by the use of these public funds. Follow the money and see who gets the pay-off on this one. In a recent newsletter Rosendahl lays out his reasoning for this plan: Dear Friends, I am writing to update you on one of the most contentious issues in Venice -- the proliferation of homeless people living in cars and campers. For the last couple years, I have been working on a two-pronged, “carrot and stick” strategy. My goal has been simple:through both enforcement and social services, rid our streets of the non-resident cars and campers that impact our quality of life. To be successful, we will need an approach that is measured, balanced, and humane. In pursuit of this goal, I have fought for increased enforcement against vehicular living, and pursued establishment of Overnight Parking Districts (OPDs) that would ban non-residents from certain streets from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. At the same time, I have been working to create a Safe Parking program, which would create designated areas where people living in vehicles could sleep lawfully, obtain counseling and social services, and begin the transition to permanent housing. Last week, I introduced a council motion that would help fund the Safe Parking program – just as I identified funding two years ago to start the creation of the OPDs. In the overheated political environment that accompanies this issue, the motion has generated a lot of attention and misunderstanding. Click to read the entire newsletter Click to read the motion. <><><><><><><><><> Venice community leaders look to Santa Barbara as model for RV parking program locally BY VINCE ECHAVARIA, Argonaut Newspaper Trying to determine how an overnight parking program for recreational vehicles might work in Venice, some community leaders are looking to a coastal community less than 100 miles to the north for some answers. As Venice continues to explore solutions to its ongoing issue of RVs and other vehicles lining the streets for extended periods of time, one proposal has been to locate vacant lots on which the vehicles could park overnight. With overnight parking districts having been denied by the California Coastal Commission and an ordinance on oversize vehicle parking still being reworked, overnight lots could offer some relief to the problem, some community members believe. But exactly how such a program would fit in with the eclectic community of Venice is yet to be determined. More <><><><><><><><><> CONTROVERSY FLARES OVER L.A. CITY'S NEW DEFINITION OF VENICE "STAKEHOLDER" & MARK RYAVEC THREATENS TO SUE THE CITY ~ AGAIN! A new controversy has flared over "stakeholder" qualifications as redefined by the L.A. City Clerk's office, in reference to the upcoming Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) elections to be held on Sun. April 11, 2010 at Oakwood Rec. Center, 767 California Avenue (at 7th Ave.), from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. According to Rick Feibusch of the Venice Watch Dawg newsletter: "[I]t seems that SOMEONE in the City Clerk's Office has changed the stakeholder's qualifications that possibly will make it a bit different for us voters. Ms. Torres from the LA City Clerk's Office sent out some new definitions of Stakeholder qualifications on Thursday. The full letter from Ms. Torres and a response from VNC Write-In Candidate Mark Ryavec can be found later in this [Watch Dawg] issue. The part that concerns me is: "Stakeholders who live at the transitional center or receive services from the shelters and receive their mail at these facilities, and who can establish this through documentation, will be processed as stakeholders who reside/live within Venice." That sounds like they might be letting the homeless/RV dwellers vote with the same status as residents." Rich Feibusch is one of a group of disgruntled Venetians who have been trying to rid Venice of RV/van dwellers for several years. He is a staunch supporter of the Overnight Parking [Permit] Districts (OPDs) proposal and has, in the past, published some highly inflammatory remarks about the types of people who live in their vehicles. Now, it appears, Mr. Feibusch and others, such as Mark Ryavec, a write-in candidate for VNC Vice President in the upcoming elections, are venting their displeasure at the City Clerk's office for this new change in Venice "stakeholder" qualifications. Here is a copy of the email sent by Sofia Torres from the City Clerk's office to the VNC: Greetings Venice NC Boardmembers and 2010 Venice Neighborhood Council Candidates, My name is Sofia Torres and I am the Project Coordinator assigned by the City Clerk's Office to administer Venice Neighborhood Council's Election. I have received calls from multiple stakeholders regarding processes for registering stakeholders. Before I divulge in providing you with information you will all need to provide Venice stakeholders, I want to first assure you that we are prepared to handle a high turnout election. I have requested additional staff to process voters along with additional supplies. In compliance with the Venice NC bylaws, we will be requiring some form of documentation from all voters that will establish their stakeholder status. We have developed two separate ballots:
An example of what we would consider acceptable documentation would be a letter from the transitional living center/shelter stating that they regularly receive services from the particular shelter/facility combined with a secondary form of documentation that confirms their identity like a piece of mail, a Driver's license or a title for a vehicle. The secondary form of documentation is a requirement that we have for stakeholders who do not have a picture ID. This requirement is included in the List of Acceptable Forms of Documentation available on our website here. Please contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Sofia Torres And here is the response by Mark Ryavec: Ms. Torres, The point of the new "factual basis stakeholder" Community Officer position was to allow those who have some claim to be a stakeholder, but do not reside in a residence, own property or work in Venice, to have a limited voice in the neighborhood council elections by voting for just the factual basis stakeholder community officer, not all the other VNC officers. There is nothing about receiving services or receiving mail here that establishes a person as a resident of Venice. My brother, who lives in Santa Monica, on occasion has received services from the UCLA Dental Clinic in Venice; this should not give him the same standing as residents of Venice. If he wanted to vote in the VNC election, he should only be allowed to vote for the factual basis stakeholder community officer position. Your interpretation of the VNC election By-Laws is incorrect and if the City Clerk follows through on this erroneous interpretation you will invite a serious challenge to the election from hundreds of real stakeholders. I also question your acceptance of a business card as sufficient identification to establish stakeholder status. I could easily get cards printed up using fake addresses to claim stakeholder status in any neighborhood in LA; this would not make me a real stakeholder. Our organization has sued the City recently and is certainly ready to do so again if necessary to limit the franchise to those who reside in legal residences, work or own property in Venice. Sincerely, Mark Ryavec |
Please sign our petition to RESTORE FREE SPEECH @ VENICE BEACH <><><><><><><><><>
UNOFFICIAL VENICE NC ELECTION RESULTS 4/13/10 - the City Clerk has posted the preliminary results of the Venice Neighborhood Council Board Elections. <><><><><><><><><> DR. JOHN, VENICE ICON R.I.P.
Photo Courtesy of Vivianne Robinson See More Photos of Doc on Facebook <><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><> The Venice Green Film Festival is sponsored by the Venice Neighborhood Council and the Electric Lodge. This series is free and open to the public.
Part three on April 25, 2010 will conclude the Venice Green Film Series with a screening of About the film: The End of the Line, the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food. It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation. Filmed over two years, The End of the Line follows the investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs, who exhibit little regard for the damage they are doing to the oceans. One of his allies is the former tuna farmer turned whistleblower Roberto Mielgo – on the trail of those destroying the world's magnificent bluefin tuna population. Filmed across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, The End of the Line is a wake-up call to the world. For more information about the series go to: For more information about the film go to:
<><><><><><><><><> Venice: Former treasurer arrested for allegedly embezzling funds from booster club BY VINCE ECHAVARIA, Argonaut Newspaper A former treasurer of the Venice High School Booster Club has been charged with allegedly embezzling approximately $175,000 from the organization that raises funds for a wide range of student activities, police said. Los Angeles Police Department Pacific detectives arrested 62-year-old Herman Wong, a resident of the Venice area, March 10th after serving multiple search warrants to obtain financial records and documents of the high school booster club, Det. Nina Serna said. Detectives were notified that up to $175,000 was showing missing from the booster club account and after reviewing the financial records they determined that Wong, the volunteer treasurer of the club, had allegedly embezzled funds for personal use, Serna said. Wong, who served as treasurer from 2003 to 2009, had allegedly restored about $57,000 to the account prior to his arrest, she said. Police arrested Wong, who works as the controller of a local business, at his place of employment without incident and he was released on $20,000 bond, Serna said. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged Wong with one count of grand theft by embezzlement, she said. Wong was the group’s sole treasurer for six years and the booster club was initially unaware that any funds were missing from its account during that time, Serna said. “He kept the books so the books always appeared correct,” she said. But after a club member found a discrepancy in the account due to unpaid bills, the high school’s assistant principal notified police, who began an investigation, the detective explained. Serna called the total funds that were allegedly embezzled a “huge amount of money,” noting that it is among the highest amounts in embezzlement cases she has worked on. The detective said she found the case particularly unsettling during a time when schools are already facing significant cuts as a result of the state budget crisis. The booster club collects money from fundraisers and other donations for various extracurricular activities and the loss of those funds could “affect the morale” of students who are passionate about those programs, Serna said. Venice High Principal Lonnie Wallace said she was pleased to hear of the arrest, adding that students were very disappointed and upset to learn of the loss of funds. Booster club funds help support school clubs and some athletic teams, and some money was also set aside for the purchase of a marquee to announce events, she said. More |
LINKS
|
Contact l SOV Archives l SOV Blog l SOV Facebook l SOV Myspace l SOV Network l SOV Twitter l SOV Youtube
