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VENICE RV PLAN UNVEILED FOR "STREET CAMPERS" City News Service

A city councilman proposed Wednesday that RV dwellers be allowed to park overnight at designated lots in Venice -- but only if they participate in a pilot program that seeks to provide them with housing.

Currently, the municipal code states that no one ``shall use a vehicle parked or standing upon any city street or upon any parking lot owned by the city of Los Angeles or under control of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors as living quarter either overnight, day-by-day, or otherwise.''

Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents Venice and chairs the council's Transportation Committee, wants to grant exemptions to participants of his ``Vehicles to Homes'' program.

He instructed lawyers within the City Attorney's Office to draw up a proposed ordinance that includes the following text: ``notwithstanding any provisions of the (municipal code), participants enrolled in the `Vehicles to Homes Roadmap to Housing' program overseen by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and managed by PATH are permitted to sleep legally in certain specific assigned public spaces during certain limited hours only for the duration of their enrollment in the program.'' He added the ordinance should set a cap on the number of RVs per lot, and create a buffer zone between parking spaces and residences.

A draft will be submitted to the committee, which will decide whether to endorse it to the full council. During today's committee meeting -- Rosendahl was the only member present; the other four were attending a closed-door sesion on the city's budget -- a member of the audience [activist David Busch] stood up and demanded that police stop arresting the homeless in Venice.

``This is segregation!'' he yelled. ``You are facilitating segregation in Venice, the rich and the poor.'' More

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It’s a new year and there is a lot to get excited about! First up are bike lanes on Main Street in Venice.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation is proposing to install bike lanes on Main Street from Navy to Windward Circle, which will extend the Santa Monica bike lanes and road diet into Venice. In order to reallocate the road space to create a more complete Main Street LADOT will have to remove a travel lane in each direction. The new Main Street will include a center two-way left turn lane in addition to the bike lanes. This project will not only provide better bicycle connectivity for beach residents and visitors alike, but the proposed bike lanes will rebalance the street and improve road safety for all road users whether they be on bicycle, foot, or in a car. Check out LADOT’s recent blog post about the benefits of road diets – http://tinyurl.com/roaddiets.

LACBC staff and volunteers are going door-to-door on Main Street tomorrow afternoon to inform businesses, residents, folks biking by, etc about this project. Our goal is to inform folks and build support for a complete Main Street. If you’d like to get involved with doing outreach around projects like this get in touch with LACBC’s new volunteer coordinator Joni (at) la-bike.org. LACBC will be kicking into outreach high gear this year, especially once the draft bike plan is approved – we hope to be out on streets all over the city building support for bike projects!

If you live in the Venice area and want to learn more about the project please attend the Venice Neighborhood Council Meeting this coming Tuesday, January 18th at 7pm. LADOT and Councilmember Rosendahl’s staff will be on hand to present on this project. LACBC will also be there to offer support for the project and talk about the community benefits. More

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LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl Doing Well After Surgery

by Karen Ocamb

Openly gay Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl is so energetic and enthusiastic about his personal and political passions, it is hard to imagine that anything could slow him down. But his office announced that Rosendahl has had atrial fibrillation – an abnormal heart rhythm which can cause blood clots and lead to a stroke – for several years. Last Thursday, he underwent a surgical procedure to implant the Watchman, a “breakthrough” device in bio-medicine.

Rosendahl is part of a US clinical trial for the Watchman, a 2-4 cm large device shaped like a tiny umbrella, that is widely used in Europe, Asia and Australia as an alternative to the blood-thinning treatment warfarin.

Dr. Shephal Doshi, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, performed the 45 minute procedure. “Everything went as expected,” Doshi said in a press release issued by Rosendahl’s office. “The Councilmember did very well and had an excellent result. He’ll be home tomorrow and off the warfarin.”

Rosendahl told me Saturday that he is doing fine and hopes to be back at work this week, if permitted by his doctor. More

SAFER TAP WATER

STOP ATTACKING RV DWELLERS IN VENICE

RESTORE FREE SPEECH @ VENICE BEACH

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OCEAN FRONT WALK TASKFORCE MEETING - JANUARY 12, 2011

Venice boardwalk vendors, Matt Dowd and Michael Hunt dominate the first part of this meeting so much so that Officer Peggy Thusing feels compelled to step in and try to keep them in line. The notorious Alex and Gina show their appreciation when they hear from Sgt. Reina that the 21 LAPD officers added to the Taskforce, overseeing the dispersal of RVs in Venice, are to be retained - Sgt. Reina affirms there are currently 42 officers in that Taskforce.

These meetings take place at 9:30 am on the first Wednesday of each month at James Beach restaurant on N. Venice Blvd. west of Pacific Ave., Venice - contact Arturo Pina for more info.

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L.A. Police Commission Launches Tow Truck Complaint Hotline

Got a problem with a bandit towing company or a legit one that's acting out of line? The Los Angeles Police Commission today launched its tow truck complaint hotline where drivers can report unethical and illegal business practices to detectives. More

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Lindsay Lohan Moves to Venice

Radaronline

January 4, 2011: Lindsay Lohan is only two days out of rehab and already she’s causing a stir in the beachside community of Venice where she’s setting up her new home, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively.

Samantha Ronson Lives Next Door To Lindsay Lohan’s New Pad In Venice

Lohan’s swanky new pad is right next door to ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson, who showed her distaste to the hoards of photographers on Monday, but she’s not the only one upset about the 24-year-old actresses move.

“We usually don’t do celeb stuff, but got a lot of emails on this one... so... Lindsay Lohan is moving to Venice?” a local neighborhood website YoVenice wrote in an article titled “Paparazzi Infestation Coming To Venice?”

January 22, 2011: While shopping in Venice, Lohan visited the Kamofie and Company jewelry store. She allegedly walked out with a "one of a kind" necklace, valued at $2,500, around her neck. A store clerk later called police to report it missing, triggering an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. More

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