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WESTSIDE - Tuesday's ZOOM Administrative Committee meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council (www.venicenc.org) deliberated to put forth an agenda for Tuesday's September 18th general monthly meeting which will begin at 6:30 PM, at the Westminster Elementary school located at 1010 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice.
Chaired by President Brian Averill, it was announced that the body will continue to meet at the Abbot Kinney location through the remainder of 2025.
Averill noted that the September, October and November general meetings will take place at the Westminster facility with the December meeting probably taking place via a ZOOM delivery.
The board has toyed with the notion of changing locales under the guise of cost, which is unfounded as most residents support the current location, which is centrally located and accessible to most, if not all Venetians.
Westminster Elementary has plenty of parking and sources confirm that 70% of all Venetians reside or live west of Lincoln Boulevard. Making a potential move to a Penmar location is at best inconvenient and unfamiliar to most attendees who have been coming to the Westminster school location for decades.
While the issue of meeting locales has been addressed for now, the case to relocate east of Venice Boulevard remains strange, lacking little neighborhood support.
In other business, Community Officer and retired attorney Clark Brown has authored a new motion that would direct LAPD to ticket illegally parked RVs along Washington Boulevard, which experienced a major cleanup thanks to the efforts of Councilwoman Traci Park (CD-11) and her staff.
But RVs have reappeared with open drug use and other illegal activity evident that is impacting the quality-of-life of those actual residents who are forced to tolerate oversized and illegal vehicles, and the crime that follows.
A motion was made to divert the board from hearing the motion and sending it to the Homelessness Committee, which was defeated by a vote of 5-3. Committee members Helen Fallon, a canal resident along with homeless advocates Sarah Mahir and Lisa Redmond have opposed supporting the Washington Boulevard neighborhood for months.
President Brian Averill weighed in on the issue and noted that he was recently ticketed by LAPD for illegally parking and that the same standard should be applied to all Venetians and the unhoused alike when it comes to compliance with all vehicles regardless of location or reasoning.
All residents are urged to attend Tuesday evening and for a full agenda, visit the VNC atwww.venicenc.org
(Nick Antonicello is a 31-year resident of Venice and a seasoned journalist who covers politics, government, and community issues affecting the Westside of Los Angeles. Known for his in-depth reporting and passionate advocacy, Nick provides insight into the challenges and opportunities shaping Venice and surrounding neighborhoods. His work explores everything from city council decisions to local elections and development. Have a take or a tip? Contact him at [email protected]. Nick is a regular contributor to CityWatchLA.com.)
