By Peggy Lee Kennedy On March 13 a coalition consisting of the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN), Occupy Venice and the Venice Justice Committee appeared before the California Coastal Commission meeting in Long Beach regarding the City of Los Angeles’ illegal curfew law enforced on Venice Beach and the Boardwalk (Ocean Front Walk). Why...
By Krista Schwimmer Across the nation, individuals and communities are gathering to talk about one thing: the tsunami wave of hyper-gentrification. This newest form of gentrification is gutting old communities, particularly minority and working class communities. These homes are often replaced by out-of-character, massive structures, or what Venice resident Laddie Williams calls “BUBs” – Big...
Dear Venice Beachhead, Esteemed salutations extended to the indomitable Venetian spirit and those who embody that eclectic spirit. Well, since my last letter (April 2013), my circumstances and struggle for vindication have improved significantly. I felt compelled to share these positive developments with the community and any who read my first letter and may find...
By John Davis Last year the Beachhead reported illegal drainage systems had been installed in the Ballona Ecological Reserve. The overall effect was to dry out and ruin the wetlands by preventing groundwater recharge that occurs when rainwater seeps into the soils. This is what keeps the wetlands wet. Grassroots Coalition, a local non-profit dedicated...
By Eric Ahlberg I had the good fortune of being asked to join a 6:15 am crew of fellow Venetians out on Ocean Front Walk, to monitor and document the roughly bi-weekly cleanup performed by Parks and Recreation, and the Police, along Ocean Front Walk. This kind of cooperative, on the street involvement by concerned...
By Marty Liboff (Love to John & Anna Haag) For countless millennia the Chumash, Tongva, Kizh, Gabrielino – the People danced, prayed and sang on our beaches. The rivers ran to the sea watering the lands around Venice and Santa Monica. The men smoked pipes and sang songs of peace and plenty to the great...
By Greta Cobar Recently cleaned and restored Endangered Species mural by Emily Winters, long-time Venice resident and artist, and Chair of the Venice Arts Council. Originally painted in 1990 and restored in 2009, the mural illustrates how the misuse of technology can destroy the quality of our lives. The cleaning process was done by Social...
By Greta Cobar Following the destruction of Venice’s oldest mural, which had been located at 55 Brooks, a lawsuit was filed April 21 against Ralph Ziman, owner of the building, and John Roe, the contractor who pressure washed the mural from the wall. The plaintiff is Victor Henderson, who along with the late Terry Schoonhoven...
By Greta Cobar As we continue to come together as a community to fight yet another major wave of gentrification (there have been others in the past 65 years or so), it is now worth remembering the snowball that started it all by ripping the heart out of Venice and taking away our Story of...
By Greta Cobar Without providing any parking in an area that is already congested, some out-of-towners are planning on opening an 80-seat restaurant in place of Kim’s market at 600 Mildred. The proposed restaurant is planned to stay open 7am to midnight. The owners already have a restaurant in New Mexico, and plan to open...
