By Peggy Lee Kennedy

The Overnight Permit Parking District law, LAMC, was put through the city council by Bill Rosendahl in 2005 and Councilman Rosendahl created districts, through resolution, without a public hearing in Venice. A committee was created by the Venice Neighborhood Council, co-chaired by Stewart Oscars with supporting members such as Mike Newhouse and Mark Ryavec, was empower by Rosendahl to solicit support for this overnight parking permit program in Venice.

Last year Councilperson Rosendahl spent $75,000 from the Venice Surplus Property Fund to pay an independent contractor to process a Coastal Development Permit application in order to create Overnight Permit Parking Districts (OPDs) that cover almost all of Venice west of Lincoln Blvd. The city is required to submit a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) application when a development affects coastal access, which includes parking restrictions in the coastal zone.

The reason for spending the $75,000 is the Bureau of Engineering, the only department qualified to process a CDP, was not staffed to expedite the application request. It would have taken them longer if they did it.

A requirement of the CDP application process is to hold a public hearing, which was June 26, 2008. It was the only real advertised public hearing. Venice opposition to the OPDs dominated the meeting. Nonetheless, the application was rubberstamped and no transcript of this hearing provided. 

Last August 26, a letter approving OPDs in Venice was mailed out by the Bureau of Engineering.  Over 100 notarized appeals were filed against this decision by the first week of September 2008. 

In November, the Board of Public Works pretended to hear the appeals and sent a Notice of Permit Issuance letter dated November 17, to the California Coastal Commission. They acted as an agent of the California Coastal Commission, denied the appeals and approved the Venice OPDs.

We had until December 22, to appeal to the Coastal Commission and 38 appeals were filed, including one from the Executive Director of the Coastal Commission. Submitting these appeals was the only way to get to the Coastal Commission.  

This is now on the meeting agenda for the California Coastal Commission February 4, and you can read all of the appeals and the staff report on-line at http://www.coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.html under South Coast (Los Angeles).

We encourage people to come to the meeting and write letters to the California Coastal Commission and Staff opposing the Overnight Permit Parking in Venice. 

Car pool will be leaving from the Venice United Methodist Parking Lot, Feb 4th at 8am.