By Ilana Marosi

FEB 17, 2015 Venice – the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) approved the addition of thirty (30) automated car lifts at the surface parking lot located at Windward Ave and Speedway, Venice Beach. The 30 automated/hydraulic car lifts will ONLY increase parking capacity from 38 to a MEASLY 68 spaces!
“The most important issue facing Venice is parking and, tonight, we helped alleviate the lack of parking right at the Windward Circle,” offered President Mike Newhouse. “This kind of NUTS (and bolts) problem-solving is at the heart of why we have grass roots representation here in Los Angeles with neighborhood councils.” [Thanx, Mike, we think it’s NUTS, too!]
Why is the VNC endorsing a private entity to operate the mechanical car lifts being proposed at Windward and Speedway? They will be adding spaces for a private company to pocket the $$$ – so, what does that do to benefit our community?
Where does it end? What if a neighbor wants to build a car lift parking lot within two blocks of the beach, or anywhere else in Venice, for that matter?  Is VNC going to endorse that?
Isn’t that playing right into the hands of the city by legitimizing the CAR LIFT DEAL (near Abbot Kinney) which the City has been accepting proposals on????? Meanwhile, the City continues to approve commercial developments across Venice WITHOUT PARKING (hundreds of ‘virtual’ “grandfathered” spaces per year) which only serves to make the situation cumulatively worse. Surely if our representative Mike Bonin and the City Council are serious about solving this parking problem, they would put a halt on these damaging approvals UNTIL a viable solution is formulated and activated. Thirty PRIVATE spaces does not provide a solution make.
This most recent proposal could be the worst precedent EVER!!!
THIS VOTE WILL SET A PRECEDENT FOR CAR LIFTS IN VENICE – PERIOD – IS THIS WHAT WE WANT?  30 CAR LIFTS WILL ONLY MAKE 30 EXTRA PARKING SPOTS — PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION TO SEND A MESSAGE TO COUNCILMAN MIKE BONIN – NO CAR LIFTS IN VENICE! LET’S STOP THIS NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!  https://www.change.org/p/mike-bonin-no-car-lifts-in-venice
Logical solutions are needed to the parking problem in Venice. These solutions could include expansion of public transportation; more and safer bike lanes; as well as possible utilization of near-by parking lots (schools, churches) with shuttle service between the lots and the beach here in Venice.