Notes from the neighborhood meeting.
Dear Venice Friends and Neighbors Opposed to the Venice Private Police Department (BID):

THANK YOU for spending Saturday morning together, and raising the important questions and concerns about the proposed Venice Beach BID. Based on the meeting’s discussion, we have summarized the follow up information and actions below. Please let us know if there are questions, or other information you’d like to share with the full group.

Action Items:

1. Attend the City’s “official” public hearing on the BID (Venice Beach Business Improvement District):

Tuesday, August 23rd
10:00 am
City Hall (Council Chambers, room 340)
200 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Call Councilman Bonin’s office 213-473-7011 to ask for a free parking pass for City Hall to speak on the issue. Give your car make, model and license plate number.
Directions: Drive to the West side of Los Angeles Street between Temple St. & 1nd Streets; enter from Temple Street to midway down the block on the west side; stop at the kiosk to announce yourselves and pull in underground to parking Level P2. Park and take to elevator to the 3rd floor, walk across the bridge to City Hall; show your ID to guard, get a visitor pass and enter Council Chambers, also on Level 3)

Prior to the hearing, engage in these actions:

2. Contact property owners within the BID and urge them to vote NO. If they’ve already voted yes, they can withdraw that vote and change it up until the end of the August 23rd public hearing. (See attached Map of the entire proposed BID District which is gerrymandered and includes Westminster Park, School and the Venice median strip at Pacific, and the Venice Library).

a. As we do not yet have a full list of property owners, contact Tara Devine, the BID’s consultant, who has been identified as the point person for information. The BID ballot mailing list was requested from her, with no response. Email her to request the mailing list and/or list of owners: tara@devine-strategies.com. Attached is a partial list of property owners that we do know to date. If you know others, please contact them and send the contact information back to us.

3. Contact the California Coastal Commission about the proposed BID’s impact on coastal access and urge them to intervene by placing this item on the next agenda. The next meeting is August 10-12 in Santa Cruz. Are you able to go to give public comment? Possibly an attorney could attend on our behalf. Volunteers? At the very least, letters should be submitted prior to the meeting (See contact information below): The next local meeting will be September 7-9 in Newport Beach

Send inquiries to the CA Coastal Commission to:

Teresa Henry, South Coast District Manager
South Coast District Office
200 Oceangate, 10th Floor,
Long Beach, CA 90802
562-590-5071
562-590-5084

email: Teresa.Henry@coastal.ca.gov; cc: Jack.Ainsworth@coastal.ca.gov; Chuck.Posner@coastal.ca.gov

Website: http://www.coastal.ca.gov

4. Contact Councilmember Mike Bonin and other City Councilmembers to voice opposition, demand a delay in the voting processes, and increase the public participation in this process.

a. Kevin Ragsdale-(kevrags@mac.com) will request a meeting with Councilmember Bonin for our group.

b. Everyone can call and email him: Telephone: 213-473-7011 Email: Mike.Bonin@lacity.org : DRAFT Letter attached – please personalize
5. Explore legal options and possible lawyers to work on the issue:
John Raphling, Mike Rapkin. Other?
a. Submit public records requests – to City Clerk, Mike Bonin, City Attorney- Who will do this? Need help?
b. Continue legal research

6. Contact media and get media coverage
a. LA Times: Gale Holland (gholland@latimes.com) and the editorial board (Carla Hall)
b. Argonaut: gary@argonautnews.com; Venice Update: retamoser@gmail.com; the Free Venice Beachhead; Curbed LA; LA Weekly; KCET Departures; Steve Lopez, LAT: slopez@latimes.com; Gayle H
c. identify BID as “Private Police Department”
d. other?

I have not shared your names and contact information and will not unless you give permission. Please contact me with any questions and with feedback on your efforts.

Warm regards,
Linda Lucks
Co-Founder, Venice Design Series
Community Outreach & Special Events
Direct Line: 310-526-3857 Cell: 310-505-4220

Venice Community Housing
720 Rose Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
Direct Line: 310-526-3857
Cell Phone: 310-505-4220
http://www.vchcorp.org