Spirit Of Venice

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Stay in touch with the Spirit of Venice — spiritofvenice.net

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Mark Ryavec at NOPD Coastal Commission Meeting

If you live in Venice, CA and you pay attention to local politics – you will, no doubt, eventually come across the name Mark Ryavec.  To some, he is a hero who seeks to gentrify Venice and improve it’s ‘quality of life’; while to others, he is a villain and, some might say, a bigot – who seeks to rid Venice of it’s free-spirited homeless population and install permit-parking on its streets, in an attempt to protect 24 hour street parking for residents only.  How you perceive Ryavec, the man, may depend entirely on which side of the argument you come down on.

But for those who are still straddling the fence, let’s take a look at what we know about Ryavec, the man – courtesy of Google.

To begin with, Mark Ryavec is the president of Venice Stakeholders Association – whose mission is: “dedicated to civic improvement”; and, as such, in March, 2013, filed a complaint to the Department Of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) for an “Investigation of Ethics Violation by Linda Lucks, President of the Venice Neighborhood Council’ (a position that Ryavec has coveted for several years, having run – and lost to Linda Lucks, twice, for the position of president – in the last two local Neighborhood elections).

Ryavec is a leading proponent of Preferential Parking Districts (PPDs) in Venice and has spearheaded a movement to implement Overnight Parking Districts (OPDs) for the past several years.  Twice he, and his supporters, have lobbied the City of L.A. (COLA) and the CA Coastal Commission (CCC) for OPDs in Venice – and twice, first in 2009 and then in 2010 his efforts have been thwarted by those who prefer to keep the streets of Venice free – and open to all – in alignment with the CA Coastal Act of 1976.

In spite of his two stinging defeats at the CCC in 2009 and 2010, Ryavec has drummed up support to continue his lawsuit, started in 2010, which according to the Venice Beachhead argues that: “no Coastal Commission approval is needed in order to establish OPDs in Venice. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, although at first against Ryavec’s lawsuit, changed his mind and joined forces with Ryavec against the Coastal Commission.”

The proposed lawsuit settlement was brought before the VNC monthly board meeting, on April 16, 2013.  Ryavec and a panel of OPD supporters (Arturo Pina,District Director of CD11; Jane Usher, Senior Advisor to the City Attorney; and Tamara Martin of LADOT) discussed the OPD settlement being proposed to CCC.

Go here for the full story.

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Stay in touch with the Spirit of Venice — spiritofvenice.net

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Cops close in on RV at night in Venice during sweeps in 2010

Since last night (Friday, April 19 2013), two uniformed LAPD officers –have been escorting a 5-person film crew around Venice; intentionally harassing homeless people and people in vehicles and others –and then extensively filming it.

For example, they woke up several homeless people near the Boardwalk last night for some pretty flimsy pretexts–just to get a rise out of disturbed homeless people on camera, it seems to people who’ve seen it now several times –and even experienced it themselves:

With blinding lights in their eyes –and cameras shoved into their confused faces!

For no rational, or official good policing reason –and yet with these police officers now seemingly ordering it!

Additionally, they somehow got some mysterious complaint lodged with the police that one particular law-abiding female homeless person’s RV here in Venice last night –parked on Rose –was “leaking” into the street last night.

They banged on her door; with cops, lights and cameras –and used it as a pretext to stick the cameras inside her RV last night –as, supposedly, all part of this spontaneous new police “investigation” by these two officers –to catch this poor homeless woman all upset and woke up and frightened and confused for this film crew inside her RV –and then, oh wonder of wonders, determined that “opps” well, no, there was nothing “leaking” into the street from outside her RV anyway.

Then, after getting all kinds of shots of this middle aged homeless woman here in Venice all flustered and such for the cameras in her RV –then the LAPD Officers told her, “Oh, hey, nothing to worry about after all –casuse we aren’t going to ticket you for leaking! So just forget about all this Lady, we’re the LAPD –no worries!”

You can go back to sleep now! and just forget about this!

I personally tracked some of this film crew down today on the Boardwalk; and I myself personally witnessed while they were filming an almost staged outburst of this gadfly from out of Venice –know as “Zuma Dog” –saying that “police should be shot for harrassing the homeless;” as he stood next to a bunch of local homeless, and appeared to be pretending for the cameras to be a part of this shocked local homeless group, that didn’t even know who this “Zuma Dog” guy was!

The crew I spoke to in the midst of this –denied it was staged –but claims that they are filming a pilot that they are “pitiching” to the “Travel Channel.” And they have two LAPD officers they seem to be following. But they wouldn’t tell me much more. So does anybody know anything about this? They seem like they are going to be doing this –harrassing, and entrapping the homeless around here with police escort; and staging such aweful stuff –for at least couple more days here.

This all seems pretty outrageous.

Might we all meet this week –to formulate a community response to this uglyness now being done here against our homeless –for these TV cameras?

Sincerely,

David Busch

Los Angeles will celebrate its 6th CicLAvia on Sunday, April 21, and for the first time, the route will connect the city’s historic center at El Pueblo de Los Angeles in downtown and the bustling boardwalk of Venice Beach by way of Venice Boulevard, creating an unprecedented 15 miles of car-free space on City roads for strolling, biking, playing, and experiencing the city from a new perspective.  The new route showcases the urban and natural beauty unique to Los Angeles, offering a rich tour of the city’s history, diverse neighborhoods, and majestic views of the Pacific Ocean.

CicLAvia is Los Angeles’ adaptation of Ciclovía, a phenomenon that began more than 30 years ago in Bogotá, Colombia, where every Sunday 80 miles of streets become closed to car traffic with the goals of reducing pollution and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

April 21 CicLAvi Media Release and April 21 CicLAvia Map.