Venice History: The Venice Town Council
from the Venice Peoples Yellow Pages, Dec.
1973
Venice Town
Council
Meets the 1st Wed of the
Month
Broadway School Auditorium - 7:30
p.m.
In March of 1973 Councilwoman Pat Russell
set up a “Venice Advisory Town Council” with 36 representatives
elected by neighborhood people from the six areas of Venice. The Council’s
first official act was to vote unanimously to drop the term
“Advisory” from its name and it remains to be seen whether the
Councilwoman has created merely a forum for concerned citizens to assist her
office, or the beginnings of an alternate Peoples Government with a life of its
own.
From the start the leadership of
the Venice neighborhoods has used the Town Council and the six area Councils as
a focus of their community
struggles.
The black and Chicano
community of Oakwood has carried into the Town Council its fight against local,
state and federal agencies seeking to deprive their community of necessary
governmental services. A delegation from the North Beach Council has attended
all the meetings of the Coastal Commission, and has successfully opposed many
irresponsible developers. The East Venice Council is taking the leadership for
all of Venice in the fight against the proposed Marina Freeway
by-pass.
On the issue of the Peninsula
Bike Path, the Town Council opposed the route selected by Councilwoman Russell
and voted overwhelmingly for a route she had rejected. When the issue came
before the L.A. City Council, the Town Council route won out -- against the vote
of Ms. Russell; When the L.A. City Council wanted to censure anti-war activist
Jane Fonda the Venice Town Council voted overwhelmingly in support of Ms.
Fonda’s right to defend
herself.
The voice of the people,
expressed through the Venice Town Council, was an important element in helping
Councilwoman Russell’s committee kill the censure
motion.
The Town Council Ombudsman
Committee has established communications with the Venice Police Department, and
while it is doing research in police reform it has acted to counter pressure on
the community from outside units like the Metro Squad and the beach front Vice
patrol.
The Town Council Traffic
Committee is the command post for the community’s resistance against the
destructive Marina Freeway by-pass. The Town Council Tax and Rent Committee is
coordinating community resistance against the catastrophic tax increase and rent
rises, and is investigating various proposals for a property owner’s class
action lawsuit against the Assessor’s Office and for a Venice system of
rent control.
“We believe now, that the
dream of a Venice united and strong is more than a dream. It has substance.
Through the Town Council, we’re trying
to find out and deliver the needs of the people directly to those who can do
something about them. Through the Town Council we get an over-view of the
problems of all the people of Venice and are better able to work toward
solutions.”
AREA TOWN COUNCIL
MEETINGS
Peninsula - 4th Monday of the Month,
Anchorage St. School, 7:30 p.m.
North Beach -
1st Tuesday, Israel Levin Center, 8:00
p.m.
Canals - 3rd Tuesday, Anchorage St.
School, 7:30 p.m.
Oakwood - 2nd Wednesday,
Broadway Elementary School, 7:30 p.m.
East
Venice - 4th Wednesday, Coeur d’Alene School, 8:00
p.m.
Central Venice - 3rd Thursday,
Westminister School Library, 7:30
p.m.
----------------------
The
Venice Town Council continued to be the unofficial government of Venice until
the early 90s. It should not be confused with the current Neighborhood
Council.
Posted: Thu - January 1, 2004 at 06:47 PM