These candidates are endorsed by the Beachhead
Venice Progressive Candidates for Executive
Committee:
President: Jim
Smith
It’s been 37 years since I
came to Venice, and decided that I never wanted to leave. At the same time, I
don’t want our community to become indistinguishable from the rest of Los
Angeles.
I’ve been the Neighborhood
Council’s Treasurer for the past two years. I’ve also been involved
in Venice issues - opposing over-development, promoting affordable housing and
our unique culture - for many years.
I
want GRVNC to be a strong advocate for all Venetians, be they rich or poor,
young or old. While Venetians will never agree on everything, I will encourage
people to work together when they do agree, and when they disagree, to do it
respectfully. I will do my utmost to bring us together for the good of
Venice.
As President, I will be
accessible to everyone. My phone number is 399-8685 and my email is
<JSmith@igc.org>.
I’m
confident that we will have an excellent working relationship with the
Progressive who have been elected to the City Council and as Mayor. With our
Venice Progressive candidates representing GRVNC, we’ll be able to
address everyone’s concerns including traffic, housing, development,
getting our fair share of city services, and promoting the arts and free
speech.
Vote Venice
Progressive.
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2nd
Vice President: Don Geagan
Like Bill
Rosendahl, I’m a Progressive. That’s why I worked hard in his
election campaign.
I agree with him and my
fellow Progressives that we need to prevent over-development in the Venice area
and preserve our shrinking amount of affordable
housing.
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Secretary:
Alice Stek, M.D.
Venice needs to be a
diverse community where everyone can live. The Neighborhood Council now has the
opportunity to work productively with our new city council representative and
mayor toward these goals.
Along with
my fellow Venice Progressives, I am dedicated to preserving a unique,
economically, racially and culturally diverse Venice, community control of
development, affordable housing for all, environmentally sound transportation
plans, and protecting the natural environment. See our website for our full
platform. Contact me at
alicestek@yahoo.com.
In my work as a
faculty physician in obstetrics and gynecology at LA County + USC Medical
Center, I focus on the care of HIV-positive pregnant women, teaching, and
research. I am eager to continue working with the Neighborhood Council for a
healthier Venice. I have served on the GRVNC Board since 2002, first as
Canals/Peninsula district representative, then as 2nd and 1st Vice President,
and on the Conservation and Outreach Committees. I am a homeowner in the Canals
for 8 years. I am a founding member of Voice of the Canals, an organization of
renters and homeowners, and of Venice
Progressive.
Protect our home; keep
Venice a unique and dynamic community for the next 100 years. Vote Venice
Progressive.
-----
Treasurer:
Edward Ferrer
The late sixties is when
I got comfortable with Venice. The cultural and economic diversity I experienced
as an expansion of Freedom. I was raised with the principle of Benito Juarez:
“Peace is the respect of other peoples rights.” This milieu spawned
an island of tolerance that I valued.
I was fortunate to buy a house in
1972. I do not plan to sell. I do believe Venice Of America is worth fighting
for.
We have a Venice Community Plan
that many developers seem to view as simply a bureaucratic obstacle to their
vision of success. The work of the communities of Venice that produced the
Venice Community Plan has to be
respected.
Tom O’Connor turned me
into the treasurer of the Free Venice Food Coop. He also got me started in what
is now Armadillo Trading Co., Inc. dba Armadillo & CO. I am its
president.
The resources the city
entrusts to us should be used to move stakeholders into voicing their concerns
on the quality of life issues and the nurturing of the diverse cultures that
make Venice worth fighting
for.
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Communications:
Erin Grayson
As a second generation
native Los Angelina and a four year resident at Lincoln Place, I am willing to
fight for the preservation of diversity in the Venice community.
After living in over six countries in
Europe and Asia, I realize the world is right here in Venice. I am running for
Communications Officer with the intention of utilizing my professional skills as
a graphic designer for print, motion and web related media to facilitate the
communication between Venice Beach residents and the government. Communication
is the key to understanding our interdependence between all human beings,
animals, plants and the planet.
I am a
Progressive who upholds the slate including affordable housing, functional
public transportation and preservation of historical and ecological resources
like Lincoln Place and the Ballona Wetlands. Low density and high diversity can
pave the way for a massive amount of creativity. Freedom of expression is a
Venetian Constitutional
Right!
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Venice
Progressive Candidates for At-Large
VOTE FOR
ALL SIX
At-Large: Joe
Gross
Participating in the community
of Venice is a necessity. Ignoring that necessity means losing the community to
inside and outside weasely entrepreneurs that fin profit-making life’s
utmost satisfaction.
Only a conscious and
united community can stop these weasels. And that is what the Grassroots Venice
Neighborhood Council represents – a barricade to those who would overrun
our Venice community with high rises, malls and pastel boxes of
gentrification.
I’ve lived in
Venice for fourteen years, and I like living here, and I want a say in the
direction Venice is going. I don’t want weasels in control of that
direction, so I am running for the post of Member At Large of the Neighborhood
Council. I’m retired and at large most of the day and
evening.
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At-Large:
Vessy Mink
Having lived in Venice for
over 7 years now, I find myself very grateful for this ocean-born town filled
with possibilities. I am a singer/ songwriter who has happily spent a great deal
of time and energy creating my dreams in this free flowing community.
Venice rocks, and it does so because
of the plethora of communicative neighborhood networks, like GRVNC, that enable
it to creatively vibrate at a frequency which allows artists of all financial
brackets to co-exist.
Venice is an
abundant environment that supports low-income housing, the arts, excellent
energy-saving public transportation systems, and small business. My favorite
part of Venice are it’s people. Diverse and fearless, pro-active and
genuine, Venetians are for real. I would love to represent Venice on the
Neighborhood Council, and will do my best to communicate the needs and wants of
this enchanting place, we call
home.
-----
At-Large:
Lisa Ezell
I am a native Californian
and a Venice resident since 1997. Why Venice? I like living in a politically
and culturally charged community with creative individuals.
My love for Venice, her art, people
and architecture, impassions me to empower the community’s ability to make
choices; whether it be to protect important architectural and social resources
like Lincoln Place, decide on civic art for the Venice Circle, or keep big
development at bay.
As an at-large
council member, I will defend our community from the global corporate
monoculture that threatens the authentic Venice entrepreneurs. Venice needs the
fresh and courageous leadership of the Venice Progressive now more than ever.
Gentrification will never drive away Venice’s soul.
lmezell@earthlink.net
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At-Large:
Peter R. Force
I have been a resident
of Venice for over 25 years. I retired from the State of California after
having worked for 30 years as an economic analyst. In this capacity I followed
local economic developments that affect the availability of jobs and trends in
the general economic growth.
Currently
I am active with the Los Angeles Transit Coalition, an advocacy group which
works for the development of light-rail transportation. Besides supporting the
expansion of our commuter rail lines, we help plan the construction of a
light-rail system which will connect Santa Monica (and Venice) to downtown Los
Angeles, and to other areas of the
county.
My hope is that my experience
as an economic analyst can contribute to the plans for rational economic
development within Venice, and the eventual connection of Venice to the proposed
light-rail
system.
-----
At-Large:
Rebecca E. Tafoya
I have been a
resident of Venice for 43 years; I am a third-generation Venetian and my
children are fourth. I recall my childhood in Venice very vividly: there were
many other children to play with on West Washington (now Abbot Kinney Blvd.).
I’ve seen many changes in my community and have only stood back and
watched as they occurred. The long-time local families are consistently leaving
and my own children cannot even go outside to play because of more traffic and
strangers, especially from the bars.
Now I
want to be part of the solution that can contribute to bringing back the harmony
and uniqueness of the “true Venice.”
I believe my voice and concerns are
important to the future of Venice and its surviving families and children.
Volunteering my time and effort to work with other people with the same
objective in preserving Venice and addressing the gentrification of our
community is how I see myself as part of the “solution” to saving
Venice.
-----
At-Large:
Karl Abrams
Having lived in Venice in
the 1970s, 1980s, and presently, I have come to love this unique and diverse
city. I feel moved to work with other Venetians to help protect affordable
low-income housing, historic buildings, locally owned businesses, and the
artistic uniqueness that is Venice. It is for this reason that I am running for
GRVNC Representative-at-Large.
With my
background as a tenured chemistry professor and textbook author, I am
emphasizing a democratic, grassroots approach to progressive change. We can all
work together to help protect Venice from the ravages of chain-stores,
gentrification, and other forces which may adversely affect Venice’s
multi-cultural
uniqueness.
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Venice
Progressive Candidates for District Rep.
VOTE
FOR ONE
Dist. 1 (North Penmar): Ingrid
Mueller
In 1988, I very consciously
chose Lincoln Place Apartments for their beauty, the open space, and especially
the quiet far from the maddening traffic. For some 15 years, LP tenants have
taught me too much to let it “go to
waste.”
Some successes for
Lincoln Place may assure Venetians that stubborn perseverance and love of Venice
can get us together at the GRVNC table, where we can see green eye to black to
blue to brown eye to celebrate our various
worlds!
54-year old Lincoln Place, a
California Historic Resource. was formerly populated by 3,000 happy neighbors
from around the world. Now 170 households remain, defending their rights against
Ellis Act Evictions.
At adjacent
commercial “Lincoln Center,” the developer pushes on without the
requested EIR or community support.
We
have work to do! We’ll be totally suffocated by too many projects, but can
finally help our progressive Councilman realize our combined
visions!
-----
Dist.
2 – North Beach/Rose: Jan
Sproull
In 1969, from down the coast at
Seal Beach and Los Alamitos High School, I visited Venice. It became the dream
come true to live here as a mature adult. Share your dream with me:
310-401-0408.
In freedom, creative
expression and cultural change, the people of Venice have always faced the
challenges of nature’s nexus with an advancing humanity. Our year, 2005,
is a time where having a heart politically can mean diverse things.
But to me, 2005 calls for listening to
individual and community concerns, moderating strong emotions and participating
in wise decisions. Venetians put the arts in motion, give voice to social
movement, and enjoy the grand simplicity of sunset at the beach.
If we want to preserve the natural
beauty and not become the Disneyland of beach fronts, the political energies of
Progressive will be needed. Being part of the Progressive slate follows my
first career in legal and corporate consulting (University of Virginia, J.D.),
and later work in theological healing, interfaith ministry and artistic
expansion.
With you to join us,
Venice Progressive lead the way, to show the country and the nations
what’s possible from the grass roots
up.
-----
Dist.
3 – Oakwood: Amber Hartgens
My
primary goal as a candidate to represent Oakwood is to ensure that the residents
have a voice within the neighborhood council and thus an active role in the
decisions that affect Oakwood and Venice as a whole. Six years ago, my partner
and I chose to buy a house and raise our sons in Oakwood because we wanted to
live in a neighborhood that was culturally, racially and economically diverse.
It is that diversity and intermixing of cultures that makes Venice such a unique
and lively neighborhood and what I hope to help maintain as a representative for
Dist. 3.
My experience as a
neighborhood activist is limited, however, I was very active in the effort to
keep the city from cutting down the sycamore trees in the north end of the
Oakwood recreation park and thus retaining the one green and shady public space
in Oakwood. Although successful in keeping the park green, the experience made
me realize how important it is to have an informed and active resident base to
protect those qualities of life that make living in Venice enjoyable. That
process made me realize how vital it is to have courteous and respectful
dialogue between the disparate views held by fellow Venice
residents.
Oakwood has too long been
thought of as the blight on Venice’s image as a vibrant and creative home
for interesting people and as a desirable destination for tourists and home
buyers. I want that image to change and I want to see it embraced by the rest of
Venice as a partner in the healthy and sustainable evolution of our great
neighborhood.
-----
District
4 – Penmar South: Mindy Taylor
Ross
I’ve been a resident of
Venice most of my life. I attended both Walgrove Elementary, and Mark Twain Jr.
High schools. When I was a girl, I lived in the Historic Lincoln Place garden
apartments. I’ve lived in District 4 for over twenty
years.
I became aware of the Grass
Roots Venice Neighborhood Council when I got involved with the community in
opposition to the Lincoln Center redevelopment project in early 2003. A number
of us got together and formed the Venice Community Coalition (VCC). VCC has
been instrumental in increasing community awareness about development issues
along Lincoln Boulevard. Envision Venice, a design workshop which brought the
community together to explore design possibilities along Lincoln Blvd. was put
on by VCC. VCC also approached Cindy Miscikowski (former City Council member)
to establish a Community Design Overlay along Lincoln Blvd. This one-year
process will bring the community together in designing our future. I’ve
been involved in a positive way in Venice for many
years.
If I am elected, I will explore
ways to preserve social and economic diversity, promote smart growth and protect
Venice’s
heritage.
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Dist.
5 – Central/Milwood: Sylviane
Dungan
I was born, raised and educated
in Paris and came to the US 30 years ago. I am a progressive environmentalist,
and art lover. I enjoyed living in district 5 for the last 15 years, between the
beach and Abbot Kinney, next to the Circle. I am dedicated to prevent
gentrification from robbing Venice of its identity.
Venice is a unique artistic beach
community. Small yet diverse, it contains many sub communities which love it,
and must live and thrive together in peace and dignity. I will promote the
interaction and representation of these different groups so we can express our
needs and hopes, and inspire each other to protect the future of all.
I will support only sustainable
developments, community approved and benefiting all; small local businesses
along Abbot Kinney, comprehensive programs to help the homeless; transportation
planning preventing gridlock, air and noise pollution; social and cultural
events encouraging community building and local artists; community involvement
in choosing public art from the Windward Circle to Abbot Kinney and Venice
Blvd, through district 5.
Listening to
stakeholders’ needs, I will strive to help us find sustainable answers
together, to be shared within the Venice Neighborhood Council -
Sylviane_g@msn.com
Posted: Thu - September 1, 2005 at 10:57 AM