Mon - March 1, 2004

One Day Longer, One Day Stronger – Supermarket workers waged fight against enormous odds


By Jim Smith

From October 11 until February 28, 59,000 supermarket workers stood up for their rights against three multi-billion-dollar corporations. After four and a half months, with their strike benefits down to barely $100 a week and no health care, they reluctantly agreed to a new contract that allows Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons to hire new employees at low wages and inadequate benefits.

Posted at 05:54 PM     Read More  

Editorial from the Beachhead Collective: Save Lincoln Place, Affordable Housing for All


For the past 53 years, Lincoln Place Apartments has been a vital part of Venice. The nearly 800 units, designed by African-American Architect Ralph Vaughn, showed post-war California that low-income apartments didn’t have to be low class. The spacious units, set in a park-like environment between Lincoln Blvd. and Penmar Avenue, helped build a sense of community among the residents.

Posted at 05:52 PM     Read More  

Letters


• Playa Vista, a view contrary to Moe Stavnezer’s - Leslie Purcell
• OFW Lottery - Cary Shulman
• Ancient monoliths - Mary Bradford
• Ancient monoliths - 2 - Kevin Morgan

Posted at 05:51 PM     Read More  

Venice has a Town Hall Meeting


By John Davis

A gathering of Venice stakeholders sponsored by the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council drew hundreds of members to a working meeting where voters could speak out on a variety of topics affecting their lives.

Posted at 05:46 PM     Read More  

Neighborhood Council News


February was a two-board-meeting month. In addition, a growing number of committees met (see box to right).

Among the decisions of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council Board were:

Posted at 05:45 PM     Read More  

Lincoln Center mega-project raked over coals at hearing


By Jim Smith

Although the Lincoln Center project is almost universally loathed in Venice, it's still proceeding on its merry way through the Los Angeles approval process.

Posted at 05:41 PM     Read More  

Santa Monica Airport Report


By Martin Rubin

Homeowners: Rod Merl, Senior Administrative Analyst at Santa Monica Airport reports: “The primary change that has gone into effect as of January 1, 2004 is the additional notification on the state’s required real estate disclosure statement for potential buyers of property in an “airport influence” area.

Posted at 05:40 PM     Read More  

Iraqi Women Have Little to Celebrate


by Medea Benjamin

On March 8, 2003, international women’s day, Iraqi women had little to celebrate. They were living under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, the weight of onerous UN sanctions and living in fear of impending war. This year, Saddam Hussein is gone and sanctions have been lifted. But Iraqi women face a brand new set of burdens.

Posted at 05:39 PM     Read More  

The Future of Lincoln Center


The Land Use and Planning Committee of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council is inviting all Venetians to come to and deliberate on the future of Lincoln Place.

Posted at 05:38 PM     Read More  

THIS ARCHITECT WAS A POEM: A Venice Architect, a Venice Food Collective, and a Venice Family Home


By Peggy Lee Kennedy

Rick Davidson was an architect and a poet. He first came to live in Venice in 1961 and lived most of his years here in his San Juan Avenue home – then Venice Headquarters for Activism – until he died of breast cancer in 1999. (He said that his breast cancer proved he was a feminist.)

Posted at 05:36 PM     Read More  

A Fertile Ground to Build Relationships: Pastor Tom and the United Methodist Church of Venice


By Suzy Williams

“Hi, Honey, blessings!” greets Pastor Tom Ziegert with a gap-toothed grin, the early March wind riffling through his longish wavy locks. He stands in the little green courtyard holding a handful of papers, and is preparing for a seven o'clock event at the church.“Not quite the conflagration we were banking on!”, he says, letting out his goofy abandoned chuckle that explodes into a cartoon hiccup-guffaw.

Posted at 05:35 PM     Read More  

A little history of Pastor Tom



Born Catholic in Wilmington, Delaware, he went to college there, studying Political Science. He took a trip to Geneva in his last year and found that being a diplomat wasn’t going to jive with his newly outed lifestyle; the field was not conducive to honesty. (Being closeted in the international diplomacy community was then de rigueur.)

Posted at 05:33 PM     Read More  

Poetry


• COLD ELLISON VI - Philomene Long
• Darkness as the Light - Hillary Kaye
• American Scream - Rex Butters
• Weapons of mass destruction - shanna baldwin moore
• Red Rover in Venice - Carol V. Beck
• Letting Go - Adrian DeSimone

Posted at 05:32 PM     Read More  

HEALTH CARE WITH A HEART - HEALTHCARE IN OUR HANDS


YOUR DONATIONS CAN SAVE OUR MARINA HOSPITAL!

On April 8, 2003 Tenet announced that they would keep our Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital open indefinitely. Less than nine months later - here we are again.

Posted at 05:27 PM     Read More  

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