The new Venice Neighborhood Council was installed Monday night, November 5, as LA City Councilman Bill Rosendahl administered the oath of office to the 21 representatives elected on September 19 – some new members and some returning.
New president Mike Newhouse chaired the meeting. “We’ve got a dynamic new council,” he said, “and we’re very excited to bring our message of community involvement and participation in LA city government to Venice stakeholders.”
Rosendahl said he “challenged the new board and thanked the old board” – to which one of the “old board” called out, “That’s former board, not old board.” Specifically, Rosendahl asked the new council to address three issues: camper vehicles and overnight parking; the conduct of a town hall meeting regarding business on the Ocean Front Walk once a draft ordinance is prepared; and the need to form a Business Improvement District for Abbot Kinney Boulevard to address the pressures that valet parking imposes on local streets and other issues.
After the installation ceremony, the new council took up neighborhood business, including a report from Rand Denny, who said that Venice has experienced a 90 percent decrease in graffiti.
