Meet The Incoming President of Venice Neighborhood Council

Brian Averill Will Serve Venice As President Of The Neighborhood Council.

By Zach Armstrong

After growing up on the East Coast and graduating from New York University, Brian Averill decided to make the move to California in 2002. He is a photographer by trade. His business does shoots for sportswear, beachwear, surfing and other sporting activities. Starting in July, Averill will serve the people of Venice as president of the Neighborhood Council as he tackles issues ranging from homelessness and development.

This Q and A was edited for clarity. What is your history with the Venice Neighborhood Council?

I was a board member on the council. In 2019 I was elected. So I have been a board member, and then I ran for president this year and was elected last month.

What would you list as your top priorities of things you hope to accomplish or topics you want to focus on the most?

The previous few councils have not had a good relationship with CD 11. 90% of the motions that we pass are through CD 11. I think it’s incredibly important to nurture a healthy relationships with council member Traci Park, because if we don’t, if we don’t have a good relationship, then we’re not really going to accomplish a lot.

There’s lots of different points of view here about bigger issues. In the past, the council hasn’t really functioned to bring all those points of view together to some consensus. So that’s definitely a goal of mine, to actually represent all the different perspectives. I think when it comes down to it, 90% of us here agree on the questions. So it’s just a matter of re-emphasizing that to people, and just going about things in a more positive manner than we have in the past.