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VENICE www.yovenice.com
August 27 – September 23, 2021
Report Advises Against Most Westside Homeless Shelter Locations Following Bonin’s Call for Feasibility Study City Administrative Officer concludes majority of proposed sites are infeasible for residential use B y S am C atanzaro Bringing homeless shelters to Will Rogers and Dockweiler beaches, Mar Vista and Westchester parks alongside other locations is infeasible, city officials concluded in a recent report. On August 10, the Los Angeles City Administrative Officer (CAO) finished a feasibility analysis of potential shelter locations in the 11th District. The analysis comes after Los Angeles City Council voted in May to approve Bonin’s proposal to look into bringing more homeless housing centers to the Westside. In the Tuesday report, the CAO concluded the majority of the sites Bonin prosed were infeasible for homeless shelters. “My thanks to the CAO for conducting the study and for underscoring the challenge of finding locations on the Westside,” Bonin said in a statement. “I believe very strongly that every part of the city, including the Westside, must provide
solutions to homelessness, and I will keep working with neighbors to find them.” According to Bonin, he will not push the City to continue pursuing the sites the CAO deemed infeasible. Among the locations deemed infeasible is the Los Angeles County-owned parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach,17000 Pacific Coast Highway, pegged as a potential temporary site for singleoccupancy tiny-homes or safe camping. The CAO cited high infrastructure costs and logistical issues at this site and also for a similar proposal at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey. “The beach sites were not built for 24/7 residential use, and thus, the sewer infrastructure is not suitable for homeless housing,” reads the analysis. “The power capacity would have to be increased at both beaches, and the nearest transformer is located 1,000 feet from the sites.” In addition, the report cited the lack of nearby fire hydrants at these two beaches as among the reasons why the sites would be infeasible for residential use. The CAO report also deemed it infeasible to bring safe sleeping to a privately owned plot of land in Del Rey citing lack of access and utilities. In addition, the analysis concluded bringing safe sleeping sites at Mar Vista and Westchester parks would be infeasible because the sites are widely used by the public and generate revenue for the city. “Prior to the pandemic, both Westchester and
Mar Vista Parks experienced varied and robust recreational usage. Data from both parks show that on average more than 6,000 youth participants attend and utilize the parks and facilities. The parking lots are needed for pick up and drop off for programming and aquatics,” the CAO report states. “These parks generate more than $500,000 in annual revenue.” Instead, the CAO recommended that these two parks should be considered for targeted outreach through the “Encampment to Home” program,
which just housed over 200 people from Venice Beach. The report also deemed infeasible Bonin’s proposal to bring a temporary homeless shelter to the West LA Municipal Building “The Municipal Building is zoned as public facilities, and thus, not feasible for shelter use. Even if the zoning was changed to accommodate
Homeless Shelter, see page 4
Bicyclist Killed in Venice After Getting Hit by SUV LAPD investigating August 20 incident B y C had W inthrop A bicyclist was killed after getting hit by an SUV in an early last week morning hit and run in Venice. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident took place on Friday, August 20 around 3:05 a.m. “A female bicyclist riding in circles in the middle of the intersection at Pacific Avenue and Rose Avenue was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound on Pacific Avenue. The vehicle continued northbound on Pacific Avenue without stopping and identifying themselves or rendering aid as required by law,” the LAPD wrote in a press release. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics transported the bicyclist to a local area hospital where she passed away. The hit-and-run vehicle is described by
police as a black, large-sized SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Suburban. “It is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision,” the LAPD said. The identity of the pedestrian will not be released at this time pending notification to the next of kin. A reward of up to $50,000 is available to community members who provide information leading to the offender’s identification, apprehension, and conviction or resolution through a civil compromise. Anyone with information about this collision is asked to contact Officer R. Yoshioka, Serial No. 36027 with West Traffic Detectives at 213-473-0236 or West Traffic Detectives Desk at 213-473-0234. When calling please reference LAPD report number: 21-14-16923. During non-business hours, or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also visit www.lapdonline.org, and
click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip. Lastly, tipsters may also download
the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.