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November 8 – 21, 2019
Replace Parking Lot with Affordable Housing? Venice Neighborhood Council says more, not less, parking is needed By S am C atanzaro With the county in the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis, Los Angeles City Council is considering replacing a parking lot near Venice Beach with affordable housing but local community officials say more, not less, public parking is needed in the area which as one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations is already strapped for parking. On February 27, 2019, Los Angeles City Council passed a motion authored by councilmembers Mike Bonin and Joe Buscaino that looks into the feasibility of making a Venice Beach public parking lot available for the development of affordable housing. “The City is falling short on producing much-needed housing which has resulted in a severe need for the development of additional housing units, at all levels of affordability. To encourage the private sector to build more affordable housing units, the City has made available city-owned property to be developed as ‘affordable housing
opportunity sites’,” reads the motion. The lot, Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) Lot 731 located at 2108 Pacific Avenue, is heavily utilized by the public for beach access and, in acknowledging this, the motion states that the development of this lot for affordable housing should not permanently displace the public parking. The Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC), however, in a Community Impact Statement submitted to the city council contends that as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, Venice beach is already strapped for parking and any loss of spaces will impact residents, businesses and visitors. The VNC further states that the need to “massively increase public parking opportunities in Venice.” “The community of Venice since its inception in 1905 has been a visitor destination which is often referred to as the number two tourist attraction in the entire state of California behind Disneyland. In this capacity, beach access is a priority and the number one means of transportation to this region is by single occupancy vehicles. There are no plans in the immediate or distant future to provide mass transit with remote park-and-ride lots outside the region,” reads the letter. “The commercially zoned
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
A homeless person’s belongings next to LADOT Lot 731 where city officials are considering building affordable housing amid a homelessness crisis.
property in the Venice Coastal Zone is underdeveloped when compared to any other
HOUSING, see page 10
Homeless Deaths Doubled LA County Public Health releases report on fatalities among homeless population By Sam Catanzaro Over the past five years, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness countywide who have died has doubled according to a report released this week by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), an increase that is occurring on the Westside as well. The report, released on Tuesday, October
29 shows that the number of deaths from 2013 and 2018 increased by 536 to 1,047. In addition, the death rate increased by over one-third, accounting for the increase in the homeless population. "This alarming increase in homeless deaths requires immediate action to improve the care for our most vulnerable populations," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. "As we work hard to secure housing for those experiencing homelessness, we have a civic and moral obligation to prevent unnecessary suffering and death. We need to start this work by speaking directly with those experiencing homelessness to better understand how to align our support." According to Public Health, drug and alcohol overdose was the largest contributor to
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the overall increase in the homeless death rate. From 2016 to 2018, the overdose death rate was 26 times higher among the homeless than among the general population. Other leading causes of homeless deaths included heart disease, traffic injuries, homicide and suicide. The report also found that people experiencing homelessness died on average 22 years earlier than among the general population (average age was 51 among the homeless and 73 among the general population). The report also suggests that County establish a “homeless death review team” to further understand the contributing factors of homeless deaths to prevent them in the future. This increase in death rates among the homeless population is not just regional. The Westside Coalition, a coalition of
nonprofits, public agencies and faith communities working to address homelessness carries out an annual memorial service for individuals experiencing homelessness who have died on the Westside while receiving services from local organizations. The 2019 service, which was held last Sunday at Reed Park in Santa Monica, honored 112 individuals compared to 27 in 2018.
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