A battle over the boardwalk in Venice

LAPD Sgt. Dan Gonzalez tells a group of men on Ocean Front Walk in Venice on a recent night to pack up their belongings and move off the sidewalk. Dozens of transients have migrated farther inland to an encampment at 3rd and Rose avenues, near Google’s offices.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

LAPD Sgt. Dan Gonzalez instructs a homeless man sleeping on the grass near Venice Beach to move inland. The California Coastal Commission has argued that enforcement of a curfew violates state beach access rules.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A man rests on the grass along Ocean Front Walk at sunset. Waterfront residents and business owners complained that aggressive, intoxicated transients and violent disputes over vendors’ spaces had made the boardwalk an increasingly lawless, frightening place.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Musicians, artists and merchants line both sides of Ocean Front Walk, vying for attention in Venice Beach. Venice residents said the mood of the boardwalk area changed drastically about a year and a half ago, with the influx of large numbers of homeless youths.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A cat named Baby Girl listens to Nathan Pino play classical music on his piano at Venice Beach. Critics of the overnight curfew say Los Angeles runs the risk of taming the wild and woolly atmosphere that has made Venice a destination that attracts 16 million people a year.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Drummer, singer and rapper Ed Witty uses drumsticks and buckets to make music at Venice Beach. “The performers and entertainers are what people come to see” at the beach, one homeless man critical of the new curfew rule said.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)