They All Want a Piece of Venice Beach : Residents, Vendors, Performers Discuss Coastal Land-Use Plan

More than 100 Venice residents, merchants, artisans and street performers met last week to discuss use of the beach and the boardwalk.

The meeting, one in a series of public hearings required to draw up a Local Coastal Plan for Venice, focused on landscaping at the beach, the street performers and the crowds they draw, and open-air vending.

The coastal plan, which must be submitted to the state Coastal Commission, will include a land-use plan plus ordinances and regulations for Venice neighborhoods. It is expected to be adopted next year, said Jim Bickhart, legislative deputy to Councilwoman Ruth Galanter.

City officials proposed renovating the grass strip between Ocean Front Walk and the bike path from the Santa Monica-Venice border to Venice Pier. Under their plan, the strip would look like “islands of grass” large enough for people to sit on, separated by sand or concrete, said Dick Ginevan, superintendent of parks for the city Recreation and Parks Department’s Pacific region.

A $320,000 state grant would pay for the work, he said.

About 40 people thought the plan needed more grass; others thought it needed more sand; most wanted less concrete.

Grass to Sand

In 95% of the strip, the worn grass would be replanted and automatic irrigation systems installed, Ginevan said. Where the strip narrows, the grass would be replaced with sand that would save water and be easier to maintain, he said.

The plan also includes a concrete sidewalk from Horizon Avenue to the Venice Pavilion and five concrete paths linking Ocean Front Walk to the bike path, Ginevan said. The concrete “allows people to walk through from Ocean Front Walk to the beach, allows bikes to go through to the bike path, and allows entertainers to set up,” said Virginia Hatley, a Recreation and Parks landscape architect.

“We don’t want any more concrete on the beach,” said Sam Joseph of the Venice Action Committee, a group of about 170 residents, merchants and artists. Later he added: “People come through and say, ‘Santa Monica is so pretty. Why is Venice not the same?’ ”

Galanter, who represents Venice, said the plan “accommodates all the different people who use the beach” and has no “Gestapo-style restrictions” on where artists and entertainers can perform.

Favors Concrete

Jerry Rubin, director of Save the Healers, Artists, Politicos and Entertainers (SHAPE), said he is glad the plan does not restrict musicians, artists and the other colorful beach performers. He added that SHAPE favors the concrete sidewalk near the pavilion. “Most people set up on the concrete activity strip (as opposed to the grass)--it’s level, it’s easier to set up (artists’) easels, and you’re actually closer to pedestrians.”

The performers, healers and musicians were themselves an issue. Police and some residents complained that they bring gridlock and noise. “Entertainers draw crowds, which creates congestion,” said Capt. Jan Carlson of the Los Angeles Police Department. “Vendors take over some of the benches; it takes away seating space for people who just come to enjoy the beach.” The crowds, Carlson added, may make it harder for police to respond to reports of pickpockets, fights and other crime.

Rubin contended that artists and musicians are part of the solution, not the problem. “Artistry and music gives young people something to get involved in rather than getting bored and looking around for trouble,” he said.

One woman, who declined to be identified because she feared retribution, said a stand-up comic who performs near her home has ignored her complaints. The noise from his act and the crowd means that “I can’t take a nap, can’t talk to friends on my porch halfway up the street,” she said. “I hope performers work with the residents and mediate, or else we’ll all have to leave.”

Another concern was the vendors, who offer an array of sunglasses, T-shirts, incense, jewelry and shoes. They rent private land on the east side of Ocean Front Walk; the property owners must obtain a conditional-use permit to lease their space to vendors.

Galanter has proposed that until the Local Coastal Plan is adopted, no new permits should be issued for property owners to rent space to vendors. Her proposal would not affect current vendors or prevent property owners from renewing their permits.

Some people called for regulations on the kinds of merchandise sold, complaining that most vendors are plying mass-produced sunglasses and T-shirts rather than hand-crafted items. But city officials said such restrictions would be illegal.

Annette Robinson, who makes necklaces, said the T-shirt vendors have actually boosted her business. “Until the hordes came to buy all the other paraphernalia, I didn’t have any business at all. “