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Sweeper Rolls Again on Venice Streets

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Millions of people each year visit Venice Beach, many of them strolling along the walk streets, strewing debris in front of other people’s homes.

But the narrow public passageways were never visited by city street sweepers, leaving residents to add the trash patrol to their weekend chores.

One resident finally had it up to there with volunteer street cleaning and decided to take on City Hall, enlisting the help of the Venice Action Committee and City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter.

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The walk streets, narrower than regular streets, are too small for regulation street sweepers. But, according to Venice Action committee President Jack Hoffman, walk street resident Milt Slade did some sleuthing and found out what the city had apparently forgotten: Their small street sweeper wasn’t lost, it was in storage.

In a press release, Galanter said the sweeper had been gathering dust since Proposition 13 service cutbacks in 1978.

But no more. After the community group sent a petition to the Public Works department and Galanter, the sweeper started to roll again, once a month.

“It took a while, but with community effort the Venice walk streets will now be much cleaner,” said Galanter.

Hoffman said the success “really elevated people’s spirits. People down here are beginning to get what they have long deserved.”

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