A Small Step Forward In The Venice Homeless Crisis

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Pretty much everyone is bustling about getting ready for the big meal with family and friends, celebrating our gratitude and abundance. Except some people have nothing at all, and you can see that on the streets of Venice every single day. Something must be done about the absolute crisis that homelessness is in this entire country ... this country that claims to be great, but looks the other way when it comes to poverty. There is no good excuse for the squalor that is everywhere that you look in a nation that has so very much.

The Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) meeting was held last night in the Westminster School auditorium, with the 720 Rose project up for a vote. The supporters of this affordable housing project from Venice Community Housing (VCH) were out in force, clad in black t-shirts and holding red roses to show their solidarity with this plan. As opposed to the completely disgusting mayhem that was last month's Town Hall meeting on the MTA homeless housing project, this one was very civilized and respectful - thank you all for that. There were 77 speaker cards turned in, and almost all of them that we heard were in support of this project, and almost all know that this Rose project for merely 35 homes is just a drop in the bucket, but that we MUST start somewhere. There was hardly anyone there that opposed the project, as I guess they just want to yell and make a scene when news cameras and the Mayor are there. Also, the ones who oppose homeless housing tend not to offer any solutions, they just complain, so it was a relief that they mostly sat this one out. Come with solutions or zip it. Seriously.

I kind of don't get why these projects for NEW buildings keep getting proposed for millions of dollars, when there are plenty of unused large buildings all over Los Angeles that could be repurposed for affordable and low or zero income housing (In fact, it was just approved that the massive County General Hospital in downtown L.A. will be repurposed into housing for the homeless, and that will help massively. That seems to be the main opposition, the spending of big money when housing can be done for so much less (though some VNC board members were all held up on parking spaces - and how many homeless people really need parking? - and height dimensions and stuff, when really, who cares? There are big ugly houses all over Venice that they approved - and those same board members seem to be very much in cahoots with money grab developers. It's gross.). As one speaker said, "Why do you care at all about parking spaces when people are sleeping on the street?" Exactly. C'mon. We need SOLUTIONS, not just complaints, though board member Jim Murez offered up the solution of the decommissioned USS Enterprise battleship to be stationed at the end of the pier for housing, and the flippancy of it was not well-received by the community in attendance. Because it's not at all a joking matter. People are DYING on the streets. On Thanksgiving.

Several speakers had great things to say, and several mentioned that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and why not try some humanity, for goodness sakes! Most were longtime Venice residents, again as opposed to the awful Town Hall that was mostly all NIMBYs behaving badly. Many mentioned that they want to "Keep Venice, Venice" - meaning welcoming, accepting, and diverse. An eclectic community worthy of its legend and history. My friend, Alice Stek, was there and I thought had the best and truest comment of the night when she said that those board members opposed to the project, "Your opposition is actually opposition to poor people in the community." Which is sad, because Venice has never been an enclave for the wealthy. When I first lived in Los Angeles, I lived in Beverly Hills. I couldn't wait to get out of there and live in Venice, where I hung out every weekend. All of my B.H. friends were opposed, saying it was sketchy and dangerous and a dump. Well, times change, but the people that made Venice great in the first place have not. They're here, they're proud, and they have hearts. At least most of them do.

At meeting's end, VNC Board President, Ira Koslow, said, "Well, that was surprisingly pleasant!", and he was right. People who support affordable and supportive housing are generally civil and polite and want what's best for everyone, and not just out for themselves and their property or resale values. The project passed with a 9-4-1 vote, with the expected people voting as expected. It's a tiny step toward solving this terrible crisis, but at least it's doing SOMETHING. I honestly am still not sure if it's a good or bad project in the long run, but time will tell. I mean, your friend CJ STILL needs affordable housing, so this hits close to home. I'm also working on our documentary 90291: VENICE UNZIPPED, and we shot our homeless family the last couple of weeks, and I know how hard life is for them (but it looks like they're getting housing - THANK YOU ST. JOSEPH'S CENTER!), so this whole issue might mean more to me than someone else, but it SHOULD mean something to us all. Because we're a COMMUNITY. Everything that happens here affects us all, and it really could be you someday. I hope it's not, but don't get too comfortable in this crazy world. I don't have all the answers, or any really, for this ENORMOUS issue, but I do know that SOMETHING must be done.

So, tomorrow we all take a break from that crazy world to gather and give thanks for all of the good stuff in our lives ... but that also means DOING good. Gratitude is the Glory.

Happy Thanksgiving, Venice! Thank you.

Our Thankful And Free California Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend was extra great this year, because my brave Mom got on a standby flight the night before Thanksgiving - with a layover - and somehow made it!

We haven't had Thanksgiving with her in something like 20 years, because I always try to go home for Christmas, and they're just too close together to make it work, usually. So, everything after Mom getting here with no problems was all gravy ... really good gravy.

My brother decided to host Thanksgiving this year, which meant I was going to be doing the majority of the cooking. Which I was happy to do, because I haven't had my own kitchen in a bit, so cutting loose in there was some good therapy for me, and it all turned out pretty dang delicious, I'm happy to say. We had other Venice folks and friends who didn't get to be with their families, so the vibe was very, very grateful. I love Thanksgiving! (Oh, AND the Vikings won! 9-2. Awesome.)

I'm not a believer or a participant in Black Friday, and think it showcases all that is wrong with our society. The day after being super thankful. It's disgusting. So, I usually take that day to get out into nature, and stay all the way away from the ridiculous crowds at stores. It's even better therapy. This year my brother and I took our Mom out to the desert, as she had never been to Joshua Tree National Park, and it's one of Paul's favorite places to shoot photographs. Perfect day trip length (ok, a little far, but we're like that). I thought I'd heard that Salvation Mountain wasn't very far away from there, so we took a detour after stopping to pick up lunch in Palm Springs.

Salvation Mountain is about 60-70 miles away from anything you'd want to go to, but it really was something, and really was worth it. You drive along the eerie, otherworldly Salton Sea on the way there, and it's almost like driving on a moonscape, with oases of date palms every few miles. Weird.

Leonard Knight had the vision to create his self-made mountain after he found God, and set out into the desert to build it. It's all hay bales covered in plaster and paint, super colorful and as eccentric as you'd hope it would be. It's a beacon of love and hope in one of the most desolate possible places. There are little caves all painted inside, and it makes you feel like you want your own message from God to do something totally outlandish. Hmm ...

There are friendly greeters that tell you the fun information and trivia about the place, as they shoot the breeze in the little shade that there is under an information kiosk/lean-to. The guy told me that Salvation Mountain was featured in the film, Into The Wild, which I'm pretty sure is where I first heard about it, and it's haunted me since. And now I've been! And so has my Mom, which is cool, because she's about the number one believer in God ... it's a shame she couldn't have chatted with Knight, but he passed away in 2014. The mountain site is now under the care of the non-profit Salvation Mountain, Inc. The site is free to visit, with only a donation box there to make sure the mountain will remain. To that end, it was declared a national treasure by Congress, as it should be.

The whole thing reminds me a bit of Watts Tower, and how it was Simon Rodia's dream to make that beacon of hope and love in the middle of Watts. I bet the two creative gentlemen would have gotten on like gangbusters. Salvation Mountain is really cool, and very touching to visit. I would encourage everyone to make the detour at least once. It's a special place.

As we were leaving, one of the travelers/greeters told us not to miss the artist colony up the road in East Jesus. We had to go.

East Jesus is all Mad Max type of both people and art, and I wasn't surprised to hear that it's a staging area for Burning Man. It's all art installations with carpeted trails leading you around the attractions. Everything is made from garbage or recyclables, and everything has a sense of humor, and often a blunt message for society. Entrance is free, and a donation box keeps this place going as well.

There seems to be some permanent residents there working on their art, and we met a nice British guy who told us he'd been there two years, and yep, came from Burning Man. Libertarian drunkards, and proud of it!

They're having a lot of fun, that's for sure. It's a little dark and dangerous feeling, and Paul commented that "I bet it gets a little nutty at night." I'll bet for sure. They're coming up with things like dangerous playgrounds, with cheese grater slides and monkey bars telling the person climbing them that it doesn't get better. Several of the installations have chairs there for you to sit and reflect upon it all. I would have too, if it wasn't SO hot. I don't know how people can live there, but they do.

They also live in Slab City, the area between East Jesus and Salvation Mountain. It's a real life Land of the Lost vibe, with people living free and off the grid. It felt pretty lawless, which is cool, and though it seems like the ultimate end of the road, there's a library, an outdoor nightclub, and even a Slab City Hostel. It had no stars, but I think you'd be talking about your stay there for some time. As we were racing against the early darkness, we had to speed off to Joshua Tree to get some daylight sightseeing in. As we drove out of Slab City, the sign bidding you farewell says, "Good luck out there!" Thank you. We need it!

We got to Joshua Tree National Park in time for the beautiful golden hour, and Paul had a good time getting some shots of our beloved Mom out there in one of his favorite places on this Earth.

Mom is an exceptional artist, and she found just the right Joshua Tree that she wanted to paint (I have a feeling I know what Paul might be getting for Christmas!). The sun set much faster than we wanted it to, but the stars were beautiful too. We had no luxury of time to stay and gaze on them longer, because Mom was on the red-eye, and we forgot about the holiday weekend traffic returning on the 10! It was at a literal stand-still for nearly two hours, and we started to panic, until it opened up like it always does after that whole mountainous part about halfway. Phew!

A wonderful weekend of total thankfulness is on the books. I said it before, but having good health is the main thing to be grateful for, period. As I had that back, AND my sweet Mother here, PLUS good friends and food, and THEN wonderful creation and nature, I sit here happily writing with a smile on my face, no matter what else is happening. That's what happens when you're truly grateful in your heart ... it IS your glory.

THANKS!

Gratitude In The City Of Angels

We all talk a lot about gratitude at this time of the year, and as Thanksgiving is coming right up, that's great. It's so much more than a word to toss around, though. When you truly feel it, it's super powerful, and as a guru lady on the beach once told me ... "Gratitude is the glory." That is truth right there.

I missed out on a bunch of fun things over the weekend, because last week I woke up on Thursday with my face so swollen it was deformed. It was painful and atrocious to look at, and further reminded me why I would never be a candidate for botox or lip fillers. Yuck. Not a good look. At all. I took Benedryl. Nothing. I finally went in to Westside Walk In Clinic to see the wonderful Hannah on Friday, and though we still don't really know why this happened, my face was pretty much back to normal by the next morning. I still feel a little weird, especially as I don't exactly know what went down, but MAN, did the whole deal make me SO grateful for when everything is working and looking good. We used to see a guy in a wheelchair down on the Boardwalk all the time, and call him our "Gratitude Guru", because he was always so positive and upbeat, despite living under very trying circumstances. People let the littlest things get them down, but when you don't have your health, nothing else really matters. Nothing else can really get done. You simply cannot take it for granted.

A gratitude walk was ultra-necessary for me this morning - especially now that I felt I could go back out into the public. The sky was filled with wispy clouds resembling angels, and I felt completely full with thanks and praise for this beautiful place, and for the upswing in my health (I think). There's still a whole bunch of things that need real work in my life (housing in Venice! lots more work! cool dudes!), but the simple pleasure of not feeling pain and not looking like a total Elephant Woman made me almost click my heels together in the air as I breathed in the golden day and fresh air.

As we gear up for this busy, fun, friends and family time of celebration, let's be seriously thankful - in addition to every other good thing - for every easy step we take, every non-labored breath, and every moment that feels no pain.

To your health!

Innocence On Abbot Kinney - Happy Thanksgiving!

Artist Hagop Belian recently sparked up Abbot Kinney with a new mural on the side of Gjelina.

Innocence is the new work Made Of Hagop that has already become a backdrop for the Instagrammers visiting Venice. Syrian-born Hagop told me the name of this piece when I ran into him at an In Heroes We Trust party a couple weeks ago, and I think it's perfect. And also something to remember as we celebrate this Thanksgiving. It feels like our country lost its innocence a long time ago, and recent events have shown both our government and our fellow citizens to often be anything but innocent. Perhaps it's time to get back to our basics, and remember that this holiday is about GRATITUDE and FREEDOM and being the very best we can be. We need to remember what we were founded for and what we're supposed to be about.

Let us celebrate the innocence of children during the holidays and make the world a better place for them to grow up in. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new." 

             - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thankfulness Weekend

Well, we're all back at it after a long, beautiful, relaxing and fun Thanksgiving weekend, and that's always hard. This Monday was a little harder than most because I started it off by dropping my phone in water. With all the gorgeous Thanksgiving weekend photos on it - that weren't backed up. Ugh. So, I'm starting fresh to kick off the holiday season ... again.

We had one of the hands-down best Thanksgiving meals together with friends at Hatchet Hall. The restaurant was closed for the holiday, so we had free reign of the place.

Every counter surface was taken up by the pot luck dishes all our friends brought, and as you looked around, all you could think was ABUNDANCE. And THANK YOU.

From Lacey's Mom's unreal corn dish and perfect mashed potatoes to David's foie gras gravy (yes, FOIE GRAS GRAVY!) to Brian's perfect turkey, and Vavine's roasted apples ...

 ... one morsel was more delicious than the next. It was truly an embarrassment of riches.

I threw down on the pies, as usual, and even managed to get myself a slice this year! Not a whole lot of meals can beat Thanksgiving if you're an American, but even with all of the ridiculous piles of mouth watering food, the story of the day was still all about gratitude, and being thankful for all that we have. Like, we talked about it. And meant it.

That gratefulness carried over all weekend, as most of the people I know chose to opt out of the Black Friday disgusting mayhem, and opt OUTSIDE. R.E.I. kind of kicked off that sentiment by being closed that day for their employees to have a day to get outside, and we fully took that to heart.

Last year we got out of dodge on Black Friday, and headed for Yosemite, which was glorious. We didn't have the same luxury of time this year, so settled for Saddle Peak in Malibu, which isn't really settling. Our hike to the summit was rewarded by majestic 360 views, but even better was the surprise deer couple that bounded right by us (and of course that awesome photo is now gone forever). A stunning O.P. looking sunset was the icing on top, and the perfect location and visual for mindful gratitude.

The rest of the weekend was almost all outside, except movies, and for watching our Vikings take over first place in our division yesterday (!), capping off a wonderful, idyllic weekend of family, friendship, and fun.

I hope yours was all of that good stuff too - sans the phone casualties. And now, here we go! Off to the races toward the end of the year, all set with a new phone and tons of room for new photos, videos, stories and excellent messages ... let's get going!

HAPPY Holiday Season to us all!

*Photos kindly donated by Paul Gronner and Steve Taschler.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

This has been a hard year for a lot of people, in a lot of ways. It has also been an incredibly beautiful year for a lot of people, in a whole lot of ways. Every moment has the potential to be hard or beautiful, and much of that is how you view and act on it. I love so much that all Americans take at least the one day of Thanksgiving to do exactly that ... give enormous thanks, with all the gratitude we have in our hearts, even if that's just a little.

e.e. cummings wrote a Thanksgiving prayer long ago, and I'll share it with you now in its entirety. For this very best American holiday, that's the very best we can do - SHARE.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

‡

“next to of course god america i
love you land of the pilgrims’ and so forth oh
say can you see by the dawn’s early my
country ’tis of centuries come and go
and are no more what of it we should worry
in every language even deafanddumb
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
iful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter
they did not stop to think they died instead
then shall the voice of liberty be mute?”

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

‡

when god lets my body be
From each brave eye shall sprout a tree fruit that dangles therefrom
the purpled world will dance upon
Between my lips which did sing
a rose shall beget the spring
that maidens whom passion wastes
will lay between their little breasts
My strong fingers beneath the snow
Into strenuous birds shall go
my love walking in the grass
their wings will touch with her face
and all the while shall my heart be
With the bulge and nuzzle of the sea

‡

when god decided to invent
everything he took one
breath bigger than a circustent
and everything began

when man determined to destroy
himself he picked the was
of shall and finding only why
smashed it into because

‡

love is more thicker than forget
more thinner than recall
more seldom than a wave is wet
more frequent than to fail

it is most mad and moonly
and less it shall unbe
than all the sea which only
is deeper than the sea

love is less always than to win
less never than alive
less bigger than the least begin
less littler than forgive

it is most sane and sunly
and more it cannot die
than all the sky which only
is higher than the sky

‡

love is the every only god

who spoke this earth so glad and big
even a thing all small and sad
man,may his mighty briefness dig

for love beginning means return
seas who could sing so deep and strong

one queerying wave will whitely yearn
from each last shore and home come young

so truly perfectly the skies
by merciful love whispered were,
completes its brightness with your eyes

any illimitable star

Happy Thanksgiving! God bless us EVERYONE.

*Photo (with no filter) was taken during one of my most grateful moments of the year. Just happy to be witnessing that splendor ... Ahhh.

November Summer

Emily Dickinson wrote, "November always seemed to me the Norway of the year." I love that, but it's not at all accurate if you live in Southern California. This past weekend saw temperatures in the mid-80's at the beach. In November.

The weekend was a lot of fun, with friend birthday parties, a Sturgill Simpson show, a Vikings game with friends ... but the very best part was having the gorgeous beach almost all to myself.

Yet another thing to be so grateful for as we head into Thanksgiving week. Wow.

Dear Ferguson

In messed up times like these, when it feel like there is no more justice to be found ... it's most important to talk about it. Sing about it. Exercise your freedom of speech, your anger, your voice.

Two of my dear friends addressed the crime of Michael Brown's murder in Ferguson before the Grand Jury b.s. even came back with their "No Indictment" decision. As there really are no words I can think of right now, I'll let them speak for me .... for US. The PEOPLE. I'm so thankful we have artists unafraid to call it what it is....

First, Tom Morello with "Marching On Ferguson" ...

And more truth from Ben Harper with "Call It What It Is (Murder)"...

Enough said. For now.

Count your blessings tomorrow ... Be thankful for your freedoms. And use them wisely.

Much love to you all for a beautiful day of thanks. Love every minute of it, for those who can't.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
 

- Gilbert Keith Chesterton

How true is that? This has been an intense year for so many people. I've had the highest highs and the lowest lows, and everything in between ... but when we take the time to reflect about it all, the fact is, we're all such fortunate, blessed people to even take another breath every day. Add all the beauty, kindness, wonder, adventure and JOY that is possible in every moment and the only feeling that makes sense is gratitude. And gratitude is our glory, a sage guru beach woman said to me one day, out of the blue. I've never forgotten it, and try to carry that truth in my heart every day.

HAPPY Thanksgiving to you and yours ... I'm thankful for each and every one of you.

Give Thanks And Praises!

HAPPY Thanksgiving, dear People!




This is what today is all about. When you really think about it, there are absolutely too many blessings to even count. EVERY day.

I hope today finds you with loved ones, content. Jah bless!

Give. Thanks.

I am absolutely thankful every single day in Venice. I'm grateful to live in a place where our community cares for each other, for our surroundings, and staunchly supports human rights. Which is why I'm so extra bothered that this year's Feed The Beach, a Thanksgiving feast for the homeless, put on outside at Westminster for the last several years by Nina and James Merced of The Fruit Gallery, and pot-lucked by the entire neighborhood, was cancelled. CANCELLED!


Why? Because red tape and bureaucracy appear to be more important than humanity. The LA Health Department reared its head this year (Why? Neighbor complaints? Silly rules? General Grinch-ness?), and made it too difficult for the Merced's to overcome, with threats of fines, liability in case of someone getting food poisoning or something, seemingly impossible to get permits, and the usual governmental scare tactics. When James went to the Park & Rec to inquire about the permits, he was actually told, "It's illegal to feed the homeless". Now how anyone can even get their vocal chords to vibrate in such a manner to form those words, I'll never know. ILLEGAL to FEED the HOMELESS?! On THANKS - GIVING?!? Simply appalling.

There are plenty of opportunities to get out there and share what you have with those less fortunate. I strongly encourage you to do this at all times of the year, not just when these obvious holiday times roll around, but it's deeply sad that the uniquely Venice Feed The Beach won't be happening, just because our society has become so scared and litigious that we've lost sight of helping the hungry without homes. I keep hearing Einstein's quote in my mind these days, "Remember your humanity, and forget the rest". Perhaps the best advice ever.

All of this had me thinking, just WOW. REALLY?! as I did my daily beach walk the other day. It reminded me of an encounter I had a while back, rocking along the sand, totally immersed in Prince (Controversy), when I saw a Homeless Guy shuffling towards me, and in between us was a weird bird, one I've never seen before. It was in some kind of distress as it wasn't taking off the closer the Guy and I got to it. It had webbed feet like a duck, but normal bird black and white body, but then BRIGHT red eye circles around beady black eyes. The Guy and I nodded our chins at each other, and then passed on by.

A few feet later, we both turned around and looked back at the bird. He saw me turn and said something, that was drowned out by Prince. I took out my headphones and said, "Sorry, what?" He said, "I think he's hurt". I said, "I think so too". We both walked back and looked closer. The bird stayed put. A wave would come and push it along the sand, one time spinning it around so hard it was difficult to watch. The Guy said, "Maybe if I push it up a little bit with my shoe it won't get washed away?" As I was walking barefoot, I said, "Yeah, try that". He did, and it worked a little bit, but after some hissing and craning of the neck, the bird was still not moving. "I don't want it to peck at me if it's sick", said the Guy. "Yeah, me neither", I answered. "Maybe I should go tell the Lifeguard and they can call the Marine Animal people?" We pondered that while watching some more.

The Guy said, "I think he's exhausted from just trying to survive". We exchanged a glance that kind of felt like, "I know how he feels". It was an interesting understanding, and felt pretty heavy. He asked if I had any food to give the bird. I shrugged "Nope", as I didn't have much on, and no pockets. We stood silently for a moment, just watching the poor thing. Finally the Guy said, "I think I have a Vitamin E capsule in my backpack". Kind of random, but it was worth a shot. Energy, maybe? He dug the pill out of his bag, and walked over to place it on the sand in front of the bird.

All of a sudden, the thing went bezerk, flapping its wings and squawking like a maniac. It lifted off the ground and flew to the top of a wave, and then duck-dove under it like a surfer and was back in its element, like nothing ever happened! The Guy and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows and frowns, like "Hm. What do you know about that?" We watched the bird swim along for a moment, making sure he was cool. Once that seemed to be established, I shrugged and said, "Well ... Good Luck to us all!" The Guy smiled and said, "Yep, good luck to us all".

And on we three went. I think about that exchange often, but especially today, as we all prepare to gather and feast for the holidays, and hopefully, to share it all. In times like these, when feeding the homeless is "illegal" ... Well, Good luck to us all, indeed.

One more time ... Remember your humanity, and forget the rest!