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.

Venice Divided - The Town Hall Meeting On The Bridge Housing Project

There was a Town Hall meeting last night at Westminster Elementary School regarding the proposed Bridge Housing project. A heated mob rudely shouted over each other on both sides of the issue. Most likely shady politicians calmly took the heat. Nothing was resolved.

That could be the whole story right there, but, of course, it isn't. There are so many aspects to the homelessness CRISIS that you really could talk about it all night long - which we almost did. I got there at 4:30 to prepare for shooting the encounter for our upcoming documentary about income inequality and housing in Venice - 90291: Venice Unzipped, and the people of Venice certainly gave us the drama. I stayed until the last person had left, helping someone find their keys in the parking lot, after 11. I heard every word. I was emotionally drained at the end of the night, and frankly, kind of embarrassed. I've never seen my fellow townspeople behave so rudely. I get that it's a hot topic and people feel strongly about it all, but seriously, have some respect. Angry hordes tend to not make much progress, as we all witnessed last night. I truly thought Venice was better than this. But I'm getting ahead of myself. (And by the way, if this is how people act HERE, in "the coolest city in America", famous for its mellow vibes and wide open embrace of all things eclectic, then imagine how gnarly things must get in more conservative areas of the country. If this is how the collective citizenship thinks they can negotiate ANYTHING ... this country is doomed. For real.)

When we got there to set up cameras and stuff, there was already a line of people waiting to get into the auditorium. There were check-in tents and media vans and political booths and refreshment stands and an overflow seating area with a big screen set up that was nearly as big as the space inside. And it was all full. People in Venice CARE about this issue. Whether or not they care about the actual homeless human beings being discussed, which many in the house seemed not to at all. Some wore "Venice Fight Back!" shirts. Some wore "Recall Bonin!" shirts (very popular). Some wore "I walked here, I wasn't bused here!" shirts. ALL were very passionate about their point of view.

Earlier in the day I had met with Bill Attaway, and he told me he was going to this meeting too, and was "just going to listen". I took his lead on that, as I really don't know which side of this particular issue I come down on. I care deeply about the homeless crisis, because I have a lot of empathy in me, but also because, technically, I'M still kind of homeless. I got the boot from another jerk greedy landlord, and still haven't been able to bring myself to want to pay $3,000 a month for a studio with a hot plate. I often think about leaving Venice for this reason, but I think everyone who has ever read one of my stories knows how hard that would be for me to do. So I retain hope that some remaining cool landlord will have mercy and let me remain here, but last night that hope was even further dampened, when I realized so many people (mainly new ones that I don't know from the looks of it) care only about their property values and have never contributed significantly or meaningfully to Venice in any way other than paying their property taxes. There were also long-time residents who are just fed up with all the new encampments and crimes, but they should also be used to a lot of that by now. We've never been Brentwood - nor do we want to be. So many people there last night seemed to lack basic humanity that it was depressing. I'd go so far as to compare it to a disgusting Trump rally. SO rude. But I'm not interested in the problems as much as I am in the SOLUTIONS. Of which very few were offered at last night's mélee.

The thing was supposed to start at 6 p.m., but it's always Venice Standard Time, so at 6:30, there was only a room getting hotter, both literally and figuratively (In fact, "TURN ON THE A.C.!" was one of the most well-received chants of the night, with Garcetti cracking, "See, we can agree!"). A banner that garnered applause when it was unfurled read, "Venice - Where human poop and needles are part of the fun!" Finally, the moderator, Alex Cohen of Spectrum News, came up to explain the meeting's rules (which were fully ignored), and introduce Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, Councilman for District 11, Mike Bonin (who was greeted by chants of "Recall Bonin!" and was consistently booed all night), and LAPD Police Chief, Michel Moore. The atmosphere was hostile from the outset, and chants of "Venice Says No!" (with yells of "YES!" in the pause) drowned out the intro.

Both Garcetti and Bonin gave little speeches that were constantly interrupted by shouts of "LIES!" and still more BOOOOOs. Garcetti had a little slide show that broke down the homelessness issue into three parts: Trauma, Economic, and Health. That was just about the only time the real roots of the problem were addressed - again, with no solutions. Bonin said "Doing nothing is not an option," which is true, but it seems like no one is going to be able to agree on what the something that should be done is. The ONLY solutions I heard all night (Because the Bridge project is not a solution. It is merely a small attempt to stanch the bleeding temporarily.) were to turn the lot into a home for Venice's senior citizens who are being priced out after living here all their lives, and to build a tent type city in a parking lot at Dockweiler Beach, away from everyone. People brought up that Venice is now a "Containment City", but that tent city idea sounds a bit like an internment camp. And that's not who we are. But it was an attempt at a solution, which hardly anyone else could offer. They just shouted.

The proposed "A Bridge Home" project would be at the MTA lot site bordered by Pacific and Main. They want to build a bigass structure to house 154 homeless individuals there a block from the beach, that would only be there for 3 years, as the MTA has other plans for the site. That seems dumb to me. Why spend all kinds of dough on a band-aid idea that is only temporary? That makes no sense. Not wanting this project doesn't make you at all a bad person. But not caring about homeless human beings kind of does.

On the other hand, where would people propose that the homeless go? People were shouting "Palisades!" "Mar Vista!" "YOUR neighborhood!" ... but that's forgetting that it (so far) remains a free country, and how are you going to tell anyone that they HAVE to go to a certain area? What would these loudest, rudest mouths do if someone told THEM they HAD to go live in a particular spot? C'mon. That won't work.

Several people brought up that the project is located near three schools and they don't want their children near that. To them, I would ask, would you rather have them step over sleeping bodies on the sidewalks, as they do now, or have these people be inside a building, out of sight and reach? I would also again ask them, what if it was you? Where would be acceptable for you to go? I can tell you personally how quickly you can have the housing rug in Venice pulled out from under you, and suddenly you're one of them, if not for being reasonably sane, having a work ethic, and having great friendships and opportunities, you could be screaming about me. That's being for real. It COULD be you real easy.

A big part of the problem - or maybe the main part - is that the homeless population now is different than it was when I moved here almost half my life ago. Then you knew the homeless folks by name, and looked out for them. It was Dr. John. It was (and is) David Busch. It was (and is) Cam. It was the blonde lady (whose name I forget, sorry) who talked to herself and bummed smokes up and down Abbot Kinney all day. Harmless. Friends, actually. Now there is a much more menacing element - and many more of them than there ever was. They're actually scary, and I'm rarely scared in Venice. As one person put it, "How do you separate the transient tweakers from the down on their luck people?" It's impossible to speak of the homeless as one entity. There are meth heads who just want to party and choose to be homeless. There are teachers whose salaries don't cover L.A. rents. There are abused women and their children. There are the elderly whose social security covers almost nothing. There is me. How do you clump it all under one umbrella? You can't. And that's where compassion, empathy, and looking out for each other comes in. We are a COMMUNITY, after all. Please try to remember that. Remember how Venice used to have each others' backs. That has always been a source of pride to me in living here, and now I feel that it's almost as endangered here as affordable housing is. We can be better.

People were SO disrespectful to the elected officials, but even more sadly, to each other. The whole thing took so long because it was just constant yelling. People got kicked out. People got yelled at to "Shut up!" Some stood patiently in line to wait their turn to ask their questions, but were almost always shouted over, whatever they had to say. You can see it all yourselves, as multiple news outlets were present (and it's going in our movie). I was real disappointed by the disruptive behavior, and at one point it was all so upsetting I almost cried out loud. And I wasn't alone. Many people stood up to stare at and condemn the yellers, and many I talked to after spoke of choking up and getting chills themselves. This just isn't the Venice I know. And LOVE.

Garcetti and Bonin took it all, far more calmly and respectfully than I think anyone else in there could have been. That doesn't mean that they weren't evasive and talking in soundbites, never really offering a cohesive argument, and very much acting like it was a done deal. One person asked Garcetti pointedly, "How can we trust you to run our country?" (referring to rumors that the Mayor is going to run for President). He could obviously take the heat, but we want our leaders to be able to handle the big ideas, and Garcetti didn't come close to proving that. Bonin sat there like a punching bag all night (much of it deserved), being told by one angry Venetian, "You created it, Mike Bonin, no one else!" Obviously Bonin didn't create the homeless problem, but he's thus far done nothing to make it better for Venice (and STILL hasn't hooked up Jesse Martinez with the job to clean the Skatepark, as promised). When asked what percentage of people in the little survey he'd done about approval for this project, Bonin totally dodged, and was then told it was a paltry 5%. Hardly a majority of our community, and he should have fully expected this backlash. Chief Moore (who urged anyone who had a policing problem to email him at: Michel.Moore@LAPD.online - get ready Mr. Moore. I hope you really read them.) was the only one who came close to cracking at the abuse being thrown at him, telling one person to share their expertise after he shared his - Burn. There was a lot of dodging questions and "Hopefullys" going on from this group on stage, to which one person shouted, "Hope isn't a strategy!" True. And clearly multiple strategies are needed. Starting with the roots of the crisis. Income Inequality. Corporate and Individual Greed. Shady Politicians. The Idiocracy currently in office. Mental Health. The Opioid Crisis. Lack of Affordable Housing. And you know what? It's only going to get worse. Climate change. The 1%. On and on ... and nothing will improve if we can't even have a productive discussion about it ALL.

The questions went on forever, never getting any real answers. To their credit, the Mayor, Councilman, and Police Chief all stayed there once the public forum was over, answering any and all questions from the crowd that descended upon them afterward. For a looooong time. I don't think anyone left there satisfied, but it's like one resident told me after seeing my sad face, "It's like therapy, the first session is always terrible."

Small consolation, but the better feeling was when I finally made it back outside, and was greeted by a line of people having a candlelight vigil for the homeless, and for compassion. There was another big confrontation outside (with tens of police officers standing by, just in case), with Venice residents (wearing shirts proclaiming it so) getting mad that people in the vigil were from places like Eagle Rock, thus this Venice issue is none of their business. It got tense, and then - because some people still have grace and decorum - they found common ground. They shook hands. They hugged. They realized we're all in this big Los Angeles situation together. They found their humanity.

My favorite speaker of the night was a woman named Wendy Lockett (I believe I heard that right), who was born and raised in Venice, and is now homeless here herself. She took exception to all of the people clumping all homeless together in one big mess of disdain and dismissal. She was displaced by yet another dickhead landlord kicking out people to jack up prices for Air BNB visitors. She is connected to Venice. She doesn't want to be kicked out to the Palisades or Pacoima or anywhere else proposed  - who would? She calmly shut down people yelling during her time, and told how she cleans the beach every day, she has never left a needle behind, she has never defecated in a yard, she has never ripped off a bike, and she tells other homeless people making those kinds of problems to knock it off. She belongs here more than several newcomers who care nothing about being a contributing member of our community, and only want to live somewhere deemed "cool". They don't get it. They moved here without knowing what they were getting into, clearly, and think their money is suddenly going to turn this place into Brentwood. Sorry, it'll never happen. That's not who Venice has ever been, is, or wants to be.

Ms. Lockett ended her time - and I'll end mine here as well  - by saying, "Venice is supposed to be about Community and Love." Exactly. Please remember that, and look into your own hearts as we attempt to find solutions to this very sad crisis together - with respect, and yes - Love.

*Sorry this is so long. Believe me, the night was much longer. I need a drink.

It Takes A Village ... To Keep It A Village

I have to admit, I'd never attended a LUPC (Land Use and Planning Committee) meeting in Venice before October 2nd. I, like my friends and neighbors, was compelled to go in absolute opposition to the new hotel proposed at 1033 Abbot Kinney Boulevard. A HOTEL! What?! NO. That was the gist of the entire sitting and standing room only meeting at the Oakwood Rec Center, where even the youngest Venetians jammed in shoulder to shoulder to use their voices against yet another project determined to turn Venice all upscale and not Venice anymore.

Led by committee chair, Jake Kaufman, in a bit of an abrasive, tough guy manner ("If you even whisper, I'll point you out in front of everyone and ask you to leave."), it was clear that almost 100% of the folks in the room were there for the hotel issue, in the hopes of "Keeping Venice eclectic," which was mentioned several times. Outside you could hear the kids playing basketball and having fun after dark, which only added to the community aspect of it all.

The team behind the hotel, led by the new land owner, Dan Abrams, kept their presentation very short, and stood there with crossed arms and sullen faces while listening to what came in the next two hours. They seemed to think that it was a big deal that just that very afternoon, they decided to take the proposed fourth floor off of the project. They announced that change a couple hours before the meeting in an open letter on Yo Venice, in a move that smacked very much of the old trick where you ask for way bigger to come down to the scale that you really want in the first place. To seem like open guys, "listening to the community." Almost no one in there was buying it, or having it. Many said, "Disingenuous," about it all. When Abrams said, "A lot of people want nothing to go on this site - that is not an option." To which someone yelled out, "Yes, it is!" and everyone else clapped (and got scolded for it by Kaufman). The removal of the fourth floor also eliminated affordable housing that was originally included, something Venice NEEDS - far, far more than some posh boutique hotel.

This whole deal is still in the very early stages, which is why it was so heartening to see such a massive turnout for a preliminary meeting. Venice people know what they want - and what they for sure do NOT want - and they're not afraid to speak up.

All citizens were to be kept to a one minute speaking term, unless they respectfully asked for two, which many did. It was on a first name basis in there, and Tibby went first, setting the tone when she said, "I do NOT support this project," and surmised that committee member John Reed had already taken a side and was advocating for the project. It did feel like that as the night went along, as he kept sticking up for it all. Joan said that the "concession" to three floors is still absurd when all the other buildings are one story, and shows a lack of understanding of the community. A community of walkers, bikers, artists, and activists that already struggle with the congestion on Abbot Kinney, a main concern.

Dov read a letter from someone that couldn't be there and then said his own, and powerful, piece. "I'm TIRED of the poor being kicked out of Venice! This gentrification was funded by gang wars and crack cocaine!" He riled the place up, earning claps and shouts of agreement. Gail was opposed. She said Abbot Kinney is successful as a tourist attraction, but we don't want to become victims of that success. The PEOPLE gave it the color, diversity, and eclecticism that made it so, and they're being driven out. "All that will be left is an over-developed, congested, gridlocked mess ... I object to this project in TOTALITY." Lara was concerned about this development setting a precedent, and losing all the diversity of the neighborhood.

Joe, Antoinette, Chris, and many other voiced concerns that the hotel was going to be across the street from an elementary school, and with a roof-top bar, pool and transient hotel guests, it might not be the best idea to have all that swirling around little kids. Everyone seemed to agree on that.

Traffic was a major issue, and most speakers mentioned it. As a hotel, there will be 24 hour deliveries (which I'm sure the close neighbors will love - never mind the ages of construction it would all take), and loading docks blocking traffic on Electric, an already extra-narrow thoroughfare. Caskey spoke eloquently about how when she moved here 18 years ago ("and still consider myself a newbie"), she loved that she could ride bikes down the boulevard to the beach, but she would never dream of taking her young boys down the street on bikes now, with all the traffic and oblivious tourists ALREADY here, and this will only make it way worse. "The tourist money doesn't stay here, and it will only detract from the Venice we love ... Expect to hear from us." Word.

Parking was another biggie, and almost all mentioned it. Where are all the employees going to park? Where will the people go to park that don't want to pay high hotel parking prices? Into the neighborhoods, that's where. It's already difficult for people who live adjacent to AKB to find parking anywhere near their homes, and this will, of course, only exacerbate the problem. Steve and many more mentioned that they already avoid the street at all costs, which is sad when you figure it is there for US first. Or should be.

The open letter from the owners said that Venice "needs" a hotel. One prepared speaker named Lisa did some quick research before she came and told us that there are 35 (!) hotels in a 2 mile radius, so yeah, we don't need it. One guy whose name I missed said, "This is a NOT in my backyard situation. This is our village, and this project will fundamentally shift the vibe of our town. No." Another guy said, "You walk down Abbot Kinney and you think, 'I wish I had a cup of coffee.' No one says, 'I wish I had a hotel.' This project is pure arrogance." Yep.

Danny was recently in Amsterdam, and was impressed at how developers there built things to conform to the historical nature of the area, which these guys should emulate. "Venice is in crisis now, this is a wonderful area that we want to preserve." Amen.

Logan said "We do NOT want this place to turn into the 3rd Street Promenade," which was echoed by David. Angelo said that if the hotel people were FOR community, they would never have even THOUGHT about putting a hotel there, and that he saw "No way to solve these problems in that location." Kim said she was opposed to a hotel that would cater to the wealthy. "Everything coming in is high end. I own two stores on Abbot Kinney (the lovely and reasonably priced Ananda and Skylark, proudly NOT corporate chain stores) and I can't afford to buy a house here. All my employees walk to work, but they're finding it hard to afford to even rent an apartment here anymore." That isn't right. That isn't Venice.

Marta asked for a show of hands opposing the hotel, and almost every hand went up. She said, "We, as Venetians, get to choose the character of our community!" and felt that the hotel group were making their "concessions" because of the pressure they're getting, not because it's what's right to do. She then plunked down over 100 letters of opposition in front of the committee for good measure. Bam!

There were maybe three or four people who spoke that were for the project, and at least two of them felt like total plants. One was so gushy about it, you'd think a Nobel Prize was next for people who want to put up a boxy, fancy hotel in a surf, skate, art neighborhood. She said, "I'm 100% in favor of this, and we don't need to hear another 'No' tonight," to which the entire place drowned out anything else she said after in a chorus of "NOOOOOOs!" It was kind of great, a very power to the people moment. Both Abrams and Kaufman said at different points in the evening, "Not to sound sarcastic (which it did) but if you don't like it, tell your neighbors not to sell." True enough (DON'T SELL!!!), but it came off as a screw you.

When all had spoken, the hotel team had a chance to respond. That was the "Then don't sell" time, and Abrams said he had bought the property before someone else - that didn't care as much - came in to build BIG without any regard for the community, and if they didn't get to build their hotel, they'd sell to someone who would. To that, someone radly yelled, "Don't threaten us!" More claps. When Abrams said, "We want to do something in the context and reality of Venice's future," that got maybe two claps. They ended with "We're listening and we hear you and we want to work with you, thank you." That might be true, but in demeanor and tone, it felt like some pandering to get what you want.

At the end, one guy said, "Look us in the eye and say you're going to do the right thing. Honor this exceptional community." Another lady said, "This project is NOT inevitable. We care. We fight. We are active activists. This is NOT a given, and CAN be stopped!" That got big applause, in solidarity.

And it can be stopped. As someone said, "Nowhere else do you see a community coming together like this. This is Venice, and our community is authentic." We all milled around in the lobby after the hotel part of the meeting was done and discussed it all. No one likes that it seems to be a matter of "Old, crazy Venice" vs. "Nouveau riche Venice," because time and money spent do not make the spirit of a place. A thoughtful population - from 50 years to 50 days living here - that honors the past, respects its beautiful diversity of residents in all income brackets (including none), and looks forward in a cool, conscientious manner is what makes a place great. We still have that, and we WILL fight for it. There will be more meetings, debate and votes about this, and we will be there. Defend Venice!

*You can learn more for yourself at AbbotKinneyHotel.com and at http://www.venicenc.org/committees/lupc

** Additional photos by Marta Evry and Mario Signore

Venice Art Walking

This past weekend was the big annual Venice Art Walk, (to benefit the Venice Family Clinic) where we remember that Art is what made Venice so special to us in the first place. As the popular T-shirt goes, "Venice: Where Art Meets Crime". Crime was somewhat in effect, with a rumored mugging in broad daylight near the French Market, but it otherwise may have gone unnoticed, as super dang windy as it was. WHOOOOOOSH!

But that didn't stop hordes of art lovers from coming out to take it all in.


I always like to start at Westminster School, where the silent auction takes place. It's cool because you can see around 400 pieces in one spot, see what you like, and then head out to the studios of many of the auction's featured artists to see where they create their works. I always thought the school part was free to walk through, but I guess it's not. They might want to open just that School part up (for people to look at, and if they want to bid, then pay?), to make some of it accessible to all Venice residents, not just ones who can cough up the steep admittance fee. It is the biggest fundraiser for the essential Venice Family Clinic, so I get it, but if our community is about art, art can also be about the community sometimes. You never know how your next big collector will start out. The school yard is open to all, and has food tents, live music, and mingling about, but if it's art you're into, you have to go inside.


It can be a bit hard to tell what the pieces will look like in a home vs. hanging on a rather blah elementary school wall, but you do your best.


Some of the works had no bids at all next to them (for good reason) and some of them were clearly going to require hand to hand combat to obtain. Beach and Venice-centric pieces are very popular, as are pop culture ones, like Shepard Fairey's skateboarder and Jaws surf spot ones.


That's a cool thing about the Silent Auction part ... one piece will be by your quiet neighbor that you didn't even know was an artist, and the next will be by Ed Ruscha. No zoning.


It's a big job to amass it all and get it hung and sorted, and the whole thing is by and for the Venice Family Clinic, probably the most important cause we can give to in this town, especially in times like these when health insurance is a luxury many can't afford.


Once you do the laps of up and downstairs at the school, it's off to the artist studios you've starred in your guide. It's very cool to be invited into these hallowed spaces where people create their expressions in so many different mediums and vibes. There's the real messy ones, with paint everywhere. The real anal pristine ones where you wonder how anything ever gets done. There's the ones that artists live and work in, and the ones that are strictly showrooms. It's kind of telling as to the art and the artist themselves, if you think about it (and I do).


Highlights for me were the studio (and stories) of rock photographer Guy Webster - Wow. The vivid photography of Gjelina's own Robert Schwan. The colorful maze of the "Milwood Mansions" (Scott Mayers residence).


The Venice beachiness of Jay Mark Johnson's trippy "Spacetime" photography. The live painted naked lady drawing quite a crowd in front of the window of the 99 High Art Collective. The very realistic and cool tree sculpture by Pontus Willfors. All of it is interesting, some of it is just more to my taste ... as it goes with any kind of art.


I really missed "The Eclectic Collector" this year, the craziest house in the world, that I brag about the rest of the year. Where were you, E.C.?! Instead, a really great treat this year was the Neighborhood Numbnuts exhibition put on by local raconteur Alan Shaffer, who has been part of the legendary Venice gang of Bell, Conal, Dill, Edge, and Moses since time began, pretty much. His fantastic photos documenting his years of running around with this bunch were all over the walls of Capri restaurant, along with a piece by each guy photographed. Alan was there to tell stories about each, and there are so many that we're just going to do his own story here very soon.


Of all the art I saw, the ones I most want to organize a heist around are the gorgeous wood stain paintings of music icons by local artist, Justin Herber, on display at The Other Room. Bob Dylan is the one I most covet (Happy Birthday, Bob! 69!), but each one is just jaw- droppingly great. Jimi. Billie. Louis. Willie. Mick. Each of them are all the way up my alley, and you should check them out immediately. Love.


You could really use a solid week to get around and not just see it all, but hear about it all, as every piece of art has a story, and I'm all about the story. It's a great day to be out and about and bump into your local characters and neighbors, so many that you end up chatting and not getting to see it all before it shuts down for the year. And that's all part of the fun. I look forward to this weekend each year, where Venice once again becomes all about the Art - and celebrates that in its every nook and cranny.