Thursday, August 13, 2009

Contribute to the legal effort


Contributions to the legal effort to allow Overnight Parking Districts in Venice may be made by sending a check directly to our attorney:

John Henning, Attorney at Law
125 N. Sweetzer Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Please include the note: Venice Stakeholders Association / Venice OPD legal effort

Suggested amount: $100 to $250, though all contributions welcome. Contributions are unfortunately not tax deductible.

You may also use the Paypal button to contribute to this legal effort.


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Argonaut article

Residents group sues Coastal Commission over denial of permits for overnight parking restrictions

(Created: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 4:23 PM PDT)


Less than two months after the California Coastal Commission chose not to issue permits for overnight parking restrictions in five areas of Venice, a community residents group has filed a lawsuit challenging the state agency’s jurisdiction to approve such permits.

In its lawsuit filed against the Coastal Commission and City of Los Angeles in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday, August 10th, the Venice Stakeholders Association alleges that the commission failed to follow the California Coastal Act when it voted in June to deny coastal development permits for overnight parking districts (OPDs) on Venice streets.

Read entire article here:

http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2009/08/13/news_-_features/top_stories/2v.txt

LA Times article

Coastal Commission is sued over Venice parking permits

Proponents of restricted overnight parking say the commission failed to 'protect coastal waters' by refusing to rule on the proposal. Street parking is not in their jurisdiction, commissioners say.
By Martha Groves
August 11, 2009
A Venice group on Monday sued the California Coastal Commission over the group's request to limit overnight parking in five areas near Venice Beach where residents have complained for years about the growing number of people living in cars and campers.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, raises a fundamental issue: Does the state coastal panel have the legal authority to determine where people can and cannot park in coastal areas?

Full Story: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-venice-parking11-2009aug11,0,686516.story

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Lawsuit Press Release

Venice Stakeholders Association Files Lawsuit to Allow Overnight Parking Districts in Venice

(Venice, CA/August 10, 2009) The Venice Stakeholders Association (VSA) will today file a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to remove the California Coastal Commission from jurisdiction over overnight parking districts (OPDs) in Venice or, alternatively, compel approval of coastal development permits (CDPs) for such districts, to allow Venice residents to establish restricted parking on their streets from 2 AM to 6 AM by petition.

The suit identifies several instances when the Coastal Commission failed to follow the Coastal Act in its June denial of permits for overnight parking districts (OPDs) in Venice.

“The Coastal Commission has a legal mandate to protect coastal waters,” said Mark Ryavec, an officer of the VSA and 25-year coastal activist. “However, despite hearing of repeated instances of the owners of recreational vehicles leaking and/or dumping their sewage directly into yards, streets and storm drains, which drain directly to the ocean, the Commission failed to act to protect the coastal water.”

Noting that these vehicles should be in proper campgrounds with sewer connections, not on residential streets, Ryavec explained that the Commission would not allow apartment units to discharge sewage directly to the ocean. “Bizarrely, the Commission looked the other way when the issue of illegal discharges from RVs and campers was presented to them.”

The Coastal Act also requires the Commission to balance beach visitor needs with the quality of life of coastal residents. Ryavec said, “During its discussion of the matter, none of the Commission members made any effort to find that balance, even though its own staff had presented a balanced recommendation that significantly increased overnight parking for visitors.” The Commission rejected the staff recommendation out-right.

The most significant issue raised by the lawsuit is its conclusion that the Commission does not have legal authority over the OPDs in the first place and that no coastal development permits are required for overnight restricted parking.

“Santa Barbara, for example, bans RVs in the coastal zone and has never applied for a coastal development permit,” Ryavec said. “The key word here is ‘development.’ Parking restrictions and a few signs are not ‘development’ under the Coastal Act and they are not what the public thought it was adopting when we voted for the California Coastal Conservation Initiative in 1972.”

Ryavec noted that if CDPs are required for parking restrictions and street signs, then cities all along the coast are in violation of the Coastal Act for unpermitted signs that restrict parking for street sweeping and set time limits for parking in commercial areas, to name a few examples.
“Since the Commission did not follow the law and recommendations of its own staff, the residents of Venice have no choice but to ask the court to correct the situation,” Ryavec said.