Friday, October 23, 2015

We Need a Little Help from Our Friends

This is a request for donations.

We have succeeded in defeating the City's and County's attempts to have the court dismiss our suit against them for maintaining a dangerous public nuisance in the Venice Beach Recreation Area and along the Boardwalk.  A trial is scheduled for early December.

Their effort caused our attorneys to work night and day to prepare the legal briefs, which were voluminous, to oppose the City's and County's legal arguments.

The City Attorney and County Counsel are supported by your tax dollars. 

The VSA, on the other hand, has to raise every dollar we pay our attorneys.

This last effort, while successful, has resulted in a bill for tens of thousands of dollars.

If you agree the situation along the Boardwalk is a travesty for residents and visitors alike and would like to help the VSA keep up the pressure on the City and County to clean-up Venice Beach, please make a contribution, in any amount.

Checks payable to the Venice Stakeholders Association should be sent to the VSA at 1615 Andalusia Avenue, Venice, CA 90291.

All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you.





Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Venice Beach Public Nuisance Case Heads to Trial

Court Rejects City and County’s Motions 
for SummaryJudgement


This morning Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon denied motions by the City and County of Los Angeles to dismiss the Venice Stakeholders Association lawsuit which alleges that the City and County have maintained a public nuisance on their park land, parking lots and the Boardwalk at Venice Beach.

In the decision the Court cited legal authority which included:


“Government liability under Government Code section 815 et seq. may be
nuisances per se,… Such an action would not force the City to prosecute others for
nuisance on private property, but rather require the City to take action as is
necessary so that it no longer suffers a nuisance on its own property.”

 

Venice Stakeholders applauds today’s Court decision:
 

“We are heartened by the Court’s support of our position that the City and County have a
legal responsibility to abate the nuisance which they are allowing to exist in the Venice Beach Recreation Area (VBRA),” said Mark Ryavec, president of the Stakeholders. “Just like all other owners who are responsible for their property, the City and County need to be held responsible to residents for the harm we experience.”
 

Ryavec noted that an award of monetary damages could even be used to allow residents to hire private security to protect themselves and their families from assaults, break-ins,
trespass and defecation and urination on their private property which result from people
illegally living in or storing their possessions on nearby public park land.