Motion from LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz calls for banning the building of any new gas pumping facilities

By Sam Catanzaro

Since Petaluma, California became the first city in the US to prohibit new gas stations last year, a handful of local governments are taking similar steps, including now Los Angeles potentially.

The California cities of Rohnert Park and Sebastopol have passed similar policies while Windsor, Cotati and Santa Rosa all have legislation in development. These cities are all part of a group called the SAFE City movement. Until last week, none of the member cities had a population over 200,000 (Santa Rosa’s population is just under 180,000). Now, however, Los Angeles could join the group as the campaign’s first metropolis. 

Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz, who represents District 5 including Century City and Westwood, last week announced that his office is helping draft legislation that would ban the construction of new gas stations in Los Angeles. 

“We are ending oil drilling in Los Angeles. We are moving to all-electric new construction. And we are building toward fossil fuel free transportation. Our great and influential city, which grew up around the automobile, is the perfect place to figure out how to move off the gas-powered car,” Koretz said. 

While Koretz did not indicate when a draft ordinance would be coming, his office said that he hopes to “see the policy continue to advance by the end of 2022,” as reported by California Globe. 

It should be noted that while news broke on this potential ban last week following a press release from SAFE Cities, Koretz submitted his motion calling for a ban on new gas stations in May of 2021. 

“The transportation industry is undergoing a dramatic transition away from fossil fuels and toward zero emission vehicles, and an extensive network of long-established fueling infrastructure must be updated to adapt to and benefit from this new market,” reads the motion. “In addition to significantly expanding the availability of electric vehicle chargers, it is prudent to begin a transition away from gasoline and natural gas (methane) fueling stations by halting the building of any new facilities and enabling the provision of zero-emissions fueling alternatives.” 

The motion since May of 2021 has been sitting in the Planning and Land Use Management Committee. 

Among the proposal’s supporters are the Westside Neighborhood Council and the North Westwood Neighborhood Council.  

“Adding new gas stations in Los Angeles not only would contribute to climate change worldwide and run against the City’s climate goals, but would also harm those who live nearby,” the North Westwood Neighborhood Council said in its letter of support. “California has over 7,500 gas stations and Los Angeles over 550, so the current number more than serves the needs of Angelenos. Moreover, the ordinance would allow current stations to adapt by adding electric-vehicle chargers and would continue to permit non-fuel services like convenience stores and carwashes.” 

Support for a ban on new gas stations, however, is not universal. Jose Merida, a transportation consultant for several cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Panama, told the Globe that while Koretz’s “heart is in the right place”, the “change needs to be gradual.”

“I agree more electric cars are good because that’s where the future is going, but a change needs to be gradual. A lot of cities are installing electric charging stations and giving incentives for a gradual change, because most people want to let their current car run its course. Cars are expensive so that change won’t happen overnight, especially in low-income areas,” Merida told the Globe. “It may seem trivial, building new gas stations. But once they start to close or move, and other things like that, and the people aren’t ready, people will be demanding them. I don’t Koretz realizes this for a city the size of LA. His heart is in the right place with the environment, but he’s not exactly being the most friendly to the residents on this one. Gradual change works. Sudden change, well, it never works well when it comes to environmental regulations. It’s why leaded gas and DDT sprays had to go out gradually.”

The post Banning Construction of New Gas Stations in Los Angeles? appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Marlon Moody sentenced to one year in federal prison in addition to $7.5K fine 

A former cargo handling company employee at Los Angeles International Airport was sentenced Monday to 12 months in federal prison for stealing four gold bars that were part of a larger shipment headed from Australia to New York.

Marlon Moody, 39, of South Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also ordered him to pay a fine of $7,500.

Moody pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of an interstate or foreign shipment.

A co-defendant, Brian Benson, 36, also of South Los Angeles, also pleaded guilty in July 2021 to the same charge.

Both men worked for Alliance Ground International (AGI), a company that provided ground handling services at LAX. On the evening of April 22, 2020, a shipment of gold bars arrived at LAX on Singapore Airlines. A total of 2,000 gold bars, each weighing one kilogram and valued at approximately $56,000, were being shipped at the direction of a Canadian bank. During a stopover at LAX, the gold was offloaded and secured, but an inventory that evening showed one box containing 25 gold bars was missing.

Moody found the missing box of gold bars near the Singapore Airlines cargo warehouse on the morning of April 23, placed the box on a belt loader and drove that vehicle to a nearby location, where he removed four of the bars. Soon after, Benson arrived to pick up Moody in a company van, where they exchanged text messages about the gold bars because other employees were in the van. The two defendants later left the airport and went to a nearby parking lot, where Moody gave Benson one of the four gold bars.

The lost box with the 21 remaining gold bars was discovered by other cargo handlers later on April 23, and authorities began an investigation that ultimately led to Moody and Benson.

Moody gave one gold bar to a relative on May 4 “and directed the family member to exchange the gold bar for a vehicle and/or money,” according to court documents. Around this time, Moody buried the remaining two gold bars in the backyard of his residence.

The FBI recovered all four gold bars about two weeks after they went missing from LAX.

“[Moody] conspired to steal and actually stole $224,000 worth of gold and kept $112,000 worth for himself,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “As an AGI employee, defendant was entrusted with handling cargo shipments at LAX and granted access to certain sections of the airport. [Moody] squandered that trust by stealing from those who relied on him to handle their property.”

Benson served a four-month prison sentence for the crime he committed in this case.

The post Former LAX Cargo Handler Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Four Gold Bars appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Local news and culture in under 5 minutes.
* Jetpack Mystery Object Spotted Flying By Pilot Near LAX
* L.A City Council Votes Tentative Minimum Increase For Healthcare Workers
All this and more on today’s show was made possible by Santa Monica College.

The post Jetpack Mystery Object Spotted Flying By Pilot Near LAX: YO! Venice Show – June 27th, 2022 appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Prior property demolished at 2467-2472 Lincoln Boulevard

By Dolores Quintana

Venice Community Housing Corp. has begun construction of a new development at 2467-2472 Lincoln Boulevard as reported by Urbanized Los Angeles. There was formerly a small commercial building on the property that was recently demolished to make way for a development whose purpose is to provide permanent supportive housing. 

The project is for a four-story building with a ten-car garage. The development would also have supportive services onsite. 

Studio One Eleven is the designer of the project and is a mix of 90 studio units and one and two-bedroom apartments. The project will also build a plaza that will face Lincoln Boulevard and will have private yards for the units and an interior courtyard. 

The project is also apparently mixed-use and has been dubbed, “The Journey”. The development’s budget is estimated to be $28.6 million according to a report from Housing Department staff. The Journey is partially funded by Measure HHH among other sources.

The post Site Cleared for Venice Affordable Housing Development on Lincoln appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Six-story development underway near the intersection of National and Canfield

By Dolores Quintana

Helio has begun construction on a new project in Palms as reported by Urbanize Los Angeles. It is a multifamily residential project which will replace three single family homes and a triplex at 3301 Canfield, near the intersection of National and Canfield Avenue. 

The new complex will be six stories tall and contain 50 three bedroom units with parking for 25 vehicles. This development will be taking advantage of Transit Oriented Communities Incentives which will allow the six story building in the area which would normally go against current zoning ordinances. The developers will have to reserve five of the units in the complex for extremely low income level renters as deed restricted affordable housing. 

Reed Architectural Group designed the project and according to Urbanize Los Angeles, the building is composed of five levels of wood framing that sit about a concrete podium. The design is of the immensely popular contemporary low rise structure and will include several outdoor decks and a gym as resident amenities.

The post Construction Begins for 50-Unit Palms Development appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Developer announces complete of West End at Pico and Overland

Developer HLW, on behalf of GPI Companies and in partnership with Del Amo Construction, has announced the completion of West End, a $180 million total adaptive reuse project of the former Westside Pavilion Macy’s department store. 

Located at the intersection of West Pico Boulevard and Overland Avenue, the mixed-use development repurposes approximately 240,000 square feet of shuttered retail space into a creative office campus. 

“Adaptive reuse of the former Westside Pavilion Macy’s preserves an urban fabric that a generation of Angelenos associate with the memories of time spent with family and friends at the mall” said Sejal Sonani, Principal and Managing Director at HLW, which provided architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture services for the project. She continues, “West End is also an impressive case study on repurposing underperforming and abandoned malls throughout the country. HLW is elated to have provided this new space to the thriving urban community of West LA.”

The redevelopment of West End began in late 2016 and became a catalyst for the repositioning of the balance of the former Westside Pavilion into a 584,000-square-foot Google office campus. 

“Transformative adaptive reuse projects such as West End are always exciting for the Del Amo Construction team, as they’re not only technically complex, but also bring new life to neighborhoods and provide spaces that will better serve future generations,” said Mitch Hudson, Chief Operations Officer at Del Amo Construction, which oversaw the retail-to-office conversion and site utility work. 

The company also assisted with installing seismic upgrades, a glass curtain wall system, and extensive landscaped courtyard areas, as well as building a new 1,000-car parking structure.

While maintaining the architectural style and integrity of the existing structure, the team divided the building into two sections with a 52-foot-wide courtyard extending north to south from Pico Boulevard to the parking structure, adding open lobbies and generous balconies to connect the two halves and creating a seamless indoor-outdoor connection. The ground plane was pushed down one level below the street, creating a light-filled courtyard at the lower plaza level. The building’s façade, previously sealed to the exterior, is retrofitted with ample expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass.

The post Redevelopment Complete of Former Westside Pavilion Macy’s appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Bonin one of three dissenting votes on law prohibiting individuals from assembling or disassembling bicycles in public. 

By Sam Catanzaro

Los Angeles City Council this week passed a law prohibiting individuals from assembling or disassembling bicycles in public. 

The motion, originally introduced by Councilmember Joe Buscaino, passed City Council Tuesday with a 9-3 vote. 

“Operating a for-profit enterprise on public streets intended for transportation and access is not an unavoidable consequence of being homeless. Every other business in the city is subjected to numerous restrictions and regulations that business owners must comply with, and this ordinance is no different,” Buscaino said in a statement following the Tuesday vote.

The dissenting votes came from Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Nithya Raman, Curren Price and Mike Bonin. Bonin, who represents Venice and much of the Westside, was not immediately available for comment.  

The ordinance is modeled on a Long Beach law prohibiting the assembly, disassembly, sale, offer of sale, and distribution of bicycles and bicycle parts on public property.

Buscaino says his law is intended to prevent bicycle chop shops, in which individuals disassemble stolen bicycles and sell the parts on sidewalks and other public spaces. He argues the ordinance would give the Los Angeles Police Department a “necessary tool” to decrease the number of bicycle thefts in the city. 

Under the proposed ordinance, which must be signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti before becoming law, a “chop shop” is defined as a place containing:

• three or more bicycles
• a bicycle frame with the gear cables or brake cables cut
• two or more bicycles with parts missing
• five or more bicycle parts.
• The law does not apply to a person in possession of a single bicycle, which is being repaired as a result of a malfunction that occurred while they rode the bicycle. 

“The sole purpose of the repair shall be to restore the Bicycle to its operational form and enable the Person to resume riding the Bicycle,” reads the ordinance. 

In addition, the law does not apply to an individual operating under a valid City business license or permit authorizing such activities.

The post LA City Council Approves Bicycle ‘Chop Shop’ Ban appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

17-year-old was convicted and sentenced to five to seven months in a juvenile probation camp

By Dolores Quintana

A woman from Venice who was hit by a teenage driver under the influence is angered by the sentence that the young driver received for the crime as reported by ABC.com. The woman, who asked to be identified only by her first name, was hit by the teenage driver from Palmdale while walking with her child’s stroller and the incident was captured on video. 

The 16-year-old resident of Palmdale was driving a rental car without a license, while under the influence and on probation for a previous incident who then attempted to flee the scene. The victim, Rachel, said, as quoted by ABC 7.com “He hit us. He had no intention of stopping. He did slow down after he hit us and I believe that’s because he saw the oncoming truck that ended up ramming him into the telephone pole.”

The video showed the car striking the woman and the stroller with her eight-month-old child in August of 2021. 

Rachel said, as quoted by ABC 7.com, “I’d like to believe that somebody… that I don’t know wouldn’t just try to intentionally kill me and my child, but once I learned on Sunday that the kid had a prior felony charge for poisoning a girl in his high school, there’s just no doubt. The mental toll on me is just, it’s really hard to wrap your head around somebody just trying to kill you.”

She believes that the incident wasn’t an accident and according to her, the teen was tested for drugs on the spot and the test revealed that the teen had marijuana and Xanax in his system. 

Rachel’s injuries were a laceration to her back and she had the need for stitches on her right elbow to close a wound. Her child had a tire mark on his head and did not suffer a more serious injury but was subject to day and night terrors for a couple of months after the crash. 

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office charged the driver, who is still a minor, with one count of felony leaving the scene and two counts of felony assault. The 17-year-old was convicted and sentenced to five to seven months in a juvenile probation camp. 

The victim had supported Gascón in the election and voted for him, but now backs the attempt to recall Gascón because of her feelings about how Gascón prosecuted the case. In her opinion, the punishment for the teenager’s crime is “laughable”. 

Rachel said, as quoted by ABC 7.com, “I think everybody can agree that we need to reform the system in a big way, but, I don’t understand why there can’t be law and order and reform at the same time. Why does it have to be one or the other?”

The office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascón responded to this allegation on Twitter and said that misinformation has circulated about the incident and that there’s no evidence of “attempted murder.”

Gascon’s official Twitter account said, as quoted by ABC 7.com, “Unfortunately, opponents are attempting to capitalize on this incident & are using the victim to advance the false premise that this sentencing is tied to the DA’s criminal reform policies. The truth is our office simply followed California law.”

Rachel told Eyewitness News ABC 7.com that because of what happened and her feelings that justice was not served along with her feeling that she is no longer safe, she and her family will move out of Los Angeles county. 

The office of the LA County District Attorney Gascón told ABC 7.com that they are aware that this will affect Rachel for the rest of her life along with her family and that Victim Services has reached out to offer assistance.

The post Venice Victim of Vehicular Crime Blames Gascón for Light Sentencing appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

By Jeff Hall

Federal Judge David O. Carter is a hero, as far as I’m concerned. 

He essentially forced the City of Los Angeles to settle a lawsuit with the LA Alliance for Human Rights regarding the need to provide shelter for LA’s homeless population. 

I think it’s pretty clear that without Judge Carter’s intervention, our elected officials would never have figured this out on their own. The suit had been dragging out for years.

As a result of the recent settlement on housing the homeless, 16,000 housing units will built at a cost of $3 billion. But is this even enough housing? And is this really the best use of money?

As noted above, the city settlement with LA Alliance for Human Rights calls for 16,000 housing units to house the homeless, but there are an estimated 66,000 homeless individuals spread across LA County. Assuming one homeless person per new unit, where will the other 50,000 homeless individuals go? 

Also, if $3 billion will help subsidize 16,000 units, it seems like we haven’t made much progress when it comes to the economics of providing housing. The original $1.2 billion in HHH money is projected to net us around 5,000 units. 

While these subsidies don’t cover the entire cost of providing housing – the developers have to find additional money elsewhere — $3 billion for 16,000 units sounds like it will result in roughly the same cost per unit as what we’ve been building in recent years, which we all agree is too high. 

I think the idea of putting a cap of $350,000 per unit is completely reasonable. I think providing decent temporary shelter, including tiny homes, is the quick and smart way to get started. Spending all these billions for too few units has never made sense to me. We need to think bigger if we are to actually solve this problem. 

There is some discussion floating around that every City Council district will need to provide housing for its fair share of the homeless, based on the number of homeless already living in each district.

In the grand scheme of things, Brentwood has been far less impacted than other Westside communities, particularly Venice Beach. Homeowners and renters in Venice universally feel they have absorbed more than their fair share of the homeless population and all the problems that attach to that. Homeless people show up from all over the country, not just from across L.A.

It’s reasonable to expect someone at some point – likely our next city council representative – will ask Brentwood (and other CD11 communities) to find room to absorb some of the homeless from Venice and other Westside neighborhoods. 

Should this request – or edict – be forthcoming, how will Brentwood respond? Even if we are willing to do our fair share, where in Brentwood will we put housing for the homeless? There aren’t a lot of obvious locations (although the Munger property stands out as having potential). 

Maybe this will never come to pass (that Brentwood will be asked to find a location for housing for the homeless), but I think it’s something we need to at least start thinking about. At some point, all the vague talk about providing shelter and services for the homeless must be translated into reality. That means getting very specific. Where will we put the homeless? 

I still think there is a Palmdale option that should be considered. 

Back in 1968, the City of Los Angeles bought 17,000 acres in Palmdale for the purpose of building an airport. The idea was to anticipate population growth in the region and relieve pressure from LAX. The airport never got built and the land is still there (mostly used for agricultural purposes).

I recently Googled around, looking for a city with a population of 66,000 – the same as LA County’s homeless population. I wanted to get my head around the magnitude of the challenge we face. As it turns out, Palo Alto, where I used to live, has a population of 66,000. I know Palo Alto well; to drive from one side of Palo Alto to the other can easily take 20 minutes. 

Palo Alto is 26 square miles. As it turns out, 17,000 acres (the land the city owns in Palmdale) equates to almost exactly 26 square miles. All of Santa Monica is 8.4 square miles (but it’s also much denser than Palo Alto; Santa Monica has 90,000 inhabitants). Let’s say, for the sake of argument, we need at least five square miles of land in LA devoted to housing for the homeless. That’s a lot of land in a town that’s already overbuilt.

Yes, there are parking lots here and there. And there are surely old buildings in need of rehabbing. And there are more vacancies at office buildings and retail locations these days, because so many are now working from home and shopping online. So some of these locations could become available for housing the homeless. 

But it seems to me finding one place here and another place there is going to be a very expensive and very time-consuming process. Meanwhile, the homeless will continue to suffer – and die – on the streets. 

If we took advantage of the free land we have in Palmdale, we could create a city for many of LA’s homeless, with several villages within this city. One village could be for those in need of drug rehab; another could be for senior citizens; another could be for single mothers with children; another could be for the seriously mentally disturbed; another could be a sober-living village; another could be for those who just need a little help to get back on their feet. There is no “one size fits all” solution.

We could centralize water, sanitation, shelter, mental health services, medical care, food, showers, job training, security, transportation and everything else that’s needed for a city. As members of the homeless population become ready, they can be reintegrated into society. But some should remain institutionalized, it’s clear. We could build needed mental health facilities in Palmdale, as well. 

I proposed this Palmdale idea in an earlier column some months back, and some emailed me to say I’m a NIMBY, anti-homeless, etc. Many more said what I was proposing just made common sense. Using existing land that’s already paid for is surely more cost-effective than buying up land or existing properties. 

Wanting to do something about homelessness is one thing. Actually providing the shelter will be another. Very soon, it will finally be time to become very practical and very specific. Where will we put all the homeless in need of shelter – especially if we have to do this city council district by city council district? If we somehow acquired all the available locations within CD11 – not including parks and beaches – would that be enough to get all of CD11’s homeless into shelter?

CD11 is obviously limited when it comes to open land. I’m not sure how many commercial buildings could be converted into housing. Meanwhile, why is Palmdale not a reasonable option? We could move on that quickly and for far less money. The homeless could begin their recovery journey as developers figure out how to buy, convert and rehab existing buildings within the city. Leaving homeless individuals on the streets for years at a time has always seemed to me to be the cruelest policy of all.

Got other ideas that might work? Please send them to jeffhall@mirrormediagroupla.com.

The post Column: Where Will We Shelter the Homeless? appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

By Nick Antonicello

The results for the June 7^th Primary continue to trickle-in with not much change: 

• In that special runoff primary for the legislature to succeed Autumn Burke, Democratic activist Tina McKinnor has expanded her lead, with 30,721 to Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles 27,558. Even though Pullen-Miles is winning the primary for the new term, it will be a blow for his campaign financially if McKinnor assumes the remainder of Burke’s term which seems apparent, and thus he would be challenging an incumbent of sorts. 
  •  Editor’s Note: Tina McKinnor won the runoff vacancy for Burke’s unexpired term
• Sheriff Alex Villanueva is holding firm at 30.86% to Long Beach Chief Robert Luna’s 25.88%. In the raw vote, Villanueva leads 443,789 to 372,245 but the rest of the field will probably endorse Luna which leaves Villanueva fighting for his political life in places not Venice. 
• In the race for LA Mayor US Representative Karen Bass continues to grow her lead over developer Rick Caruso, 42.87% to 36.33%. That is bad news for Caruso unless he can pickup the support of Kim Vignola and some others to offset the support of Bass by Mike Feuer as well as Kevin de Leon. Again, this will be a nail-biter come the fall with a slight advantage to Bass. 
• In the very interesting race for LA City Attorney, it has tightened considerably with Faisal Gill still in the lead with 23.86% (130,892) with Marina Torres, who many believed was the frontrunner holding on for dear life at 19.94% (109,287) as Hydee Feldstein-Soto is surging with 19.90% of the vote (109,114), just 173 votes out of second to qualify for the runoff.Read my piece on Hydee in www.yovenice.com where she was impressive, capable, qualified, bilingual and ready-to-serve! 
• In the race to succeed Mike Bonin in the 11^th CD, Venice native and tenant protections attorney Erin Darling is increasing his share of the vote (34.56%) as well as the lead with 22,036. I’m shocked by his showing given the money advantage (10-1) of Traci Park and getting into the contest so late. The low turnout (less than 20%) was also shocking given the avalanche of direct mailings and money spent in the June 7^th Primary. Venice employment attorney Traci Park remains in second with 29.11% of the vote or 18,561. Greg Good, who enjoyed heavy labor support and the endorsement of the LA Democratic Party remains in third with 9.9% of the vote or 6,315. Allison Holdorff-Polhill remains fourth with 8.69% of the vote or 5,540 and Venice attorney, Dad and former VNC President Mike Newhouse is at 7.1% or 4,526 votes. Bringing up the rear is VNC President Jim Murez with 4.99% or 3,180 and Westchester Republican/Conservative Mat Smith, a US combat veteran with 3.96% or 2,526 votes. Coming in last is Venice HS teacher and former track coach Soni Lloyd who spent no money and received 1.69% of the vote or 1,079. Almost as stunning as the Darling first-place finish with a Mike Bonin endorsement no less is just what happened to the some 26,000 who signed the petition to recall Mike Bonin? How many of these recall signers even bothered to vote? It seems they were content getting Bonin out of the race, but not that interested or motivated to select his successor, leaving that to those who did vote. So the challenge for both Darling and Park is how do you get to 50.1% come November? For Darling, some 65% of voters did not select him on June 7^th and he needs to figure out how he gets that additional 15% to his total. In the case of Park, some 70% did not vote for her in the primary and she needs to find about 21% to win come November in a race where literally every vote counts. For even the endorsement of Soni Lloyd and his 1,079 votes could be the difference between victory and defeat. That moderate/middle vote of both AHP and Newhouse accounts for roughly 10,000 votes, and that again could be the place where the two finalists mine for support. While Good’s 6,315 votes are a third-place finish which had to be outright embarrassing, sources tell me he won’t endorse Park or Darling at least at this time and many expect a chunk of that vote to transfer to Darling as being the most progressive and positioned best for Good’s labor money and Democratic Party support. Murez is the only candidate expected at this point to support Park of the six as the conservative Smith has endorsed Caruso for mayor, but remains uncommitted at this time in the council run-off.  

With lot’s of time between now and fall, anything can happen moving forward. 

Nick Antonicello is a regular contributor on issues of community and politics and how they impact the this neighborhood. He can be reached via e-mail at nantoni@mindspring.com.

The post Column: LA Election Results Remain Tight, Close & Competitive Come the Fall Runoffs! appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Pudu Pudu transforms pudding into edible art that awakens your taste-buds and satisfies your sweet tooth all while supporting a healthy body with refreshing health-boosting superfoods to make the day a little sweeter. 
.
Video sponsored by Pudu Pudu.

The post The Proof Is In The Pudding Since 1894 At Pudu Pudu appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

California Strawberries recently were celebrated at the ‘Million Way to Love’ event showcasing the different ways to enjoy this summer berry!
.
Video sponsored by The Canyon Club.

The post A Million Ways to Love California Strawberries appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Building 209 which houses 50 disabled veterans on the West L.A V.A campus was declared a “vacant office building” in documents seeking $20M of funding for renovations. 
.
Video brought to you by Pudu Pudu.

The post Housing for 50 Disabled Veterans Declared “Vacant Office Building” Seeks $20M for Renovations appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Wanderlust hosting Kakigori pop up July 2 and 3

By Dolores Quintana 

For the July 2 and 3, Culinary Curation, a company that’s mission is to advance the culinary culture of Japan in Los Angeles, has scheduled a new shaved ice or Kakigori event at Wanderlust Creamery in partnership with Kuramoto Ice, an expert in clear ice manufacturing. 

Kakigori is a traditional shaved ice dessert in Japan which serves as relief from Japan’s intensely humid summer months. Create Japan and Kuramoto’s partnership has made Kakigori much more popular in Los Angeles too ever since they started doing Kakigori pop up events. Kakigori ice is fluffy like a cloud and, according to What Now Los Angeles, melts more slowly in the mouth and is one of the treat’s most appealing characteristics. According to its creators, the slow melt of the ice helps you avoid the painful “brain freeze” or ice cream headache that can often accompany such treats. 

Wanderlust Creamery, a well known and regarded ice cream shop in Los Angeles, has joined with Create Japan to host the Kakigori pop up on the fourth. Wanderlust is known for its flavors based on the owners travels, so they are a natural in this particular venture. The blocks of ice take Kuramoto Ice 48 hours to prepare and import their ice from their home base of Kanazawa, Japan to Los Angeles, where the crystal clear ice will be used to shave cool and tasty treats. 

The pop up will host three different flavors of Kakigori ice and those flavors will be based on some of Wanderlust Creamery’s most popular ice cream flavors like Mango and sticky rice, a vegan ice cream, Ube Malted Crunch and Japanese Neapolitan.

For this pop up, you will need to secure a reservation on Tock. While the event is currently sold out, you can join the waitlist here. The event will take place at the Wanderlust Creamery in Venice at 609 Lincoln Boulevard, Suite B.

The post Japanese Shaved Ice Experience Coming to Venice for Two Days Soon appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Learning to play polo on the historic Will Rogers field as a treat! Learn more about the field, lessons, and how to get involved. 
.
Video brought to you by Wise & Healthy Aging.

The post Enjoying a Piece of Westside History through the Sport of Polo appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Westchester bookstore hosting series of events this month

The Book Jewel in Westchester is hosting several events this month that highlight the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in history, life and literature.

“Pride Month is always special here at The Book Jewel, and we’re excited to celebrate and provide a space for conversations that continue to nourish a love for learning about diverse people, cultures, and stories,” the bookstore said. 

First, on June 18, the store invited a panel of three writers of LGBTQ+ Children’s & YA books, each of whom provided age-appropriate & life-affirming stories for young readers. These writers  are Lee Wind, Andrea J. Loney, and Erica Silverman. Each of these authors shared a sneak peek of their work in addition to providing some fun Pride-themed crafts & activities for the audience to participate in.

This upcoming Saturday, June 25, at 3 p.m. meet a brand-new voice on the YA lit scene,Naz Kutub, author of his debut novel: The Loophole, which is about a gay Muslim boy who travels the world for a second chance at love after a magical heiress grants him three wishes.

Naz Kutub is a half-Indian, half-Malay immigrant from Singapore. His debut novel published by Bloomsbury was inspired by his personal experiences growing up as a gay Muslim, and as someone raised on a calorie-dense diet of Eastern lore. 

One of Naz’s main inspirations for writing The Loophole was for his future readers who do not usually get to see themselves represented: “I never got to see myself in books when I was a kid, so now I write queer brown kids as main characters, to show them that I see them. And now, they can too,” said Kutub.

Returning on Thursday, June 30 is a monthly free social event for and led by LGBTQ+ teens in LA: Alphabet Soup. Join this group of welcoming and fun young people as they celebrate their one-year anniversary of meeting together. This club’s typical meeting is an ongoing epic Dungeons & Dragons campaign for some members, while others choose to socialize, shop among our unique collection of gifts and books, and play with Paiges The Bookstore Cat of course.

In addition, come by The Book Jewel any time during June and brose a curated display of LGBTQ+ books featuring a mixture of fiction and nonfiction titles.

The Book Jewel is located at 6259 W 87th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045. For more information, visit thebookjewel.com.

The post The Book Jewel Celebrates Pride Month as a Community appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

An ice cream shop on the Venice Beach Boardwalk is giving away a free beach towel with any purchase! 

According to the Venice Chamber of Commerice, stop by Ben & Jerry’s Venice all through the month of June to get a free beach towel with any ice cream purchase. The towel can be seen in the photo above. 

Ben & Jerry’s on Venice Beach is located at 1307 Ocean Front Walk in Venice. The store is opening 12-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12-8 p.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on the weekends.

The post Free Beach Towel With Ice Cream Purchase on Venice Boardwalk appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

The California Coastal Commission has issued a cease-and-desist order and administrative penalty to development company Headland Property Associates in regards to the Temescal Ridge Trailhead, citing unsanitary conditions. 
.
Video sponsored by The Playground.

The post Coastal Commission Looks to Clean Up Palisades Highlands Trailhead appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Saturday evening fire seems to be have been sparked by SUV, officials say

By Sam Catanzaro

A brush fire burned over three acres of the Ballona Wetlands over the weekend. 

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the incident was reported on June 28 at 6:10 p.m. in the area of 13600 Culver Boulevard in Playa del Rey. 

LAFD, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Culver City Fire Department crews arrived on the scene to find a brush fire that had consumed 3.5 acres of vegetation. By 6:30 p.m., firefighters had fully contained the perimeter of the blaze, keeping it at 3.5 acres.  

According to the LAFD, the fire seems to have been sparked by a nearby SUV. 

“Though the genesis of the fire appears related to a full-sized sport utility vehicle that was well involved with fire, with flame fanned by light on-shore wind already spread into nearby volatile vegetation on LAFD arrival, the specific and official cause of the fire has yet to be determined,” said LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey. 

No injuries or structure damage were reported. 

This article will be updated as more information is released.

The post Brush Fire Burns Over Three Acres in Ballona Wetlands appeared first on Yo! Venice!.

Motion currently pending in City Council committee 

By Sam Catanzaro

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin is pushing to extend the lease for the A Bridge Home shelter in Venice. 

On June 17, Bonin submitted a motion to City Council’s Information, Technology and General Services and General Services Committee to extend the lease for the site, located at 100 Sunset Avenue. 

The motion calls for the Department of General Services (GSD) to negotiate and execute a new or amend an existing lease agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro), the proprietor of the lot. In addition, the motion calls for the GSD to negotiate and execute a sublease agreement with People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), the operator of the shelter. 

The 154-bed shelter opened in February of 2020 on the 3.15-acre lot that takes up an entire block between Pacific Avenue and Main Street south of Sunset Avenue. MTA closed the lot in 2015 after receiving multiple offers from developers interested in the site. The property can be used temporarily for housing, however, because there is no deal in place.

The post Bonin Requests Lease Extension for a Bridge Home Homeless Shelter appeared first on Yo! Venice!.