Category: Venice

Man found dead Sunday near 5th and Rose was the victim of a “three-on-one fight” By Gary Walker A 25-year-old man found dead Sunday night in an alley near 5th and Rose avenues in Venice may have been a victim of gang-related violence perpetrated by members of a gang he was also associated with, according to police. LAPD officers responding to emergency calls found the man at around 7:20 p.m. and firefighter paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, LAPD Pacific Division Capt. James Setzer said. Police have already apprehended one person of interest for questioning, he said. “The...

Remembering the founding father of Venice — a dream that came to life on July 4, 1905 By Grace Bruno “What’s an Abbot Kinney?” a friend asked me one day as we walked along Kinney’s namesake boulevard in Venice. “The man who founded Venice,” I answered incredulously, but also realizing that I didn’t know much more than that myself. As a longtime local and an author of historical fiction, I decided to unravel the mystery of Mr. Abbot Kinney for myself and share whatever I learned. I began my research at the Los Angeles Central Library. Librarians Cindy McNaughton...

Venice Neighborhood Council executive officer candidates make their case to voters at Tuesday-night election forum By Gary Walker Anyone expecting fireworks or defining moments at the Venice Neighborhood Council’s executive officer candidate forum on Tuesday night likely walked away disappointed or surprised. The two and a half hours of candidate Q&As at the Westminster Avenue Elementary School Auditorium was a low-key, low-drama event by Venice standards. In some ways, it could also be viewed as an evening of missed opportunities. Given the opportunity by moderator and Venice Neighborhood Council parliamentarian Ivan Spiegel to engage each other — which does not...

Westminster Senior Center will be used for 12-step meetings, not homeless people’s belongings By Gary Walker Three years after plans to store homeless people’s belongings at Venice’s long-shuttered Westminster Senior Center triggered multiple lawsuits against the city and strenuous public debate, city officials have found another use for the park-adjacent building at 1234 Pacific Ave. The nonprofit, all-volunteer Venice Recovery Center will temporarily set up shop there to host Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step meetings, Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin’s office announced last week. The center recently lost its location in a storefront on Lincoln Boulevard, so the...