Set to take effect Monday, the map guiding where people living in vehicles can spend the night violates the rules used to create it
By Gary Walker
In this inset of a map detailing new restrictions for people who live in their vehicles, green indicates legal overnight parking, yellow indicates legal daytime parking, and red indicates a day and night prohibition.
Less than a week before the LAPD begins enforcing new city rules about where people who sleep in RVs and cars can and cannot legally park overnight, a map outlining permissions and restriction on the Westside is so riddled with apparent errors that some neighborhoods could be in for big surprises.
According to the map developed by several city departments, starting Monday it will be legal for vehicle dwellers to park overnight in residential areas throughout much of Playa Vista and even in the heart of the Runway at Playa Vista retail and residential complex.
In Playa del Rey, people could park and sleep overnight along Culver Boulevard between the Inn at Playa del Rey and the Jefferson Boulevard fork — a stretch of unlighted roadway through the Ballona Wetlands that is currently off-limits for parking.
In Venice, where overnight RV parking has been so widespread that many residential streets already prohibit the practice, the new restrictions would make most residential areas off limits but would green-light overnight parking along Rose Avenue between Lincoln Boulevard and 4th Street.
Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents these neighborhoods, has called on the city’s Planning Department, the LAPD and the L.A. City Attorney’s office to work with his staff to make changes with haste.
The new city ordinance taking effect on Feb. 6 is supposed to keep people sleeping overnight in their cars from doing so in residential areas and near schools, day care centers and parks.
“Maps and rules to the contrary need to be fixed — and will be fixed,” Bonin said Tuesday, though he did not specify when such fixes would occur.
“The map needs to be corrected immediately to address this problem, which could result in people living in their vehicles in front of people’s homes in Playa Vista, Del Rey and Venice — contrary to the intent of the ordinance, which was to identify areas away from residential neighborhoods and schools, where vehicular living could be allowed,” Bonin wrote in a Jan. 25 letter to the aforementioned city departments.
In some cases, wrote Bonin, streets that would be given the OK for overnight parking are currently streets that prohibit overnight parking.
Among Westside neighborhoods, Playa Vista would probably be impacted most by the new map, with nearly half of the planned community opened up for overnight parking.
“The maps do not reflect the required distances from the public parks within Playa Vista and also are based on the underlying zoning rather than the actual residential uses,” reads a statement by Marc Huffman, vice president of development for Playa Vista master developers Brookfield Residential. “Brookfield Residential and [master HOA] Playa Vista Parks and Landscape Corp. are working with the council office to address the situation.”
City leaders had pledged to consult with neighborhood councils in their respective districts for feedback on the vehicular living map. But that never happened, said Venice Neighborhood Council President Ira Koslow.
“We were supposed to give input on the map. But when it comes from the top down, this is what happens,” Koslow said. “This points out a general problem with city government sometimes: they say they want feedback, but then they don’t ask us. We’re the locals. We have a better understanding of our neighborhoods.”
gary@argonautnews.com
Oh, dear.
David Kay
Playa Vista
Hi Gary. I would like to reiterate that this is a pilot program, and the roll out will be a very slow one. Most of Playa Vista is protected because of restricted parking that is currently in place (2 hour parking), the private parks that are open to the public. Where there are no restrictions, Mike is working on posting Overnight Vehicle Restrictions for oversized vehicles for Playa Vista’s safety.
Also, something that is being misinterpreted is the yellow marking. Yellow adds a layer of protection, that is currently not in place.
Why is this program being rolled out at all? There are no facilities for people to use when they live in their cars. Do the streets become littered with trash and human waste? Parking broken down RV’s along the Ballona Wetlands sounds like a really good idea to me. Seems like Playa Vista will get the special attention from Mike but what about the rest of us? Not sure why the yellow would give us an extra layer of protection that we don’t currently have. Police want to stay as far away from the homeless as possible so good luck having anything enforced, they can’t even answer the phone for non emergencies. All this going on and we’re focusing on the Olympics? If you look at the map, you will see that we are surrounded by independent cities and the county (Marina); all enforce no overnight parking. Now that LA is making it legal in certain areas, there will even be more overflow from what is currently taking place. Shouldn’t we be finding solutions to get people off of the streets instead of encouraging it? And, if the City Council must do this, why isn’t it being relegated to inland industrial areas. If you want to camp at the beach, get permits or pay for a space at a campground.
Correction, most of Playa Vista Phase 1 has no parking restrictions (except street cleaning), and this is the primary area that’s now designated for 24/7 vehicle dwelling by LAMC 85.02, as championed by Councilmember Bonin. Overnight Vehicle Restriction signs only apply to large RVs (if enforced), not to camper vans and passenger vehicle dwellers, so posting signs doesn’t correct this error. Playa Vista is a very family friendly neighborhood, where children are currently safe walking or biking to neighborhood parks on their own; designating this neighborhood as one of the City’s official vehicle dwelling zones is terrible public policy.
Designating ANY neighborhood in Los Angeles is terrible public policy. Allowing vehicle dwellers at the curb invites nothing but health and safety issues along with negative property values while we continue to pay higher property taxes. Los Angeles cannot enforce most laws on the books because of a lack of police funding so who will enforce parking and ensure compliance to the municipal code requirement to sign up for outreach programs in order to qualify? Enforcing homeless parking will become low priority because the police simply do not have the time nor do they want to deal with this issue, based on the lack of timely police response we are currently experiencing. We MUST hold our elected officials accountable, fight this municipal code. Why hasn’t the city challenged this court decision? Other smaller cities are not allowing this practice. At the very least, this should be only legal in heavy industrial areas because picking and choosing residential neighborhoods is simply an unfair practice. I wonder which color Councilman Bonin’s street is designated?
Councilmember Bonin lives on a street that requires a permit after 2 hours!
VOTE BONIN OUT!!! He does not care about our neighborhoods, he has his eyes on higher office!
Part of the “Green” is located in the heart of Playa Del Rey. In the little parking area between Gordon’s Market and the Matilla Shopping Center. It is used by everyone patronizing the restaurants and sports bars and shoppe’s open in the evening. Really? Protect Playa Vista? How about Protecting Playa Del Rey? So I now have to go to work in the am threatened by someone protected under the category of “homeless”. Geez Bonin, this is your solution? I suppose I will be calling 911 daily.
OMG…this is such a mess! The solution is at the ballot box on March 7th. Mark Ryavec for City Council. http://www.markryavec2017.com/
Mistake, LOL. The city of LA will destroy Playa Vista eventually.
So that’s your platform? You want to get votes by running off the homeless people? Why don’t you concentrate on something productive instead of trying to get elected on the platform of taking down the little guy?
These nuisances are human beings who have no where to go and arent allowed to put the possibly one thing they have anywhere. Why dont you just line them up and shoot them. So selfish. How about voting someone in to help the homeless by perhaps starting with mental health care? These people who are problems to your property value are someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, loved one that needs help. Take a minute to put yourself in their shoes and then try to decide what the best case scenerio would be. Also, perhaps realize that taking care of our own citizens would be a good idea before allowing more people into our country. Peace
Lila Jo, There is a difference between the candidates on the March 7 City Council ballot. Councilmember Bonin has repeatedly given free reign to the vehicle dwellers and homeless, even when this creates unsafe, unsanitary, and verbal altercations directly adjacent to our children’s schools. Alternatively, Mark Ryavec understands that the underprivileged are part of someone’s family, and he even wrote an op ed piece several months ago about his own brother’s life challenges. Mr. Ryavec’s solution is to offer shelter or city / non-profit parking areas first, yet to enforce the laws to keep our children safe on the way to/from school. I realize that many of these folks are simply down and out, but many others are dealing with drug or mental health problems, and allowing them to have free reign near schools, parks and residential neighborhoods seems like bad policy to me. If you agree, vote for Mark Ryavec on March 7.
You must come and see the Gateway to Brentwood RV Park , courtesy of Mr. Bonin. This is on Montana Ave. Has a great golf course view. ..and the “homeless “dwellers” drive brand new Range Rovers and Mercedes sports cars…oh and one has a Prius as a second car. Come and see. You will not find this on San Vicente. Too many “contributors” there. The dwellers enjoy intimidating the residents. One of the neighbors has been spit on .
You are all correct. Nothing has been done about this. He cares nothing about the neighborhood. Heck, even
his own assistant quit.
why on earth did you remove my post about the rv park on montana ave ?
Most of the comments are really selfish and full of prejudices. People who live on vehicles probably are not the richest ones but it does not mean they have to been dangerous or bad people. Why not focus on looking a solution to this problem that also will solve YOUR problem that trying to make it some others problems? Being one of the richest country in the world and not be able to take care of your citizenship it is a shame for America.