By allowing homeless encampments to spread and ignoring his critics, councilman’s inaction can be interpreted as indifference
By Nick Antonicello
The writer is a longtime Venice resident who was chairman of the Venice Neighborhood Council’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Venice Cityhood. He is responding to part one of last week’s cover story interview “Bonin and the Homeless Crisis” (Part One).
As L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin desperately tries to resuscitate his reputation as an elected official, his basic tenor and demeanor have not changed in that residents of Venice are wrong — and he is right — when it comes to his failed record on homelessness.
The political narcissism, detachment from reality and now the “victimhood” expressed in this interview only demonstrates Bonin’s objective to deflect the fact that he has not only failed to fix or contain the issue of homelessness, but due to his inaction and unworkable solutions has made homelessness in Los Angeles a national discussion to the point that state and federal intervention is necessary.
The hard reality is that homelessness has escalated out of control on his watch and he is not willing to admit he is the algebraic constant in this public policy nightmare! With the Machiavellian Bonin, there is no dialogue, just a monologue — a lecture from someone who has no ability to listen. To see this one only had to attend the Venice Town Hall at Westminster Avenue Elementary School, where Bonin rolled his eyes and attacked the very residents he claims to represent with labels such as NIMBY, when the results of his inaction on homelessness have yet to impact his own residence.
Somehow Bonin views himself in myopic fashion as a crusader of good, and dismisses those who disagree with his public policy failures as evil millionaires who now populate Venice. But what about the struggling renters and senior citizens accosted by criminals who mindlessly roam streets where children, too, are now in harm’s way?
Drug addicts, alcoholics and the mentally disturbed are allowed to behave as they wish and occupy public and private walkways with Bonin’s approval and protection. His outright hatred for Venetians borders on the absurd — it’s as though people who simply want to be safe from the scourge of a problem Bonin has allowed to cascade out of control are somehow not Bonin’s problem, despite his long track record of playing political insider in L.A. City Hall.
Councilman Bonin is in fact part of the “generations of elected officials” he blames for his failure. He served as chief of staff to his predecessor and now has been in office for six years: At what point does he admit this is his problem, and the problem is now an epidemic run amok?
Bonin claims he supports different alternatives to supportive housing, but why does he advocate for traditional not-for-profits that don’t have the solutions and are gulping tens of millions of dollars in Proposition HHH funding with little if anything to show for it?
Incredibly, Bonin tries to paint himself as an outsider when in fact he’s an embedded political insider — a creature of politics as usual! How can he construct serious public policy solutions while basically ignoring hundreds of Venetians seeking input and avoid meaningful dialogue with them, as witnessed at the town hall? Bonin’s condescending monologue eats away at local democracy, to the point that Venice residents are seriously considering secession from L.A. as a viable alternative to what’s become a mess as far as the eye can see.
The Abbot Kinney Festival is probably the most well attended event in Venice, and it’s common for community groups and elected officials to host information booths to communicate with us who live here.
State Sen. Ben Allen had a booth, as did L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. The Argonaut had one too.
But where was Councilman Bonin? His obvious and intentional absence is clear evidence of his attitude toward this community and the people who live here. He’s an ineffective and disrespectful politician who just doesn’t get it and never will.
Bathing with Councilmember Mike Bonin…. https://imgur.com/gallery/fjaRMjw
I am VERY surprised the Argonaut allowed this…. they are deep up Mike Bonin’s culo… slavishly slobbering on his every word. The Argonaut turned into a political hack, rather than a voice for the people…..
Thank you, Nick. Hit the nail on the head.
yes, well put. When can we vote him out? I have never felt such disappointment in a local official made all the more bitter by my believing in the beginning he actually cared about people. He cares only about his ideology and image as the good guy. Deaf and judging anyone who disagrees with him. He is out of touch with reality for anyone who is not homeless or uber wealthy. he’s deserted the middle class.
There is no cityhood committee. Bonin’s done more in a week than this bum has in his fake 20+ years he supposedly lived here.
The Committee on city hood was approved by a vote of the Venice Neighborhood Council and I was appointed Chairman by President Ira Koslow.
To say there was no committee is a lie, a typical tactic of mindless Bonin supporter!
So if Councilman Bonin has done so much, why is the Venice community up in arms and why do 60% of Venetians support the notion of secession and VEXIT?
This kind of uninformed, tasteless response goes to how little support he has and why did she not list all of these phantom accomplishments of the good Councilman?
People now realize the scam which is Mike Bonin and when bridge housing opens and still the same amount of encampments exist, what will apologists like this say then?
Mike Bonin. Out of touch. In too long, time to go!
Mike Bonin thinks he’s gonna run for LA Mayor in 2021 based on his success at “ending homelessness.” But it’s painfully obvious all he has done is inside political dealing that has deep-sixed his hack political career. He’s privately told his supporters that he thinks the money from the social services industrial complex (a VERY powerful and well-funded lobby) will take him to the Mayor’s office.
WE’ll see. Hope he doesn’t slip back into drinking or using meth again under all the stress….
The truth is that Venice has ZERO political power as a community in Bonin’s eyes compared to the campaign money he gets from PP and Brentwood. That’s his real constituency that he thinks will carry him to Mayor. PP and Brentwood don’t want homeless encampments to creep into their cherished communities, so they privately ask Bonin to build up services in Venice.
Bonin’s agenda is let the encampment issue metastasize until everyone on the Westside just buys each homeless person a house (because as Bonin says, the solution to homelessness is homes, duh). The pitchforks will come out when the 1.2 Billion from HHH is all gone and the problem only gets way worse and THEN, Bonin and Garcetti (wait for it) come ask for even MORE Billions for the homeless. What a joke, when will people wake up to this?
Have you ever seen a homeless encampment in Beverly Hills proper or in Hancock Park near 10 million dollar mansions? NOPE. How about Bel Air? NOPE.
Your senseless comments are duly noted.
Nick Antonicello: I’ve written a detailed letter to Mike Bonin re: his March 31 motion in LACC, and identifying evidence and complicity. Could I trouble you to read, and perhaps re-print in the Argonaut? Please let me know.