Category: Venice Beach

Effort Begins to Offer All Boardwalk Campers a Pathway to Permanent Housing

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Councilman Mike Bonin’s initiative began June 28 to offer a voluntary path to permanent housing for all people living in encampments along Ocean Front Walk in Venice. St. Joseph Center outreach teams were scheduled to offer housing, shelter and services to the people who live in the boardwalk encampments, which have grown amid…


‘Like Hell Went to Hell,’ The Tragic Demise of Venice Beach 

LOS ANGELES—World-renowned Venice Beach has long been a place where visitors, residents, and business owners commingled with artists, musicians, and entertainers from all over the country. Over 10 million tourists visit the beach’s famous boardwalk each year, drawn in by the ocean view and the unconventional lifestyle of the city’s eccentric community. But the famed…


City on Fire: Over Half of LA County Blazes Caused by Homeless

Los Angeles is set ablaze up to 24 times a day. The cause? Thousands of homeless encampments. This year, fires started in homeless encampments have accounted for 54 percent of the blazes battled by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), according to officials—a sharp uptick compared to 2020. As the county grapples with more than…


Los Angeles Homelessness Worsens After California Spends Billions | Soledad Ursua

Venice Beach homelessness and crime are skyrocketing and could be reaching a breaking point. My returning guest is Soledad Ursua. She lives in Venice and is the chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee that is trying to tackle this problem. She discusses how the city has been dealing with homelessness and why residents…


Unused Trailers for Homeless Sit Empty in LA

When the state of California gifted the city of Los Angeles 1,300 trailers to house the homeless last year during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, there was hope that some of the 66,000 people experiencing homelessness in the county would have shelter. But a year later, many trailers are sitting empty and unused in…


Recall Petitions Pick Up Steam in California After Newsom Effort Sees Results

Convicted murderers facing parole instead of life in prison, a rise in homeless encampments bringing danger to local residents, and failed public school policies: these are just a few reasons some Californians say they want to recall their elected officials. Since the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom successfully gathered enough verified signatures to qualify…


Locals Fear Filth From Homeless Camps Adding to Water Pollution in Venice Beach

LOS ANGELES—When Brian Averill began surfing in Venice Beach 20 years ago, he said one of the best times to catch a wave was the day after rainfall. It’s not unusual to see beachgoers enjoying a swim or a jog on the first day of sunshine after a storm, but Averill soon realized he was…


LA Controller Addresses Venice Council on City’s Homeless Problem

Supportive housing for the growing homeless population of Los Angeles is not being built fast enough to keep up with demand, despite ballot measures passed to address the problem, the city controller says. “Unfortunately what we’ve seen is, I think, a combination of neglect, a lack of focus, a lack of leadership, a lack of…


In Venice, LA, Residents Point Out Failures of Homelessness Policy

LOS ANGELES—When Brian Ulf says it’s a problem that the weight of homelessness throughout Los Angeles County has landed squarely on the shoulders of a few cities, he should know. Formerly homeless, he used to be part of the problem. Now he’s trying to be part of the solution—but when he looks around Venice Beach…