Rosendahl Responds To Criticism Of RV Situation In Venice, Fast-Tracks Restrictive Parking Zones

Bill Rosendahl.

Responding to criticism that his office has been slow to make moves when it comes to dealing the beach community's "mobile homeless" issues, which include recent reports of sewage dumping, the Westside councilman this week opened his own floodgates for no-oversize-vehicle zones that would take effect overnight.

Residents would have to get two-thirds of their blocks to sign on in order to get the restrictions, which would apply to vehicles taller than seven feet or more than 22 feet long. They would be prohibited from parking on a block from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.

"For too long, residents of Venice have sought relief from the proliferation of RVs, campers and other oversize vehicles in front of their homes,'' Rosendahl said. "The California Coastal Commission has wrongly denied Venice the same parking restrictions other communities have. This is one of the few tools we have at our disposal.''

The City Council would still need to re-approve of the parking zones, however. Residents can download the petitions here.

The move comes amid an epic battle over deeper parking restrictions, called Overnight Parking Districts, rejected by the California Coastal Commission. The city of Los Angeles has filed suit arguing that the commission doesn't have the right to restrict such resident-only zones in the municipality.

The OPDs have split Venice largely among the pro- and anti-homeless and, arguably, between old-school liberal residents and more moneyed newcomers who want the RV dwellers to go away.

Rosendahl, who has claimed the middle ground, has launched a program, called "Streets To Homes," that would provide lot parking for RVs overnight while providing the rig-dwellers social services and eventually finding them more permanent digs.

-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us. Follow us on Twitter, too: @dennisjromero.