Venice RV Town Hall: A Year Of Promises, Postponements And No Forum!

WESTSIDE - The on again, off again Venice Town Hall on the issue of illegally parked RV's is off again and according to sources has little chance of being rescheduled anytime soon.

An issue that has plagued the neighborhood for years, there seemed to be a consensus to at least host the Town Hall, but numerous attempts to finally get it done have fallen short with apparent finger pointing replacing actual outcomes.

Community Officer Jim Fitzgerald, who was part of a working group which included Selena Inouye, Outreach Chair Erica Moore, and Community Officer Alley Bean, had identified two Saturdays in March of this year that would work, but were never reserved according to Fitzgerald.   

Apparently attempts were made again in April, but a venue was never booked.  And again, in May, no venue, time or date was reserved. These attempts or lack of took place before the selection of VNC President David Feige, who is serving an unexpired term of office. 

The month of June became problematic because presenters would not be available, as the LA City Council recesses during the summer which pushed a potential date into the fall.

With September the new target to finalize the event, again a time, date and location did not occur. 

A date was finally secured and announced by Selena Inouye for October 28th at the Grace Lutheran Church, but no outreach had been conducted and at the October meeting of the VNC, this date was cancelled, and that an alternative date of November 13th was being considered and located at the Westminster Elementary School.

A special meeting of the VNC was supposed to take place on Monday, November 2nd to approve the event, but was cancelled and the notion of a Town Hall continues to remain in limbo. 

The repeated postponement of a Venice Neighborhood Council sponsored Town Hall on recreational vehicles (RVs), has been particularly important to residents along Washington Boulevard and other Venice streets where RV parking, vehicle habitation, sanitation and public safety have been recurring concerns.

So how did this RV Town Hall keep getting delayed and pushed back?

Based on VNC documents, its calendar, and other local reporting, here is the best reconstruction of how this Town Hall has lingered as a potential event for over a year: 

But the October announcement was quite specific. It was not simply an informal neighborhood discussion.

The proposed panel included:

• Councilwoman Traci Park, CD-11.
• Matthew Szabo, Los Angeles City Administrative Officer.
• Chief Freddie Nuno, LADOT Parking Enforcement.
• Gabe Miranda, LA Sanitation.
• Lakesha Williams, LAHSA.

Additional invitations were extended to representatives of the Mayor's Office, County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Holly Mitchell, and the Sheriff's Department.

The format was to include a moderated panel, a legislative update, and approximately 90 minutes of public questions and answers. Even Councilwoman Traci Park (CD-11) indicated she would be participating in her presentation to the Venice Chamber of Commerce last month before being abruptly canceled once again this week.

The Venice Neighborhood Council, which is woefully fractured and fragmented, will need to evaluate how best to move forward on an issue most residents believe needs to be addressed. The fact the event has been delayed and for now, cancelled, speaks to the functionality of this all-volunteer board riddled in factionalism that seems almost endless, and petty.

To his credit, VNC President David Feige has worked hard to revive this Town Hall, but has lacked the cooperation from several board members for whatever reason, are intent on conflict versus consensus and progress.

In particular, board members Helen Fallon, Sarah Mahir, Lisa Redmond and Erica Moore continue to oppose Feige at nearly every turn,  and this Town Hall was suggested and approved long before Feige assumed office last spring. 

For there are several legitimate questions the VNC should answer publicly:

Why did it take approximately a year to organize an event that was formally authorized in December 2025?

Why was October 28th  announced before the venue was properly secured?

Who was responsible for confirming the church location? Were the invited city and county officials actually committed to attending? How much VNC funding has been spent on planning, promotional materials, and other preparations?

The time for the VNC to do their job and address real issues is now.

The whole point of the Town Hall was to let stakeholders express themself so that city officials can assess the opinions and recommendations of stakeholders to solve the issue of these illegally parked vehicles. 

President David Feige is a consensus driven leader who wants to accommodate residents by talking about the issues they care about most. The distractions and disruptions that have plagued the VNC by a loud and disruptive minority of members does little to improve the standing or image of this grass roots democracy. 

In the end, the losers are Venetians and the reputation of this 21-member board to get something, anything accomplished. Basic cooperation and working together for a common good is little to ask. 

(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-three-year resident of the neighborhood and exclusively covers the deliberations of the Venice Neighborhood Council. A regular contributor to City Watch LA, he can be reached via e-mail at nantoni@mindspring.com)