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"Passing this would indicate a new, less crime-tolerant attitude in California. This would require a shift of at least 10 percent of the electorate away from supporting the earlier prison-emptying measures." Photo:

Featured, News, Venice Beach Opinion

Column: Would Prop. 20 Help Against Wildfires, Crime?

October 22, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist Anyone examining the unintended consequences of California’s many past ballot propositions cannot possibly ignore...

"The claim that the coronavirus plague is a hoax has not died since anti-vaxxers began shouting it last spring at rallies against shutdown orders. It’s been picked up by the many more folks who are reluctant to wear masks and by people who claim – without evidence – that masks prevent them from breathing well," writes Tom Elias in his latest column.

Featured, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion, Westside Wellness

Anti-Maskers, Anti-Vaxxers; What’s the Difference?

October 6, 2020 Yo! Venice Contributor

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist The headline back on June 12 was threatening: “A revolt against masks creates new...

Featured, News, politics, Venice Beach Opinion

Moved up Census: Time for Californians to Act

September 17, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Columnist California polls now show President Trump trails Democrat Joseph Biden in the upcoming presidential election by...

Featured, News, Venice Beach Development, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion, Venice Beach Real Estate

Worst Housing Bills Fail; Solution via Market Forces Now Possible

September 4, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Columnist Evidence keeps mounting that California’s longtime housing shortage can be solved by market forces set loose...

In his latest column, Tom Elias writes about a November ballot measure that would remove property tax protections from commercial and industrial property, while leaving residential levies untouched. Photo: Getty Images.

Featured, News, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion, Venice Beach Real Estate

A Sure Loser Heads to the November Ballot

August 28, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Columnist Heedless of informed advice about conditions in California, labor unions behind the Split Roll ballot initiative...

“What really went on? It’s hard to be certain, in part because neither the Southern California Edison Co. nor the California Independent System Operator (CalISO), which runs the state’s electric grid, answered specific questions about how close to capacity several power plants operated during the shortages. ‘This all looks highly suspicious,’ said Bill Powers, a San Diego engineer expert on utility operations,” writes Tom Elias in his latest column. Photo: Getty Images.

Featured, News, Venice Beach Opinion

Blackout Blackmail Possible in August Outages

August 27, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist Never before in California’s long experience with power blackouts have systematic, preplanned outages been...

"Once building owners realize that new lessees won’t be forthcoming in droves, they’ll opt for other ways to monetize their buildings: converting much of the empty floor space to condos and apartments," writes Tom Elias in his latest column.

Featured, News, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion

Evidence Mounting of Market Solution to Housing

August 14, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Columnist New evidence arrives almost every day backing the concept of a market-based solution to California’s housing...

Featured, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion

Column: Nine-Bill Housing Package Derails Local Choices

August 7, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist The silver lining provided by some past pandemics has been that they opened minds, awakening...

Photo: Tomás Del Coro (Flickr).

Featured, News, Venice Beach Opinion

OpEd: The Real Results of Mike Bonin’s “Reimagining Public Safety” Survey

August 6, 2020 YoVenice

By Allan Parsons Author’s Note: At the request of Councilmember Mike Bonin’s office, this OpEd was removed 8/4/2020 until edits...

“Patio seating is more popular than ever at restaurants that reopened when governments relaxed precautions against the spread of COVID-19, one feature of the during- and post-pandemic world,” writes Tom Elias. Photo: Sam Catanzaro.

Featured, News, Venice Beach Opinion

Post Lockdown Realities Begin to Emerge

July 11, 2020 Yo! Venice Contributor

By Tom Elias, Columnist Patio seating is more popular than ever at restaurants that reopened when governments relaxed precautions against...

“Of all the many measures state and local officials imposed on tens of millions of Californians, none appears to have less legal justification than this one,” writes Tom Elias in his latest column on Gavin Newsom’s no-bail policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Facebook.

Featured, News, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion

Column: How The Rampaging Virus Led To No-bail Policy

May 14, 2020 Yo! Venice Contributor

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist First there were the “geriatric police,” cops who occasionally stopped senior citizens near the...

VNC Land Use and Planning Committee Chair Alix Gucovsky is seen in a photo holding a red surfboard. Photo: Facebook.

Featured, News, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion

Letter to Editor: What Does Surfing Have to do with Local Self-Governance?

May 11, 2020 Yo! Venice Contributor

Dear Editor: What does surfing have to do with local self governance? The Venice Neighborhood Council is comprised of twenty-one...

"So any future moves by Wiener or other lawmakers to mandate making California denser than it already is must be evaluated in the light of the series of frequent viral epidemics the world has seen over the last two decades," writes Tom Elias. Photo: Getty Images.

Featured, News, Venice Beach Opinion

Virus Proving How Disastrous SB 50 Could Have Been

May 4, 2020 YoVenice

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist As Californians shelter at home, eagerly awaiting the eventual reopening of myriad businesses and...

"As the crisis persisted and one emergency executive order followed another, often in fields only peripherally related to the virus, Newsom gradually lost the aura of transparency that created the early unity," writes Tom Elias. Photo: Facebook.

Featured, News, Venice Beach Opinion

Column: Newsom Loses Transparency, Unity It Brought

April 30, 2020 Yo Venice Staff

By Tom Elias, Yo! Venice Columnist Californians have shown with great clarity during the coronavirus pandemic that if they’re convinced something needs...

VNC Land Use and Planning Committee Chair Alix Gucovsky is seen in a photo holding a red surfboard on April 19.

Featured, News, Venice Beach News, Venice Beach Opinion