VENICE – Jim Murez, a longtime fixture in the Venice community as an elected officer, activist and manager of the weekly farmer’s market at South Venice Blvd. will not seek a second term as President, but rather run for the position of Community Officer.
Murez, a Main Street homeowner, husband and father to two adult children who were both champion swimmers at Venice High School will be running as one of 37 candidates vying for 13 board positions. While thirteen will be elected, Venice stakeholders under the current voting guidelines are allowed to select just one candidate.
Murez has been involved in the Venice community for decades in numerous capacities whether it be land use questions where he served as a past member of the VNC’s Land Use & Planning Committee (LUPC), or as a founding member of the Parking & Transportation Committee (PTC). Murez was an unsuccessful candidate for LA City Council in 2022, finishing sixth in a field of eight candidates that saw Traci Park defeat fellow attorney and Venetian Erin Darling by a vote of 52-48%, in which nearly 100,000 voters participated in the November runoff here in CD-11 replacing the retiring Mike Bonin.
Murez enthusiastically endorsed Park in the general election.
Proud of his past efforts of planting trees along Venice Boulevard or collaborating on numerous improvement projects here in Venice, Murez continues to play an active role as the Manager of the Friday Farmer’s Market, where hundreds of Venetians shop at one of the more popular gathering spots for locals and tourists alike.
An entrepreneur in the field of personal computers and technology, Murez is one of Venice’s most recognizable advocates.
We asked Jim to reflect on his term of office as President of the Venice Neighborhood Council as well as his run for the LA City Council last year and how he intends to remain active should he be elected in his bid for Community Officer come March 26th.
The election will be a hybrid affair in which stakeholders can apply for a ballot through March 7th or can vote in-person on the 26th. For more information on the elections, visit www.venicenc.org
