Members of the Venice Verdant Group Announce Planting of 14 Trees Between Navy & Dudley at the Beach
By Nick Antonicello
There was good news shared at the March meeting of the Oceanfront Walk Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council as the Verdant Venice Group announced a major tree replacement project at Oceanfront Walk which would include the planting of 14 Torrey Pine trees where Palm trees had been removed over the course of time.
The Torrey Pine is the rarest pine in the United States and is climate resilient and has been observed to be a species of tree to replace the Eucalyptus, and Calscape shows that it is an important tree for more than at least 20 species of butterflies and moths.
The news was announced under public comment by Isabelle Duvivier, a member of the Arbor Committee and local architect. The Verdant Venice Group or VVG is a collection of volunteers that works weekly on projects to add “drought-tolerant” canopy and native plants in public spaces in low-income areas of the neighborhood of Venice.
According to Duvivier, some 600 new trees have been planted to date.
The meeting took place Monday evening at the Rose Room, located at 6 Rose Avenue in Venice at the beach.
This standing committee is chaired by Community Officer Deborah Keaton, and includes Clark Brown as Secretary, Community Officer Fran Solomon, Mark Rago, me, VNC member Nico Ruderman, and Mehrnoosh Mojallali as all were present.
Venice Neighborhood Council President Brian Averill was also in attendance.
Sonya Young-Jimenez, the Superintendent for the Los Angeles Department of Parks & Recreation fielded questions from the committee and residents in attendance.
She gave an update on the bollards at the beach as some are operational while others were having hydraulic issues that were not covered under the existing maintenance agreement. Second, there was ambiguity between various city agencies as to who is ultimately responsible for their repair.
One resident asked about the proliferation of rental bikes that were accumulating at the Santa Monica/Venice border that was compromising pedestrian safety and accessibility, and the Superintendent said she would investigate.
Discussion also arose about the future of the pagodas, which are now fenced and dormant.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed six sets of pergolas—known as “pagodas”—along Ocean Front Walk on Venice Beach in the 1930s. The Superintendent expressed a desire for more community input and that restoration was being weighed moving forward.
Issues regarding the water sprinkler system were also entertained as continuing efforts to fix and repair were being done. This is the system that maintains the area between the bike path and the boardwalk.
Young-Jimenez also announced that the plans for the new children’s playground were now before the California Coastal Commission for review and final approval.
To reach the Superintendent, you can e-mail her directly at Sonya.Young-Jimenez@LACity.org
The meeting adjourned at roughly 7:30.
Nick Antonicello is a thirty-two-year resident of the neighborhood who covers the deliberations of the Venice Neighborhood Council and serves as a member of the OFW Committee. Have a take or a tip to all things Venice? E-mail him at nantoni@mindspring.com
