Only Five of 13 City Council Candidates Pledge to Honor City Promise to Close Venice Bridge Housing after Three Years

Of the 13 candidates to succeed Mike Bonin as the councilperson of Council District 11, only five have pledged to honor Councilman Bonin's and Mayor Garcetti's pledge to close the problematic Bridge Home (ABH) facility on Main Street after three years of operation.  The other candidates did not respond to the question.

Greg Good, Jim Murez, Mike Newhouse Traci Park and Mat Smith all responded "yes" to a question that was sent to all the candidates asking:

As we approach the June primary, voters have a right to know if you will pledge to honor the City's promise to close this facility after its three years of operation and to allow the MTA to move forward with its planning for a brick-and-mortar development on this site.

The VSA raised over $300,000 to fund a CEQA challenge to the Venice ABH, citing understudied and under-mitigated issues of noise, inadequate parking, increased traffic and crime generation.

Just as the judge in the case issued a verbal indication to counsel that he would be sending the project back to the city for further study and mitigation of at least parking and noise, the City secured an exemption for Los Angeles from CEQA for projects providing homeless shelter and housing (AB 1197).  This led to the judge dismissing our suit.

When the project was formally presented to residents in October 2018 at a hearing at the Westminster Elementary School both City Councilman Bonin and Mayor Garcetti promised that the project was temporary and would only operate for three years.  Published material on the proposed ABH facility also included this promise.  ("Bridge housing will remain standing for three years — enough time for the City to construct supportive housing for the Angelenos living in them."  cite:  https://11thdistrict.com/a-bridge-home/venice-faq/).  

Indeed, at the time, the owner of the site, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was actively holding meetings with residents on concepts for the use of the site as a mixed use development of market rate and affordable housing, retail and parking after three years of operation as a Bridge Home facility.  ("The bus yard is owned by LA Metro, which has plans for the property. Metro began community outreach for their development proposal in July 2018..." cite:  https://11thdistrict.com/a-bridge-home/venice-faq/)

Since the ABH facility opened the adjoining residential neighborhood has been accosted by new encampments, increased crime, assaults, break-ins, late night noise, vandalism, trash, and loss of parking.

Compared to a published projection that the Venice ABH would serve 1,200 people over its first two years, only 30 ABH residents have been permanently housed during this period - at a cost of $8 million to build. (Source:  Westside Current and People Assisting the Homeless)

With thousands of HHH units and newly acquired motels and hotels coming online as housing for the homeless, the city can - under the right leadership - relocate those housed at the ABH, close it, and eventually move the facilities to a more appropriate site. 

The three years would be up in March of 2023, which is four months after the new councilperson will take office.  The primary election is June 7th, and the run-off election will be November 8th.