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# Venice Beach: Free to be you and me
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/venice-beach-free-to-be-you-and-me/
- Published: 2006-02-02T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:09:07.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Environment, Downtown, #archive-import

*Venice Beach now ‘Free Speech, Expression Zone’*

DOWNTOWN LA — The beach dedicated to freedom is free again, so officials say.

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new Venice Beach ordinance to regulate its world famous Boardwalk.

The new ordinance is intended to address a variety of public concerns aimed to protect the fabled street performers and defend free speech, as well as curbing commercial activity along the west side of the Boardwalk, according to Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District jurisdiction includes Venice.

The new ordinance, which follows a series of Town Hall meetings moderated by Rosendahl, are designed to protect the character and artistic flavor of Venice’s top tourist attraction.

“This is a great day for Venice Beach,” Rosendahl said. “Today’s vote will end the illegal commercial vending that has threatened the street performers and free expressionists, harmed local merchants, and made life unbearable for local residents.”

Rosendahl’s efforts are a response to complaints about a revised Venice Boardwalk ordinance that went into effect in October of 2004\. Several free spirits spoke out, arguing that measure took an unneeded step to regulate how they conduct themselves before millions of visitors who come annually to regard the legendary spectacle of the one-and-a-half mile strip.

Rosendahl’s proposals — which were born from three public meetings drawing hundreds of locals — declares an officially recognized “Free Speech and Expression Zone” from Navy Street to 17th Street; allows performers, entertainers and free expressionists to sell their own original and constitutionally protected merchandise; prohibits all other commercial activity; and begins to crack down on excessive noise.

Under the current system, administered by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, all expressionists who wish to exhibit must apply for a permit, which costs $25 and is good for life. With permit in hand, one goes to 1800 Ocean Front Walk on Tuesday the week he or she wishes to display on the Boardwalk, in order to take part in a lottery by which that permit holder may then be allotted a Boardwalk space.

The lottery for those who wish to exhibit during Monday through Friday is held at 8:30 a.m., followed by the weekend lottery, which is held at 9:30 a.m.

Those who do exhibit, but not apply for permits, take part in the lottery or violate other rules are considered to be in violation of the ordinance. They qualify for up to three warnings, administered by Recreation and Parks monitors, who walk the Boardwalk to ensure people are in compliance. Each of the warnings may be appealed, but the third citation means the permit is revoked and the person can no longer legally qualify for a Boardwalk space for life.

The lottery system has been cumbersome and ineffective, even inappropriate, in its aims to regulate freedom, according to some Boardwalk denizens. Before it was put into place, however, residents who were trying to sleep in on a Saturday or Sunday morning were waking up to the sound of bickering. Police were being called out, and their resources drained, in order to meddle in disputes which might have been avoided if a system were in place which more easily settled them.

The Rosendahl proposals direct the Department of Recreation & Parks to collaborate with the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council to create a working group to monitor the new ordinance and how it may be improved.

The working group will explore whether the lottery based system of issuing permits for Boardwalk space may be modified or abolished. It will also look at developing a proposal to further restrict amplified noise.

“I am pleased that we have developed an open-ended, flexible, community-based approach,” Rosendahl said. “Venice Beach has a life unto itself, so we need to keep looking at and revising the rules. The (working group) creates a living process to do that.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 2, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020206.pdf?ref=smdp.com)