Venice Protest Targets Limits on Boardwalk

Advocacy groups and vendors that set up shop on the Venice Boardwalk took to the beach Thursday to protest City Council passage of an ordinance to regulate vending on the west side of the popular tourist walkway.

“This is clearly the most ludicrous proposal,” said longtime community gadfly Jerry Rubin, who frequently operates a table on the west side of the boardwalk. “Once they start trying to regulate us, it’s only a matter of time before they move on to the artisans and performers.”

The council Tuesday approved a five-month pilot program in which three part-time park patrol officers will be hired to ensure that illegal vendors do not sell on the boardwalk’s western edge, where the city allows only political groups and charities to set up tables. The program will also restrict each of the political and charitable organizations to a single 6-by-3-foot table from 9 a.m. to sundown.

The council took the action after a city report said a clutter of tables and vendors on the boardwalk’s western side causes congestion that blocks emergency vehicles and poses a safety hazard for pedestrians. The report said the seaside edge also attracts illegal vendors, drawing complaints from merchants who say the competition is costing them business.

Rubin and others complained that the city ordinance represents a threat to their free speech rights.

Mark Ryavec, executive director of the Venice Boardwalk Assn., said the new regulations have the support of several community groups, including the Venice Entertainment Guild, which represents boardwalk performers.