On the Take? –see page three L.A. City Council and Attorney Accused of Taking Playa Vista Bribes INSIDE: 2 - Letters; In Brief 3 - Bribes Galore 4 - Night on the Town 5 - Driving for Dahlia 6 - Review: 300; Tent City 7 - Help! 8 - May Day 9 - Affordable Housing 10 - Big Brother 11 - Poetry May 12 - Another Toke 13 - Downtown Venice 14 - 25 years ago 2007 15 - Astrological Cooking 16 - Calendar #307 P.O. BOX 2, VENICE, CALIFORNIA 90294 • www.freevenice.org • [email protected] • 396-0811 or 399-8685 Is Pot the New Wonder Drug? An Interview with A Compassionate MD I can now visit any one of hundreds of Beachhead: Name your passions, Dr. Frankel! in our Neighborhood, diverse medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Dr. Frankel: My three kids, having fun, and or How to Get your Medical Angeles and buy the absolute best organic merging medicine and technology. I was born in Marijuana Recommendation and cannabis on the market over the counter, with ‘51, grew up in the heat of the 60’s movement. Start Growing your Own Health! full knowing and loving intention and protection Spiritually and emotionally I’ve always been a under the Law, (Nature’s first and Human’s sec- by erica snowlake hippie, a hemorrhaging liberal, and a bit of a ond, with a prayer the two shall twain o’er a med school nerd. Today I’m first and foremost an Proudly displayed on the wall of my room is Hempen braid of time). Internal Medicine Physician and have been prac- my brand new authenticated Health and Safety I can also legally grow and joyfully caretake ticing medicine thirty years. I can tell you this Code MD Statement, hereby declaring my right six mature and six immature plants to enhance about marijuana - why it’s illegal is disturbing. to use medical marijuana for, specifically, my Being, stimulate my intelligence, sexuality, migraines and insomnia. Signed and duly and cre8tivity, cure my dis-ease, spiritually and Beachhead: When did you first see the Light? authorized by a State of California licensed playfully fortify my friendships, and SO CAN Dr. Frankel: In 1996 I started writing prescrip- physician, good for one year, it’s all simple, clear, YOU!!!!! tions for my patients who needed it. At the time nifty and 100% CALIFORNIA LEGAL!!! “One in five hospital emergency admissions dispensaries were federally run, hydroponically are folks undergoing terrifying adverse reactions grown marijuana was going for $30 an ounce, to pharmaceutical medications.” My esteemed CASUALTIES IN IRAQ and my patients expressed their gratitude by doctor and newly-formed friend Allan Frankel bringing me gifts....... U.S. 3,352 Dead – 105 this month dispenses this eye-opening nugget of revelation U.S. Wounded 24,912 – 598 this month inside his cozy office on Washington Blvd under Beachhead: What are the common ailments and Iraqi Dead: 655,000 the auspices of his practice, Green Bridge symptoms alleviated medically by marijuana? Source: antiwar.com, Lancet Medical Journal Medical Services. Cost: $421+ Billion - Source: costofwar.com –continued on page 12 2 • May 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD The collective staff of the In Brief Large Waves and High Water Dear Beachhead, For several years I have been trying to bring BEACHHEAD COLLECTIVE: attention to the precarious situation of Venice, CA in Karl Abrams, Rex Butters, C.V. Beck, Carol regard to flooding. While much is made of the story Fondiller, Don Geagan, Yolanda Miranda, of Abbot Kinney and the canals, little is said about the Jim Smith, Erica Snowlake, Judith Martin- reason for the canals. Straw, Alice Stek It began with a body of water called the Del Rey Bannerless Building Lagoon which ran from Venice to Playa del Rey, about Seen recently on the cover of the Feb. 2007 The FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD is two miles long. Beachhead, this development on 1214 Abbot Kinney published monthly by the Beachhead In 1880 a company was formed to dredge the Blvd. proudly sported a “STOP BUSH” banner, mak- Collective as a vehicle for the people of lagoon to a depth of twenty feet and create a 200 foot ing it the envy of the neighborhood. But shades of Venice to communicate their ideas and wide channel to the ocean. That project failed due to shady plumbers, the 20 ft. long banner with 5 ft letter- opinions to the community at large. relentless waves and rain storms which replaced the ing was stolen within weeks of making its FVB pre- The Beachhead encourages anyone to sand as soon as it was moved. A large portion of the miere. submit news stories, articles, letters, pho- fishing pier collapsed in July 1911 and again in July Independently funded by local contributions, the tos, poetry or graphics of interest to the 1917. Tide gates, which maintained high water in the banner was taken using the site’s second story scaf- Venice community. The staff reserves the lagoon, had to be dynamited during a heavy winter folding by a team of thieves who broke into the pri- right to make all decisions collectively on rainstorm because nearby Venice flooded. vate construction site after hours. material published. There is no editor on There has been much change to the area since the Beachhead. The printing is financed by then. But Mother Nature has not changed. ads and donations. The articles, poetry and Periodically she will do her best to reclaim the area. Venice’s Wealthiest Couple art work express the opinions of the indi- Recent storm waves severely damaged the pier at Gets Richer Washington Blvd. And Venice is still protected by tide vidual contributors and are not necessarily Venice’s wealthiest couple, Jane and Sidney gates which empty into the lagoon now called Marina the views of the Beachhead Collective. Harman, is on the verge of getting even richer under a del Rey which has a large channel open to the seas. To submit material, include your name scheme that would take the family jewel, Harman On March 16, 2004, I advised residents living on and telephone number. Anonymous materi- International, private. The $8 billion dollar deal, Oxford Avenue (an area subject to flooding) of an IRP al will not be printed, but your name will announced April 26, would allow 88-year-old Sidney (Integrated Resources Plan) meeting on “The Future of be withheld on request. If return of materi- Harman to cash out up to $400 million in stock, while Your Water, Wastewater & Runoff and Give Us Your al is desired, a stamped self-addressed still remaining corporate chairman. Input” to be held in Venice on March 30. envelope is required. No payment is made Harman International, which manufactures audio In order to be prepared for the local meeting, I for material used. equipment called Harman Kardon, Infinity and JBL, is attended the IRP meeting on March 23 in the San the largest piece of the family’s financial empire which Mail: P.O. Box 2, Venice, CA 90294. Fernando Valley where I was not the only one to bring also includes prime real estate in Washington, D.C. Web: <www.freevenice.org> up the issue of flooding in coastal areas. These com- and in Europe. Harman Audio owns or leases plants Email: <[email protected]> ments were noted by the IRP staff attending. in eight countries including one in Tijuana, and anoth- On March 30, 2004 at the meeting in Venice, it er in Northridge. was apparent that the team from the valley had not The unusual deal for Harman International, called Beachhead Sustainers communicated with the team from West L.A. who a “Stub Equity” sale, allows limited public stockhold- promised to “look into it.” It is now two and half ers but they have no control over the Board of Richard Abcarian • Karl Abrams years after that event and I am still waiting to hear Directors, as in other public corporations. from them. But I did learn that an IRP advisory com- Linda Albertano The deal may not be so good for most stockhold- mittee had been set with 40 members, not one of ers since company stock is currently trading for more whom lived in Venice. Two successive L.A. City Elinor Aurthur than the $120 per share that Kohlberg Kravis Roberts Council members, Galanter and Miscikowski, missed (KKR) and Goldman Sachs are offering for the compa- Jennifer Baum • C. V. Beck the opportunity to put someone from Venice on the ny. KKR is known for buying companies on the cheap IRP Commission. Yet all the hillside areas were well Chuck Bloomquist and reselling them for big profits. Harman left the represented. door open for competing bids through June 15. Nancy Boyd Williamson The recent tsunamis which caused so much suf- Both Sidney and Jane live and work in fering and damage in Sumatra, Chile, Japan and Phil Chamberlin, RIP Washington, D.C. much of the year. One of their 13 Hawaii are examples from which we can learn. If a other residential properties is located on Ocean Front Steve Clare high tide and a heavy rain can overcome our drainage Walk, and is her legal residence for purposes of repre- system now on Oxford and Windward, what might it senting Venice and the 36th District in Congress. In the Stephen Cohen be like if Mother Nature sends us a really big wave? last election, Harman spent more than $1 million in Awareness of the risk and what to do about it is Maureen Cotter winning reelection. Her top five contributions were the aim of the VNC task force preparing the Town from military-related corporations.