NOTEWORTHY

• Participated in the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) since it began in 2002.
• Served on the VNC Land Use and Planning Committee for 12 years. Co-authored a Memorandum of Understanding with the City Planning Department which continues to provide Venice with early notification of all development projects.
• Organized and managed the Venice Farmers' Market for 32 years through the present.
• Chair of the VNC Parking and Transportation Committee, resulting in over 100 motions being passed by the VNC Board over the last 5 years.
• Proposed a solution to relocate the homeless that occupied the land next to Penmar Golf Course along Rose Ave east of Lincoln by having the VNC submit a request to transfer ownership from the Department of Public Works to the Department of Recreation and Parks.  The request was adopted by the City and once improvements are completed the community will be able to use the land for recreation and exercise. (Present)
• Fought City Council to prevent the privatization of open spaces on Venice Blvd. (Present)
• Designed, obtained funding and managed construction of the realignments of Abbot Kinney Blvd, Main Street, Brooks, Hampton and Electric intersections. (2000s)
• Participated in Coastal Conservancy workshops to develop the Venice Coastal Zone Land Use Plan. (1980s)
• Obtained funds from the State to landscape Venice Boulevard from Pacific Ave to Lincoln Blvd, organizing and managing the planting 650 native trees, 1.5 miles of ground cover and sprinklers plus planted an additional 750 trees throughout the Venice community, recruiting over 4000 volunteers to help. Followed with five years of weekly tree watering and maintenance. (1990s)
• Successfully managed three years of LA City Summer Youth At-Risk employment programs, instructing over 200 young adults in landscaping, in addition to recruiting and payroll accounting.
• Worked on the restoration of the Ballona Lagoon, with the Ballona Lagoon Marine Preserve (BLMP) in Venice, including the creation of the east bank meandering walkway, revegetation of native plant life and construction of a public observation deck (2000s).
• Served on the Venice Family Clinic Art Walk Steering Committee, as chair of Transportation and Parking.
• Appointed by the California Secretary of Agriculture to the Certified Farmers' Market Advisory Committee, overseeing 850 markets throughout the State, and appointed by the committee to chair the Database Subcommittee (presently 4th term)
• Awarded a USDA Grant to create a prototype farmers' market information tracking system. Presently operational (2012)
• Created and hosts the first online Certified Producer Certificate (farmer licensing) system, allowing California counties to collaborate in a central record keeping database (1996-present)
• Worked with LAUSD to design solutions to keep Venice High School swimming pool open and maintained the school’s electronic scoreboard. (2003-2009)
• Proposed alternate options to the City's proposed Venice Bridge Home housing shelter project by offering alternate options that realized less community impact and a major cost reduction. The plan was recommended for consideration by the VNC Board. (2018-2019)
• Worked with prior Councilman Bill Rosendahl to obtain a study and plan to provide preferential parking for Venice residents and a shuttle bus solution to remove on-site commercial parking requirements. (2012)
• Appointed by Councilwoman Ruth Galanter to serve on CPAC (Community Planning Advisory Committee) overseeing development projects prior to the inception of Neighborhood Councils. (1990's)
• Helped form and served on the City of Los Angeles Urban Forestry Committee. (1990's)
• Constantly working to improve Venice and make our voices heard. (1988-present)

LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Motions brought before the Board by James Murez between 2016-presnet. As the Chairman of the Parking and Transportation Committee, the Co-Chair as an individual Stakeholder of Venice, his work during this period resulted in over 100 positive actions being approved to the betterment of the Venice community. Below is a brief summary of a few of those which empowered the greatest impact. The complete cariological list is available by selecting the "Show More" button below.

• Alternate Bridge Home shelter plan, described and presented to VNC, forwarded to LA City before being published in LA Times Op-Ed. <link to month >
• Oppose privatization of public open space on Venice Blvd currently designated for landscaping
• Request bus routes and frequency be scaled to community ridership and propose solutions that stop cut-through commuter traffic.
• Propose Venice Blvd parking structure and open air park in place of constructing Bonin - VCHC "Monster on the Median" housing project. My plan would provide huge financial benefits to Venice while allowing resident preferred (zone) parking to be established and approved by the Coastal Commission.
• Request VNC to provide funding for to purchase video and audio equipment for Westminster School and Oakwood Rec Center that is used by hundreds of school children and improved communications and transparency at VNC meetings.
• Request City maintain Venice streets and alleys to be safe for bike, scooter and pedestrians including ADA access, roadway surface gaps are filled and abandoned equipment is removed from public right-of-ways.