WESTSIDE - It was a bit of spring house cleaning Tuesday evening at the September General Meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council as Treasurer Helen Fallon and Community Officer Lisa Redmond were both censured by the board based on supporting documents pursuant to Article V, Section B of the VNC By Laws.
The vote to censure Fallon was 8 in favor, 6 opposed and 1 abstention while the censure motion against Redmond was 9 in favor and 6 opposed.
For months Fallon and Redmond have made their ongoing and consistent criticism of VNC President David Feige on a host of issues unbearable, to the point board meetings had been reduced to shouting matches with little accomplished.
These ongoing confrontations over his handling of the meetings as chair have been exhausting as issues of petty process, far outweighed any sense of real progress and acceptable decorum.
Community Officer Jim Fitgerald gave the case for censure, centered primarily around the delay of funding regarding the Venice Heritage Museum which Fallon had opposed. Fallon countered that city guidelines were being violated, and that one particular board member could have been in a potential conflict of interest regarding his association with the funding application recipient.
Under public comment, Jay Handel, who was Fallon's predecessor as board treasurer, opposed the censure and called the entire affair discouraging. Longtime Venetian Naomi Nightingale, believes the board needs to "try harder" in getting along, and such a censure was "not the correct course of action."
Other commentary pointed to VNC meetings being dragged "on and on" by Fallon's actions, while others opposed the board airing its dirty laundry in such a public forum.
Steve Bradbury, a former VNC member who resigned in part to the actions of Fallon as well as Redmond, referred to Fallon as "petty and vindictive, and she knows better."
Feige stressed the "9 days of inactivity by Fallon, in wake of the end of the fiscal year and that such delays required multiple meetings" that could have been avoided as his explanation of the censure motion.
Fitzgerald, a retired technology executive again read the charges from the supporting documents regarding the Redmond censure and emphasized the "37 interruptions" made by her as well as the charges of "bullying" by former VNC member Christoper Lee who was not present.
Lee, who resigned for health-related concerns had made available a statement that read:
"I am glad to see this movement to censure Lisa Redmond - while on the VNC with her, I repeatedly witnessed her obfuscate proceedings, shout and argue in an uncivil manner, and personally witness her cussing out a member in public. Her behavior is not without our oath of office, and she should've been removed long ago for her argumentative, destructive, and disrespect to the VNC and to our public."
Redmond in her defense questioned the evidence as well as the fairness of the process, and in particular the accuracy of the evidence stated. In the end, she was unable to sway her colleagues.
A motion to censure is a formal, public statement of strong disapproval or reprimand passed by a legislative body or organization against one of its members, an official, or the government as a whole. It expresses deep disapproval but does not remove the individual from office or strip them of their legal rights and constitutional privileges.
Censure motions are rare, and several board members indicated they were hopeful that a corrective course of action would follow from Fallon and Redmond.
The board then entertained three administrative vacancies that currently exist on Ad Com, as Kenya Lee (no relation to Christopher Lee) and Ted Henderson were nominated to fill the vacancies created by Lisa Redmond and Nico Ruderman.
Under board comment, Redmond accused Lee of not being "reliable," as well as board member Erica Moore, who claimed the nominee had attendance issues. Board member Yolanda Gonzalez had high praise for Lee, as she described her as an outstanding colleague and individual.
The vote to approve Lee was overwhelming, 8 in favor, 2 opposed and 2 abstentions.
Ted Henderson, the next nominee, absorbed the same critical wrath from Redmond who claimed, "he had no integrity," while Fallon accused Henderson of not qualified to serve on Ad Com.
Henderson withstood the rock throwing and was confirmed with 6 in favor, 4 opposed and two abstentions.
Henderson was grateful for the VNC's support.
"I am thrilled to be appointed to AdCom. Venice urgently needs basic city services and investment from Los Angeles. Well run VNC meetings ensure Venice’s voices are heard downtown."
The next item of business was the replacement of Sarah Mahir, the non-resident Community Interest Officer who received just 7 votes in her unopposed election in 2025 as Fitzgerald was nominated to replace her.
Under board comment, Richard Stanger supported her removal, stating he was disappointed in her time on Ad Com while Redmond labeled her removal as an "illegal censure motion," while board member Clark Brown described Fitzgerad as "judicious and constructive." Fallon repeated the claim of an "illegal censure," while Gonzalez described Mahir as "disruptive and insulting."
The vote to remove Mahir with Fitzgerald was 7 in favor and 5 opposed.
In a more positive and uplifting board moment, the VNC selected Nico Ruderman and Seaf Hartley to fill unexpired terms.
A longtime VNC board member who headed up the 2021 recall of former LA Council Member Mike Bonin, Ruderman has made unsuccessful runs for the California Assembly and Senate.
Seaf Hartley is a newcomer to the VNC, but hardly new to the neighborhood of Venice.
The daughter of the owners of the iconic coffee shoppe, the Cow's End just steps from the beach, Hartley graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law, obtaining her J.D. and a Certificate in International and Comparative Law with Honors after attending the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom where she earned an undergraduate dual degree in International Relations and Social Anthropology. In law school, Ms. Hartley joined the International Human Rights Clinic and traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to speak at the 49th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council about the threats of digitally financed terrorism.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-three-year resident of Venice who exclusively covers the deliberations of the Venice Neighborhood Council. A regular contributor to City Watch LA, you can email him at [email protected])
