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  lulu moonwood murakami November 30, 2012 at 2:35pm

  Love it!  Glad that Venice figured out how to keep it funky and self-expressive.  Sounds like Officer Gonzalez is having a good time and being encouraging!
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  Connie Mettler November 28, 2012 at 4:42pm

  Great story, Larry. The police are now policing the street artists ;)

  Famous for its funky mix of performers, skateboarders and runaways, Venice Beach is one of California's biggest tourist draws in part because day-trippers are all but guaranteed to see something strange. But increasingly the surfside community is battling to preserve its character as big businesses and wealthy individuals move in, threatening the very quirkiness that helped attract them in the first place.

  
  Since my kids live near there I've been on this beach many times (in fact, that is where I learned to rollerblade) and I've often critiqued the art as we walked through the area and looked for people we know. It is a very cool place. Hope LA can keep this area untouched by the hipsters.
  
  

  My most famous sighting - Norm and I were there quite a few years ago and saw Arnold Schwarzenegger (pre-Terminator days) working out at Muscle Beach. Would be interesting to see him there nowadays.
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  Robert Wallis November 28, 2012 at 9:33am

  Mr. Smith at the bottom of the article has it right. I'll buy one of his cardboard signs, "Will swap artwork for money to get mom out of jail"