A proposal to allow women to sunbathe topless at Venice Beach is unlikely to find any immediate support at City Hall, with the councilman representing the area saying Wednesday there are more important issues to address.
“While I appreciate the idea, right now my priorities for Venice are increasing public safety, housing the homeless and protecting affordable housing, reining in over-development, enhancing mobility and improving the delivery of core city services,” Councilman Mike Bonin said.
The Venice Neighborhood Council voted Tuesday night in support of the idea, and is planning to send letters to Bonin, Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city officials proposing the idea.
“It’s an equality issue,” the resolution’s sponsor, Melissa Diner, told the Los Angeles Times. “There’s a conversation we’re trying to start. … What do you want to see on Venice Beach?”
It is illegal under city code for people to sunbathe nude or expose their breasts at public parks, including Venice Beach.
The beach is annually the site of a “Go Topless Day” rally, this year scheduled for Aug. 23, in which women and men march shirtless along Ocean Front Walk and call for a change in the law to allow women to sunbathe topless.
