Milton Sidley, Palms landowner who famously attempted to forestall a meeting of the Palms Neighborhood Council on Aug. 2, 2006, has raised the rent on property he owns in downtown Los Angeles, so Ted Hayes' Dome Village is out of business.

Here is what writer Rong-Gong Lin II of the L.A. Times reported on Oct. 29, 2006:

It began in 1993 as a utopian vision: to end homelessness in downtown Los Angeles by welcoming the down-and-out into a small urban community of 18 fiberglass domes.

But the dream, founded in an old parking lot next to a freeway onramp, is ending. It is a victim of rising property values and a sevenfold rent increase. . . .

Dome Village had paid $2,500 a month for the 1 1/4 acres, not including property taxes, said founder Ted Hayes, a longtime homeless activist who lived in a dome. But last year, one of the owners, Milton Sidley, wrote to Hayes, saying the overall rent would increase to more than $18,300 a month.

That spelled the end of Dome Village.

"The property in downtown Los Angeles has appreciated such a great deal at this point," said Mike Sidley, Milton Sidley's son and attorney for the partnership that owns the land. "It's just no longer economically viable to allow them to remain there."

The dismantling of Dome Village — near the Staples Center — ends an era of experimentation in which Hayes tried to prove a point: that homeless people needed their own haven away from skid row.

Shaded by a grove of trees as old as the village itself, each dome — 20 feet in diameter and 12 feet tall — offered privacy for men, women, married couples, same-sex couples, families, and even pets. "Each homeless person's dome is his castle," Hayes told The Times in 1993.

"The idea was to create a family environment…. We recognized that people needed to be in a social environment, but they needed a private space," Hayes said Saturday. A $250,000 grant from Arco to help buy the domes, other donations, and an agreement with the land owner allowed the project to proceed.

Residents, who paid $70 to $100 a month, were responsible for chores and could buy and cook their own food in a communal kitchen dome. Also on site was a dome for a library containing computers with Internet access. Other domes housed washrooms and laundry facilities.

The domes were chosen for reasons of convenience: They could be assembled and disassembled quickly. Each was made of 21 sections of curved, lightweight polyester fiberglass, fit together like a soccer ball and sealed with 150 bolts. . . .

But other residents were quick to give the go-ahead to saving Venice murals for future generations.

"There should be some commitment by the people of Venice to their murals," resident Jim Smith said. "Venice is known for murals and we need to preserve them."

The Venice Neighborhood Council has allocated $20,000 to help repair two murals in Venice — "Jaya" near the canals (below left) and "Endangered Species" near the Boardwalk, both created by Venice artist Emily Winters.

Here is what writer Vince Echavaria of the Argonaut reported about the vote on Oct. 26, 2006:

The allocation represents 40 percent of the Neighborhood Council's $50,000 annual budget from the city Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

While the $20,000 is only a portion of the total project costs, Neighborhood Council president DeDe Audet says the council's action was a "move to invigorate fundraising" for the project.

"I think it reflects the views of most of the community that the murals of Venice do attract a large number of people to visit," Audet said.

People at SPARC [Social and Public Art Resource Center] called the Neighborhood Council's allocation a historic action, which shows that the council is a "true arts partner for all of Los Angeles, most importantly Venice."

Winters agreed, saying she was delighted to have the council's support for her art.

"The fact that they're willing to support these murals is really important and it's setting a precedent," Winters said. . . .

Some Neighborhood Council members expressed concern about spending such a large chunk of the council's budget on the projects.

But others said that if the council is going to spend such a large amount, it might as well be for an effort like the preservation of community murals.

"I think it's a lot of money, but it's a good cause," Neighborhood Council member Colette Bailey said. "What are we doing with the money anyway? Let's spend some of it."

Some residents at the Neighborhood Council meeting warned council members that preserving murals in Venice, which is a community of many murals, could prove to be an expensive task.

"There are a lot of murals in Venice," resident Stewart Oscars said. "It will be a big business if we get into the business of restoring murals."

Resident Nadine Parkos said she supported the mural projects in concept but added that there are many other community projects that also need support.

But other residents were quick to give the go-ahead to saving Venice murals for future generations.

"There should be some commitment by the people of Venice to their murals," resident Jim Smith said. "Venice is known for murals and we need to preserve them."

Gwen Vuchsas, the former Westchester-Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council president charged with embezzling money from a police boosters group, has agreed to a plea deal that requires her to perform 45 days of community work before returning to court in six months.

Assuming Vuchsas follows through -- her options include graffiti removal and beach and roadside cleanups -- the District Attorney's Office will downgrade the case to a misdemeanor charge of grand theft, making her eligible for probation, prosecutor Don Tamura said Monday.

He and Vuchsas' attorney, David Voss, agreed to continue the case until April 3, when Voss said Vuchsas will plead guilty.

The 59-year-old Playa del Rey woman released a statement Monday saying, "In a society that too often makes excuses, I choose now to offer none, but rather tell you that I have owned up to my error in judgment. ...

"I deeply regret my actions and my shortsightedness in taking the easy route to solving a temporary problem by using (boosters) association funds," she continued. Vuchsas said "every penny" of the money has been returned.

Questions about Vuchsas' involvement with the Pacific Area Boosters Association came to light several weeks ago, when detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department's commercial crimes division started investigating allegations that she had funneled boosters money through the Marina del Rey security firm she owns with her husband, Jim, a 25-year LAPD veteran.

Vuchsas had been president of the boosters association before stepping down Sept. 13. A week later, she told council members she was resigning and would not run for re-election.

The District Attorney's Office charged Vuchsas two weeks ago with one felony count of embezzlement by a private or public officer.

The complaint alleged she misappropriated money from June 27 to Aug. 4 while acting as the boosters association's treasurer. A spokeswoman put the amount in question at $34,550, which Tamura said Vuchsas allegedly removed in six separate transactions.

While acknowledging the large sum, Tamura told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz that his office had agreed to the deal after learning the money had been repaid. He noted Vuchsas has no prior criminal record, and said he had been given "many letters" supportive of her community service.

"We (also) took into account her age," he said afterward. "The money, really, it was converted for her use, but it was put back very quickly. ... From what I've been told by her attorney, she was basically using the money to cover payroll ... and other bills for her security business."
Vuchsas, dressed in black slacks and a beige-colored blazer, sat quietly in court Monday, about a dozen local leaders and family members seated around her.

When her name was called, she stood by Voss, a Westchester-Playa del Rey neighborhood councilman, and said she agreed to the deal with a quiet "yes."

In her statement, Vuchsas said she was grateful for her supporters. But she criticized others, calling it "unfortunate and hurtful that there have been so many outrageous rumors ... fabricated by those who would choose to take the low road and tear me down by spreading lies ... to apparently satisfy their own personal grudges."

Voss acknowledged Vuchsas' missteps, but he insisted they shouldn't damage her reputation. "It's an unfortunate mistake (but) would never erase 30 years of service to our community, the likes of which I have never seen."

Longtime boosters association board member Curt Curtiss said he's eager for his colleagues to put the incident behind them.

"At least it's over and done now," he said, "and hopefully she will have learned her lesson."