VENICE BEACH — Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl has joined the movement to save a Venice lifeguard tower that is painted the rainbow colors of the LGBTQ pride flag.
RELATED: ‘Venice Pride Lifeguard Tower’ to be dedicated
The “Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower,” located at the end of Brooks Avenue, was dedicated as a county run public art installation in June to help kickoff the Venice Pride celebration. It was intended as a temporary display that would be repainted blue September 8, but an online petition seeking to save the rainbow colored lifeguard tower was started in late July. Almost 7,000 people have signed their support.
PRESERVE FOREVER
On Thursday, Kuehl’s deputy for public works, Maria Chong-Castillo, told Q Voice News that at the Board of Supervisors September 5 meeting, Kuehl (who represents the 3rd District, which includes Venice Beach) will introduce a motion asking the Department of Beaches and Harbors to preserve the “Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower” forever and make it a memorial to late Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, the first openly gay man elected to the council.
Rosendahl, who represented the 11th District, which includes Venice, died in 2016 from cancer. He retired in 2012.
RELATED: L.A. Rams 1st NFL team to sponsor LGBTQ pride event
‘MESSAGE OF EQUALITY, INCLUSION’
The lifeguard tower shows a ‘message of equality and inclusion,’ petition says.
“In nine weeks, thousands have flocked to photograph the dramatic tower and broadcast its powerful message of equality and inclusion to millions across the globe,” the petition says. “At a time when so much of what the LGBT community and its allies fought for is under attack, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors should save the Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower by designating it a permanent public art project.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl has joined the movement to save a Venice lifeguard tower that is painted the rainbow colors of the LGBTQ pride flag. Photo: Robert Gamboa.
