Venice once was the hippest hangout west of Greenwich Village or south of San Francisco's North Beach. The Boardwalk still makes it one of LA's prime tourist attractions, but rising rents and home prices have created a culture clash. Now middle-class residents are at war over people who live in their cars, RV's and campers with cops, elected officials and even the Coastal Commission caught in the middle. A recent incident involved the dumping of human waste. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, five years after Katrina, President Obama said yesterday he's making good on his promise to protect New Orleans. But he barely mentioned the strategy most experts say would make the biggest difference of all — restoring the wetlands.
Banner image: A skater passes a van where a homeless person is sleeping in Venice, California. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images