Top 5 Westside Stories: Venice Zip Line Approved, Pier Renovation, Coral Trees

Close out your weekend with a recap of the newsiest and most popular Patch articles from last week. Here are the five stories that topped the headlines on Westside Patch sites:

• Venice Beach will have a new attraction this summer. After months of public debate and planning, the California Coastal Commission approved a temporary installation of two towers at the Venice Beach Recreation Center for a zip line ride. The coastal permit will expire at the end of the pilot program – June, July and August – and cannot be renewed. Organizers will need to remove the structure and then apply for a separate permit if enough community support exists to keep the attraction as a permanent fixture in Venice.

• Join the conversation: This week, Patch interviewed Mike Bonin, who is running to represent L.A.'s 11th Council District. He has worked with Councilmember Bill Rosendahl since 2005. In an interview with Patch Bonin said the Westside has the "highest level" of community and neighborhood participation on any issue. "I think it's the most active, informed and engaged district in the city," he said. What do you think of Bonin and the other candidates? Tell us here.

• The Santa Monica Pier will undergo an $8 million renovation over 12 months, but a start date and schedule has not yet been set. Called the "Pier Replacement Project," it includes the demolition and reconstruction of a 360-foot wooden section of the pier. A representative for pier businesses says they have been largely left in the dark about the timetable.

• In other Santa Monica news, the City Council asked the public to help name a new park under construction between Main Street and Ocean Avenue, just south of the 10 Freeway. Rainbow ParkDreamweaver Park are among the slew of (Funny? Serious? Wishful?) name suggestions City Hall has received for the new 6-acre park. Click here to read suggestions from Santa Monica Patch readers.

• Whole Foods Market in Brentwood raised more than $4000 for the community's coral trees during the support day on Jan. 30. The store donated five percent of net sales to Brentwood Community Council's coral tree endowment fund to ensure continuing care to the area's iconic trees that line San Vicente Boulevard. There are approximately 130 historic coral trees on the boulevard medians.

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