GET INVOLVED

OUR MISSION

The Venice Resistance is a progressive non-profit advocating for the rights of all people under the principles of a representative democracy. We hold all elected officials accountable to enact compassionate public policy that puts our people and our planet first. We reflect the inclusive nature of our shared and diverse community.

OUR GOALS

Our goals are simple. We want to enhance community engagement and protect civil liberties for everyone. Since our inception, we’ve partnered with many local organizations including Indivisible, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, The ACLU of Southern California, NAACP, Vote.org, The Women's March Los Angeles, Venice Neighborhood Council, Venice Family Clinic, West LA Democratic Club, Heal the Bay, Surfrider Association, and more. 

WHO WE ARE

We are your neighbors and your friends. We’ve been next to you at every march and protest. We felt the blow on November 9, 2016 right along with you. We take part in Pride Month and celebrated our friends who painted the Brooks Ave lifeguard tower. We’ve had our fists up in support of defunding the police. We know there is a better way.

We're young and we're old. We're white, hispanic, black, and brown. We're gay, straight, and transgendered. We're artists. We're lawyers. We're entertainment executives. We're engineers. We're parents. We're single. We're locals.

U.S. Senators
for CA
 

Senator Laphonza Butler (D)
(202) 224-3841
Email / Contact

Senator Alex Padilla (D)
(202) 224-2553
Email / Contact

U.S. Reps for our Local Districts
 

Rep. Ted Lieu for CA-36 (D)
(202) 224-3975
Email / Contact

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove for CA-37 (D)
(202) 224-7084
Email / Contact

CA Senator for District 24

Benjamin Allen (D)
(916) 651-4026
Email / Contact

Assemblymember for District 62

Anthony Rendon (D)
(916) 319-2062
Email / Contact

Founding Board Members

Meet the crew behind Venice Resistance. We are working tirelessly to get our country and our community back on track.  We welcome any input and ideas from any of our members. For press inqueries, contact press@veniceresistance.org

Maria Casey 

President, EXECUTIVE Founding Board of Directors

Maria Casey is the Principal at MCA Partners, a strategy and marketing agency where she works with brands in media, tech, fashion, cannabis and hospitality. Prior to opening her own shop, she spent 15 years working for a variety of startups, holding executive-level business development and marketing roles for companies at various stages in New York and Los Angeles. She’s connected thousands of the top global brands to their core audiences through content and innovative marketing campaigns. She has been an activist for as long as she can remember, raised by international activist parents, which inspired her to join the Peace Corps after receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Miami University. She lived and worked in Bangladesh, creating micro-loan programs for rural communities, volunteering with Save the Children and serving as a liaison between USAID and the Peace Corps, prior to settling in New York and starting her career in media. Following the 2016 election, and noticing a huge gap in the Westside of Los Angeles, Maria formed non-profit, Venice Resistance, while running Business Development for a Disney-backed start-up. She realized she couldn't stand on the sidelines anymore and wanted to take action to create a safer world for her daughter. 

TJ Hill

Secretary, EXECUTIVE Founding Board of Directors

TJ Hill is the Executive Director of the Disability Community Resource Center, an Independent Living Center located Mar Vista that serves people with disabilities across Wester Los Angeles County.  Mr. Hill comes to DCRC from the Association of Community Human Service Agencies (ACHSA) where he served as the Mental Health Policy Director for almost 10 years representing non-profit provider agencies in the LA County mental health system. Before that, he worked at the Disability Rights Legal Center, where he served as Director of Options Counseling and Lawyer Referral Service, supervising and coordinating the agency’s legal intake process. Prior to the Disability Rights Legal Center, he was a Congressional Legal Intern for Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa in Washington, D.C. where he worked on special education policy, healthcare and labor issues.  Mr. Hill received his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and his Bachelor of Arts degree, in Psychology, from the University of Arizona. He also has worked as a rehabilitation specialist for adults with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. He currently also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and as a Commissioner on the City of Santa Monica Disabilities Commission.

Adeline Guyenne 

Treasurer, EXECUTIVE Founding Board of Directors

Adeline has spent the last 5 years dedicated to the mission of making girls "strong, smart, and bold" as the Co-chair of Girls Incorporated's "Champion for Girls" philanthropic membership program which provides "STEM" education for girls in undeserved communities. She is also passionate about women's rights and healthcare and serves as a brand ambassador and lobbyist for Planned Parenthood. She is a longtime Venice resident and currently works with law enforcement as a public safety strategist for the home security company, Ring.com

 Jed Pauker

Founding Member, Board of Directors

After more than a decade of appointed and elected public service on Venice Neighborhood Council, Jed was moved by the 2016 national elections to focus on national advocacy.  As a Venice Resistance founding Board Member and cat herder in a former life, Jed manages monthly Senators' office meetings with leadership of five SoCal groups, helps organize legislative and grassroots advocacy, initiatives and actions with California Indivisible Statestrong and a dozen SoCal Indivisible and Resistance groups, as well as pursuing and organizing the full menu of GOTV tasks and tools. He is also the adoptive parent for the West Coast Baby Trump blimp.

Follow these and more @veniceresistance