La Venta Inn Is Saved

La Venta Inn is a provider. Birthplace of the Peninsula, the 100-year-old Palos Verdes historic landmark is not only the oldest building on the hill, but since 1923, it has also provided jobs, fulfilled dreams, and served as the backdrop of countless memories. Thanks to an outpouring of support from our community, this extraordinary Spanish-style villa overlooking the Pacific will continue its long tradition of providing far into the future.

“This community answered the call to share their thoughts and feelings,” says La Venta concessionaire/proprietor Meg Walker, who took over operations in 2021.” They wanted to stand up for what they believe in, which is La Venta and its place in this community.”

Situated in a residential area, La Venta is no stranger to neighborhood traffic and noise complaints. Based on an ordinance enacted in 1940, the owners have always tried to be good neighbors, peacefully coexisting with the community.

When Walker and her Redondo Beach catering company Made by Meg took over after the COVID shutdown, the city of Palos Verdes Estates decided to take a new look at the old ordinance and approached La Venta’s owners and new proprietor Meg Walker about trying to be more specific as to the uses of the Inn.

While also providing neighbors with counted-on expectations, Walker says their mutual goal was to come up with regulations, enabling La Venta to continue to operate as a viable business.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the city but I can say that the city took a lot of time as well as resources to look closely at the issue and listen to everyone who wanted to voice their concerns. They did an amazing job mediating what probably felt like an impossible conversation at times,” Walker explains.

“Since 2021, we have worked with the city through the planning commission as well as the city council to come up with a way that we can operate peacefully in the neighborhood and come up with operating guidelines that I believe answer many neighbor concerns. The property formerly did events until midnight, but we now agree to end at 10 p.m. There were never any limits on capacity, and that’s not a part of the city code, but we agreed to a maximum of 200 occupants.”

Because so many people feel strongly about La Venta’s place on the hill, Walker says the successful campaign to save La Venta included almost 50 neighbors in bright yellow T-shirts showing up to city council meetings in support of our iconic PV landmark. There were many difficult conversations but the possibility of closing La Venta altogether was probably one of the toughest. An astounding 500-plus letters of support from community members proves that every voice counts and it’s worth the effort to stand up for your beliefs.

“After a lot of love from the community, and a lot of work on the part of the city and neighbors coming forward with their concerns, I think this is the best neutral ground we can find, and we are just so grateful,” Walker says. She believes that it is up to the community to keep La Venta alive so it can continue to be the provider it has always been.

“My grandmother, Marjorie Hall, passed away very recently. She was such a light! The last time I saw her, she was wearing a bright yellow Save La Venta T-shirt. It stands out because she was born in 1923, the year that La Venta was built. I was reflecting on her amazing person and realized that our bodies, realistically, don’t make it as long as our buildings and we must appreciate that. We can all support and take care of what’s here in front of us and hope that a generation that truly treasures La Venta works hard to keep it alive for the next 100 years, I truly believe that is our charge.”