Tisha Bedrosian, 50, died in her sleep Tuesday. She was the founder and president of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council, a predecessor to the current Venice Neighborhood Council.
The Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council was first certified in March 2002, meeting initially in the Venice High School cafeteria. By the end of the year, the GRVNC had extended its neighborhood outreach to a town hall meeting attended by 300 people. It had established three committees, dealing with land use, conservation, and parking.
By 2004 GRVNC had qualified for $50,000 grant from the city of Los Angeles and established an office in the Vera Davis McClendon Community Center.
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"Newer Venice residents or people new to community engagement in Venice might not sufficiently appreciate Tisha's significant role in the community," Councilman Bill Rosendahl's chief of staff Mike Bonin told Patch.
"She spearheaded the formation of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council even before the city of L.A. had a plan for how to form neighborhood councils," Bonin said. "She engaged new people and new energy in community politics and projects. And she was a citywide voice and force in the implementation of the neighborhood council system."
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Bedrosian resigned as GRVNC president in 2004 and kept a lower profile afterward.
"She left an indelible mark," Bonin said.
Her dedication to grassroots democracy lives on in the Venice Neighborhood Council of today.
"Tisha Bedrosian was the driving force resulting in Venice having a neighborhood council," current Venice Neighborhood Council President Linda Lucks said. "She was our first president and although I barely knew her, she is revered for her energy and vision for Venice. We grieve for her family and are shocked at the untimely loss of a great leader."
Bedrosian was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer in January of this year and chose alternative therapy. She was hospitalized in March with anemia and blood infection, and again on July 4, when doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to her back, causing her immense pain, her sister Chris said.
Bedrosian again refused traditional treatment, but consented to palliative measures at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. On July 8, she was released to her sister for full-time hospice care and pain management.
Bedrosian celebrated her 50th birthday July 13 with a few close friends, sharing Champagne and chocolate cake.
Memorial arrangements have not been announced.
