Gentrification Sparks Culture Clash In Venice Beach

VENICE, CA - JULY 13: Many older canal-side houses have been replaced by bigger million-dollar homes, as seen July 13, 2004 in Venice, California. An influx of wealthy home buyers is driving real estate prices up, and affordable housing for local residents out. A culture clash has caused an upheaval in local politics that resulted in a city council feud. Progressive activists were then elected to 18 of the 21 seats on a renegade council, with the votes of only a few hundred of Venice's 40,000 residents, according to the Los Angeles Times. Created in the early 20th century with canals like those of Venice, Italy, the city later became a haven for the beatnik culture in the 1950s. Venice then attracted the 1960s counter-culture, artists, musicians and bodybuilders such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The beach is now an international tourist destination. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)