about 25 miles north of LA in northern Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. Leo Carillo State Beach...Has Camping. Also you can pitch a tent at the Malibu RV park which is near Solstice Canyon

Depends what your definition of "near" entails. While most of the city parks are day-use area, LA County offers a couple of camping areas in San Dimas and Castaic Lake, so nowhere near Venice. The campground at Malibu Creek State Park is an option, though still a longish 20 miles from Venice (and bear in mind we're talking SoCal traffic here). A few other ideas for LA-area camping in this article on GORP.com: http://bit.ly/hvyD8S