Loan Approved for 93 Affordable Homes!
Hi friends,
I’m writing with some (much needed) good news to share with you from last week’s meeting.
Affordable Housing Loan Passes!
[3/10 Council Recap]
By a vote of 3-2, Culver City Council approved a $16M loan to build 93 units of housing for low income families!
Here’s a quick, 2-minute recap of that plus everything else you missed from the last Council meeting (it went til 1AM!)
Or just keep scrolling if you prefer to read instead of watch.
By a 2-3 vote, Council approved a $16M loan to build 93 homes for low and very low income families at 4464 Sepulveda Blvd! This is the only shovel-ready affordable housing project on the Westside, and it has been in the works for over 6 years. Culver City has built abysmally little affordable housing and is far behind the number of units it is required by law to build. This project will get us closer to compliance with state law and allow 93 families who could otherwise not afford to live here the chance to be a part of our community. This is a monumental community win, and it would not have happened without the hard work and support of so many.
Council directed staff to draft an Emergency Climate Action Plan to make our city more climate-resiliant and lower our carbon footprint. Shoutout to my colleague Vice Mayor Puza for bringing this item back after the previous Council majority declined to declare a climate emergency late last year.
Council reviewed our sanctuary city policy from 2017 and directed staff to prepare a ‘know your rights’ campaign for our city buses, parks, and other city facilities. I suggested a campaign on city buses based on the work of my boss, Supervisor Janice Hahn, who has led an effort to create a ‘know your rights’ campaign on Metro buses.
Council created an ad-hoc subcommittee on aging (served by VM Puza and Mayor O’Brien) after recieving an AARP report on ways the city can become a friendlier place to age. The report found that 81% of respondents say Culver City is an “excellent or good place to age.” Also worth noting, nearly half of older adults surveyed make less than $50K per year.
We also passed 3 free fares days for Culver CityBus, Bike to Work day on May 16 (if you have a bike or bike helmet with you on the bus), Clean Air Day on October 1, and New Year’s Eve.
Finally, we proclaimed March Women’s History Month and congratulated the Culver City Symphony Orchestra on celebrating its 60th anniversary season!
Council Meeting Tonight at 7PM!
The last Council meeting for a month is 7PM tonight at Culver City Council Chambers! Here are a few items you might be interested in:
A-3 will decide whether the city creates a right to legal counsel for Culver City tenants. This is a program used in cities like San Francisco to keep thousands of people housed.
PH-1 will be a presentation from the Planning Department of its proposed ‘objective design standards’ which are intended to help expedite multi-family housing approvals. As long as your project fits those standards, it should be approved by city staff and not have to go through Council.
PH-2 will be another presentation from the Planning department of its proposed updated density bonus for affordable housing. So if your project includes a certain % of affordable units, you can build more units than would otherwise be allowed.
A-1 will decide whether to place a quarter-cent sales tax measure on an upcoming ballot to resolve our structural deficit. There are many ways to resolve a structural deficit without relying on regressive sales taxes, but Councilmember McMorrin’s proposal to look more critically at our city budget did not recieve enough support.
As always, you can watch in person at Council Chambers (9770 Culver Blvd.) or remotely via Zoom.
You can request to speak here or send in your comment by emailing city.council@culvercity.org.
Hope to see (or hear) you there!
Complete Streets Design Guidelines
Culver City is creating brand new Complete Streets Design Guidelines that will shape the future of our city streets and how we all get around!
Join Culver City Public Works and Dept of Transportation at any of the events below. You’ll get to learn from the experts (like Thomas and Ryan above) and let them know how you get around and what’s important to you!
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Community Open House at El Marino Park
Saturday, March 29, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Walking Tour Beginning at Veterans Memorial Park
Saturday, April 5, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Walking Tour Beginning at Lindberg Park
Thank you for catching up with me, and I hope you have a great start to your week!
- Bubba
