Big council meeting tonight!
Hi friends,
Tonight at 7 PM, we have a pretty major Council meeting with a lot of important items. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s on the agenda.
A-1: Ratification of Council priorities and key performance indicators from our strategic planning retreat in February
This is where the Council will ratify our three main strategic goals and how we measure success.
A-2: Approving the board of directors for the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and approving the uses of bonds up to $48M for major capital projects.
Council will approve the uses of bonds it will issue to advance priorities like Jubilo Village, affordable housing, CCUSD assistance, Bill Botts Field, and others.
There are currently no safe streets / complete streets projects included in the approved uses. If you would like to see those projects funded, sign up to speak below.
A-3: World Cup Screening with Afro Village + Bahati House on July 19 and Olympic Games Updates.
A-4: Discussion of the minimum wage and digital kiosk subcommittees following FPPC opinion letter regarding conflicts of interest.
A-5: Creating a Standing Public Safety Subcommittee
This committee is important to advancing safety initiatives like the Mobile Crisis Team, reforming our red light camera program, and improving accountability and oversight of our police department.
A-6: Discussion of supporting CA Senate Bill 747 (Wiener) - creating a right to legal action for violations of civil rights by police
A-7: Discussion of supporting Assembly Bill 1537 (Bryan) - stopping police officers from taking second jobs as ICE agents
We would love to hear from you tonight!
Watch tonight at City Hall, Zoom, or on the city’s YouTube channel.
Just tap the button below to sign up to speak.
Entertainment zone and JPA approved, & security staff reduced
[Recap of the 4/13 Council meeting]
Culver City Pride 2025
Downtown Entertainment Zone Pilot Approved
The Council unanimously approved an ‘entertainment zone’ in Downtown Culver City for special events like Culver City Pride and the Car Show, allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages for those with a wristband. As the pilot moves forward, I will continue to advocate for enhanced safety measures to ensure these events stay fun and welcoming to all.
City Ends Fiscal Emergency
The city declared a fiscal emergency at the beginning of last year in order to hold a special election to pass a sales tax measure (Measure CL) which is now expected to bring in around $5.5M annually for the city’s general fund.
Now that Measure CL has passed and the JPA has been formed to offset some of the general fund expenses, the city manager is able to propose a balanced budget to the Council next month.
This allows the city to confidently declare an end to the fiscal emergency.
Security Staffing Reduced for Council Meetings
The Council voted to reduce the number of security guards outside Council meetings from 4 guards to 3. The current security set up was first introduced at a 2024 Council meeting when advocates came to City Hall asking for a resolution in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza. The implication that these advocates were somehow dangerous was offensive to many, and the costly security presence has remained ever since. The city has held Council meetings for over 100 years without metal detectors and security guards, and we have not recieved any data showing that the additional security is having a material positive impact on safety. The Council also voted to allow the current security contract to expire at the end of its current term and issue an RFP for new services, potentially at a reduced cost and scope.
Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Created
The Council unanimously voted to approve the creation of a joint powers authority which will issue bonds to fund some of the City’s top priorities like Jubilo Village, other affordable housing projects, CCUSD assistance, Bill Botts Field, street repavings, and more.
Around Town!
Culver City Small Business COFAX Coffee Honored by LA Forward
with former CC Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells, Alejandra Ponce de Leon, Cofax co-owner Nick Starr, and Los Angeles Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky.
Huge congrats to Culver City small business @cofaxcoffee for being honored with the Change Maker award from @laforward!
Cofax doesn’t just serve up the delicious breakfast burritos and cold brew that Hasan Piker and Caleb Heron rave about on their podcast…
Cofax continually stands up for social justice time and time again, supporting and donating food to important advocacy groups and non-profits in the community.
Congrats to the owners Jason Bernstein and Nick Starr as well as Nick’s spouse and LA Forward member, Alejandra Ponce de León, on this well deserved honor.
And thank you for all your work to make our city a better place!
Recieving the ‘Rising Star’ award from Abundant Housing Los Angeles
with Abundant Housing Executive Director Azeen Khanmalek and fellow honorees Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
I was touched to be recognized as a housing champion by @abundanthousing LA.
Looking back on the last year and a half since winning a seat on Culver City Council, we have been busy making it easier to build more homes (especially affordable ones) and tackling the affordability crisis head-on:
🏡 We legalized buying/selling ADUs separately
🏡 We expedited all projects with 20% or more affordable homes
🏡 We approved and funded the largest 100% affordable housing project in the city’s history
🏡 We turned a former gun store into 67 homes for moderate to low income families
🏡 We became the first in the state to legalize single stair residential buildings
and even more wonky stuff that I don’t have enough space to write…
None of it would have happened without the support of community advocates and orgs like AHLA, our amazing city staff and my colleagues on city council.
It takes all of us to make sure Culver City is affordable and welcoming to all… and we’re just getting started!
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with me.
I hope you have a great start to your week!
In service,
Bubba