Tonight at 7PM! Extending the drive-thru moratorium
Friends,
I hope you are doing well and enjoying your summer!
First things first… it’s been a crazy over here. I’ve been In-n-Out of interviews all week.
Our proposed ban on new drive thrus has been covered practically everywhere! Clearly this story isn’t a nothingburger…
I was invited on LAist 89.3’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle this morning to talk about it.
And at the risk of being too cheesy…
I’m grateful whenever the work we are doing on Council gets attention, sparks conversations, and helps encourage folks to engage in local government. And I’m proud of the work we’ve done together to move this forward.
A pleathora of outlets that have covered it so far. Feel free to order off the menu:
Look, I love a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy’s any day of the week.
But drive-thrus create traffic jams and pollution hotspots, are inaccessible to anyone not driving, and increase rates of cardiovascular issues and diabetes in the neighborhoods surrounding them.
When it comes to those side effects, nobody's lovin' it.
And there are so many better ways cities can improve accessibility for people of all ages and abilities: curbside delivery, walk-up windows, handicap parking, repairing sidewalks, more crosswalks, curb ramps, and so much more. Now that’s a combo meal we can get behind.
We know that building new drive-thrus in our city is incompatible with Culver City’s General Plan, the vision we laid out for our city.
And we can choose another future. So have it your way, Culver City!
Tonight, Council will decide whether to extend the moratorium on new drive thru businesses for another 10 months while we await the permanent ordinance from staff.
If you support the ban on new drive-thrus please, sign up to speak tonight at the button below. Don't worry — public comment is the one line worth waiting in.
You can speak on Zoom or in person at Council Chambers (9770 Culver Blvd).
Also on tonight’s agenda
C-3: Approval of final plans and authorization to invite bids for phase 1 of Safer Fox Hills Project
A-1: Adopt a resolution to accept the certification of the petition to place a parcel tax ballot measure before the voters to support Culver City Unified School District on the November 3, 2026 ballot
A-2: Discuss proposed increase of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) rate from 14% to 16%
Local Progress Convening in Baltimore
I spent the weekend with fellow progressive elected officials at the Local Progress Convening in Baltimore learning from each other and inspiring each other to tackle big problems for our communities.
We got to visit the Shake & Bake Family Fun Center… a community rec center featuring a roller rink and bowling alley that the city purchased in 1985.
It had been a minute since I’ve been on rollerskates… I almost ate it a few times but managed to stay upright 😅
Culver City is about to begin planning our own rec center soon… and Shake & Bake showed us what a vibrant and joyous community space they can be!
🛼🛼🛼🛼🛼
Culver City Pride & Culver City Pride Ride attracts hundreds
Culver City Pride was pure joy! 🪩💃🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️💕🕺🚲
This was the event’s 6th year, started in 2021 by myself, Councilmember McMorrin, and Mayor Puza. This year’s event was far the by far the largest turnout— it’s wonderful to see this tradition continue!
Huge thank you to the organizers Jack Galanty, Warren Hastings, Phoebe Kiekhofer Garfinkel, and all the volunteers who made it possible.
Don’t ever forget you 🫵 are loved 💕 and you make our city special!
Culver City is for everyone 🌈
Lower voting age to 16 for local elections makes November ballot!
[Recap of 6/22 Council meeting]
If I knew CBS News was in the house, maybe I wouldn’t have said so many “ums”!
But I am proud to support the organizers of the national @vote16usa movement and the Culver City High School students of @vote16cc.
These civically minded teens have advocated tirelessly for years to get our voting age lowered to 16 for local elections. And they’ve never given up.
The ballot measure lost by just (ironically) 16 votes (!) 4 years ago.. and after students came to council asking for another shot this year, Council voted to put the measure on the November 2026 ballot.
16 and 17 year-olds can legally earn an income (and pay taxes), and studies show they are just as capable of “cold cognition” - the reasoning required to vote thoughtfully.
But the impact is bigger than any one election— lowering the voting age is shown to create habitual, lifelong voters and increase turnout. At a time when our democracy could really use a lot more engaged citizens!
Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, and many other cities across the country have already lowered their local voting age to 16– we could be next to adopt this reform.
Here’s to creating more educated voters for life— Look out for Measure YV on your ballots in November!
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with me.
I hope you have a fantastic week.
In service,
Bubba