City Council Approves Legislative and Policy Platform, Fox Hills Project Moves Forward, Does Not Take Action on Becoming a ‘Climate Emergency City’

Fox Hills Mixed-Use Residential & Commercial Project Approved

Following a public hearing, the City Council approved for a mixed-use residential and commercial development project in the Fox Hills neighborhood to move forward. The 2.23-acre project at 5700 Hannum Avenue and Buckingham Parkway will include 309 residential units and 5,600 square feet of commercial space. Plans include 27 very-low-income affordable units. Developers state the 6-story project creates a vibrant transition between commercial uses to the north and west, and residential uses to the east for neighbors and pedestrians by providing new retail, open space, and housing at street level. There are 428 vehicle parking spaces. The Project also contains 92 bicycle spaces: 11 short-term and 81 long-term. Full details of the project plan can be viewed on the City’s website.

Mayor McMorrin and Council Member Puza recused themselves from the item on the agenda. Vice Mayor O’Brien and Council Members Vera Jr. and Eriksson voted in favor of the motions for the project to move forward.

Legislative and Policy Platform Approved

The City Council approved the Legislative and Policy Platform (LPP) that guides the City’s positions on state and federal legislation. The LPP state’s the City’s positions on legislative issues it faces and provides the process by which its interests can be protected or promoted at the state and federal levels. The LPP also allows the City to respond quickly to issues that could directly impact the City as a municipal organization, and to reach out to legislators to assist the City in communicating its interests.

Vice Mayor Dan O’Brien and Council Members Albert Vera Jr. and Goran Eriksson voted in favor of the LPP. Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin and Council Member Freddy Puza voted against.

The approved resolution and the LPP that follows it is available for review in full on the City’s website.

No Action Taken on Becoming a ‘Climate Emergency City’

 The City Council did not take action on becoming a Climate Emergency City and a C40 Cities member. C40 Cities is a global network of nearly 96 large cities throughout the world, including Los Angeles, that are united in action to confront the climate crisis.

While City Council did not take action on the item, the City has chosen to address climate change, environmental justice, and to implement climate-related actions through development of guidelines, identifying programs and projects, and establishing targets in the recently adopted General Plan Update (GPU). The GPU is the umbrella document that allows the City to plan for future development until 2045. The intent of the GPU is to establish the City’s goals for development and the built environment, actions to take to address climate change, and to set ground rules for land use.

The GPU includes detailed objectives to address environmental justice and climate action throughout the document. Specifically, the GPU includes strategies to achieve certain goals and to perform ongoing monitoring of the City’s progress, including:

• Community Health and Environmental Justice
• Greenhouse Gas Reduction
• Conservation
• Safety

You can view the GPU on the City's website.

City Council Proclamations, Commendations & Recognitions

The City Council meeting began with several proclamations, commendations, and recognitions. It first commended Heidi Duckler, the Founder and Artistic Director of Heidi Duckler Dance, an award-winning performing arts organization, based in Los Angeles, California, celebrating thirty-nine years. Heidi Duckler Dance transforms spaces through the power of contemporary movement; including many dance events in locations throughout Culver City, and partnered with the Culver City School District, engaged local student dancers and artists, joined Culver City environmental efforts, entertained audiences, enlivened public spaces. Heidi Duckler has choreographed site-specific public performances in California, Los Angeles, nationwide, and worldwide since 1985. Duckler has announced that Raymond Ejiofor will be assuming the role of Artistic Director in 2025 while she remains as Executive Director, a significant transition for herself and for company. Heidi Duckler Dance has participated in the Culver City Performing Arts Grant Program since its creation in 1994, using their former name of Collage Dance Theatre. The City Council of the City of Culver City hereby commends Heidi Duckler for outstanding service and contributions to Culver City’s cultural life and artistic experiences.

New Earth received a commendation for its 20-year anniversary as a non-profit organization based in Culver City that provides mentor-based arts, educational, vocational programs and wrap-around services that assist youth ages 13-25 and their families. New Earth has designed and implemented many programs for the past 20 years, such as the Digital Media Workforce Training, FLOW (Fluent Love of Words) Poetry Program, and Down to Earth Gardening Program which equip young people with creative skills and opportunities. New Earth offers a space designed for creative expression, personal growth, and healing, particularly for youth affected by the juvenile justice system. New Earth has strived to make substantial contributions to building equity and positive change in the Culver City community, touching countless lives through service and advocacy.

The City Council proclaimed November as “Movember” 2024. The Movember Foundation is the leading charity dedicated to changing the face of men's health in the U.S. and around the world with a focus on raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention to encourage testing, prevention, and support services. The Movember campaign encourages everyone to “Make a Move” and run or walk sixty (60) miles during November to recognize the sixty (60) men suicide takes globally every hour. The City Council invites the community to grow a moustache, support men’s health, and “Make a Move” so that we all live healthier, happier, and longer lives.

The City Council also proclaimed November 11^th as Veterans Day 2024. Residents of Culver City have participated as uniformed service members in all conflicts involving the US Armed Services from World War I through Operation Freedom; and have also served as uniformed service members in our Armed Services during time of peace. All veterans have sacrificed a portion of their lives in the service of our Nation and contributed to our continued freedom and well-being. The residents of Culver City owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all the courageous men and women who willingly served their country and sacrificed their lives to preserve our ideals and the American way of life.

World Kindness Day in Culver City is November 13^th, City Council proclaimed on Monday. World Kindness Day is an international holiday that was formed in 1998. The day presents us with the opportunity to reflect upon one of the most important and unifying human principles – being kind to each other – on a day devoted to the positive potential of both large and small acts of kindness, in a world in great need of more kindness. In 2017, the City Council of Culver City established Culver City as a City of Kindness, which became one of its Council priorities during its Centennial year. The City Council encourages all our residents and visitors to practice both large and small acts of kindness on that day and throughout the year.

Each year on November 20^th, the City of Culver City observes Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) to honor the lives of transgender people who have been lost to transphobic violence and discrimination. The City Council proclaimed the day as TDOR. Established in 1999, TDOR was created to commemorate Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in her Boston apartment in 1999. The day is an opportunity not just for remembrance but also to celebrate our transgender communities in Culver City and beyond, and to continually work on identifying one’s own biases. The City Council calls upon the community to remember those who died, and celebrate our differences in race, gender, ethnicity, and religion because all lives matter.

The City Council proclaimed November 30^th as Small Business Saturday. Culver City has and continues to encourage community members to shop locally in support of our Culver City-based establishments to help maintain a robust economy and ongoing job opportunities within businesses both large and small. According to the United States Small Business Administration, there are 33.3 million small businesses in the United States, which employ almost 50% of the employees in the private sector and are responsible for 62% of net new jobs created since 1995. The City of Culver City supports our local businesses who maintain a sense of community, create jobs, and boost our local economy and taxable dollars spent in Culver City, which helps to benefit important City-provided services like public safety, senior services, after-school programs, street maintenance, streetlights, and park. The City has embraced the #ChooseCulver, #LoveLocal, #BuyLocal shop local program, highlighting Culver City businesses and commercial districts and the benefits of shopping, dining and working locally. The City Council encourages the residents of our community, and communities across the country, to support Culver City’s independent, small businesses on November 30^th and throughout the year.

Additional Council Decisions 

Additional items approved by the City Council include:

• Approved cash disbursements from October 19 to November 1, 2024.
• Approved minutes of the City Council Meeting held on October 14, 2024.
• Authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to award up to 50 Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) for the creation of new construction or substantial rehabilitation affordable housing projects. Fifty PBVs will be awarded in January 2025 to one or more selected developers. You can learn more about the project-based vouchers and project eligibility threshold on the City’s website.
• Approved an agreement with Konica Minolta for digitization of files for the Current Planning Division in an amount not to exceed $79,420.
• Approved a purchase order with Snap-On Industrial, Inc. for the purchase of new tool cabinets and workbenches for the Transportation Facility in an amount not-to-exceed $184,285.37. 
• Approved d an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with Keen Independent Research LLCto update the scope of service to include Phase II Tasks, update the termination date to the conclusion of Phase II Tasks, and increase the not-to-exceed project fees by an additional $63,530 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $156,350 for the preparation of the Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP). City Council also approved a related budget amendment to increase funding for the REAP preparation by appropriating $63,530 from the General Fund Unassigned Balance. You can read about Phase I and Phase II Tasks on the City’s website.
• Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute any actions necessary for the purpose of obtaining financial assistance provided by the California Department of Transportation State of Good Repair Program. It also adopted a resolution authorizing the City Manager or designee to submit a claim to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds for FY 2024/2025, as well as approved a budget amendment to record additional revenue in the amount of $373,914.
• Approved an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with AG Coast Corporation dba CA Panther Security (Panther Security) for security guard services for the City’s Motel Master Leasing Program (Motel Program) in an amount not-to-exceed $594,738 for the time of performance from March 2024 through October 2024 to terminate and closeout services and pay outstanding invoices for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
• Approved a task order with General Technologies and Solutions (GTS) to develop a Transit Zero Emission Master Plan for the Culver City Transportation Department in an amount not-to-exceed $209,738.
• Approved a task order with HDR, Inc. for Mobility Investment & Grant Strategy services in an amount not to exceed $640,703.25. The proposal has both a fixed-task component and an as-needed component. The fixed tasks are to complete the mobility investment model and grants strategy. The as-needed component is to prepare grant applications on an as-needed basis, at the direction of the Department.
• Approve a two-year Hardware as a Service (HAAS) agreement with Hayden AI Technologies, Inc. (Hayden AI) for automated bus lane enforcement in an amount not-to-exceed $705,000 annually. City Council also approved a two-year agreement with Duncan Solutions for enforcement processing in an amount not-to-exceed $200,000 annually. Three optional one-year extensions for both agreements were approved. The Transportation Department, as part of its Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Work Plan, is working to deploy automated bus lane enforcement on a portion of the transit fleet to support enforcement efforts. The project will initially equip 10 transit vehicles with the video enforcement devices. Efforts will be made to deploy the buses on routes traveling along the MOVE Culver City Downtown Corridor. Vehicles deployed elsewhere in the system would continue to enforce any parking violations at bus stops. Staff will continue to monitor data and consider expanding to up to 25 vehicles, or close to 50 percent of the vehicle fleet, based on operational needs and coverage on the system.
• Approved an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with Cashel Corporation dba Integrated Media Systems (IMS) increasing the contract amount by $227,845 to include broadcast closed captioning, millwork services, enhanced audio/visual functionality, and a preventative maintenance support agreement with an aggregate contract amount not-to-exceed $628,435. The improvements in the City Council Chambers will be utilized for public meetings. You can view all the improvements on the City’s website.
• Approved the submittal of an application for Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant through the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The City of Culver City’s Environmental Programs and Operations (EPO) Division of Public Works seeks approval to apply for the EPA SWIFR grant program under one of the current work plan items listed in the Public Works Department goals, to be determined once the most competitive and applicable grant program is selected. The grant is due on December 20, 2024, and staff is securing City Council approval to apply for EPA funding in advance of the deadline.
• Approved a three-year professional services agreement with Insurance Brokerage, Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., to manage the City’s Insurance and Risk Management program, in the annual amount of $150,000. The City of Culver City has maintained a service contract with Aon Risk Services since 2015 for the management of the City’s insurance program. Over the past nine (9) years, Aon has been a dedicated partner to Culver City in their ability to obtain sufficient insurance to cover the multiple risks of an active municipality.
• Approved a waiver of the maximum number of special events allowable in a calendar year pursuant to Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) for The Culver Steps, Town Plaza, and the Ivy Station properties. It also designated events occurring at the Culver Steps and Town Plaza as City-Sponsored Events. The proposed programming for the coming year will exceed the 12-event maximum for these properties.
• Adopted a resolution accepting $34,912 in 2023 State Homeland Security Program Grant funds for the purchase of tactical emergency medical services equipment and providing Proof of Authority of the governing body as required by the California Office of Emergency Services. This year, the Culver City Fire Department requested to equip tactical emergency medical services team members with eight sets of ballistic personal protective gear, including ballistic plates and helmets, four collapsible handle litters and 150 casualty response kits.
• Waived competitive bidding procedures pursuant to Culver City Municipal Code Section (CCMC) and approve a three-year professional services agreement with HdL Companies (HdL) for business licensing software and business license tax administration.
• Approved a five-year agreement with MasterCorp Commercial Services to provide citywide janitorial services at 10 City-owned facilities in an amount not-to-exceed $4,911,707.
• Adopted a resolution setting the regular meetings of the City Council for 2025.
• Approve amendments to the existing legal services agreements with Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP, Goldfarb & Lipman LLP, Olson Remcho LLP, and Tally & Talley Law, APC to allow services on an as-needed basis within the budgeted amount for legal services approved by City Council for the applicable fiscal year. The funds spent on legal services have a budgetary cap established each fiscal year as approved by the City Council.
• Introduced the proposed ordinance confirming the Downtown Culver City Business Improvement District Advisory Board’s (DCCBID) 2025 Annual Work Plan and Levy of Assessments. This year, the DCCBID Advisory Board proposes an increase of 3% to the existing assessments for 2025. City Council also appointed members to the DCCBID’s 2025 Advisory Board and extended the management agreement between the City and the Downtown Business Association (DBA) until December 2025. The proposed 2025 DCCBID Annual Work Program includes:
  • Marketing and promotional activities
  • Decoration and beautification
  • Supplemental maintenance of the BID area in accordance with the law
• Introduced the proposed ordinance confirming the Culver City Arts District Business Improvement District (BID) 2025 Work Plan and the levy of assessments. City Council also appointed members to the BID Advisory Board for calendar year 2025 and approved an extension of the existing Management Agreement with the Culver City Arts District (CCAD) through December 31, 2025. The BID Advisory Board proposes an increase of 25% to the existing assessments for 2025. The proposed 2025 BID Annual Work Program includes:
  • Marketing and promotional activities
  • Decoration and beautification
  • Supplemental maintenance of the BID area in accordance with the law

Additional information about each of the topics heard at the City Council meeting can be found in the staff reports and backup attachments for the items, which are posted along with the agenda to the City’s website. The video of the City Council meeting is available on the City’s website for viewing.

The City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 9^th to install the new council members and elect the Mayor and Vice Mayor. Please note that the City Council meetings in January will take place at the Senior Center while improvements are made to the Mike Balkman Council Chambers.

About Culver City

Culver City is a five-square-mile, urban community of 40,779 residents surrounded mostly by the City of Los Angeles but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. It is centrally located on the Westside near Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Los Angeles International Airport.  Culver City is particularly known for its well-run public school system, "small town" charm, growing high-tech and creative economies, and a dynamic downtown that is regionally known as a destination for restaurants, live theater, and art galleries. 

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The City Council proclaimed Monday as Veterans Day during its November meeting.