City Council Members Sworn-In,
New Mayor & Vice Mayor Selected

Council Member Dan O'Brien will lead the Culver City City Council in 2025 after being unanimously selected for the position by fellow City Council Members on December 9, 2024. City Council Members also voted unanimously for Council Member Freddy Puza to serve as Vice Mayor.

Mayor O'Brien spoke to the standing-room-only crowd in the Mike Balkman Council Chambers:

"I am truly honored to be your Mayor for the coming year. Although it is largely ceremonial, I know how important it is to represent our community with humility and compassion. I promise I will continue to make myself accessible to hear your input and concerns, and present to celebrate our successes, and to be accountable for the decisions we make here.

I also feel it is necessary to acknowledge the sometimes fractured and divisive tone we've all felt for some time in Culver City, and I'd like to try to have a reset. Whether we agree or disagree on a particular issue, if we're going to criticize, let's criticize the policy position and not the person. We can disagree without being disagreeable. We can decide not to awfulize every decision that is made by this body when you're of the opposite opinion. Sometimes, the obstacle is the way. Disagreements, when approached with the right mindset, can lead to more refined policy that is improved with open debate.

In my life, I always look to find the silver lining in any dark cloud, and I truly do look at things with a glass half-full mindset. I hope everyone can join me in making that same attempt."

O'Brien highlighted the importance of open and public spaces, a thriving business community, services for unhoused individuals, a responsive and community-focused police and fire department, and a welcoming City for anyone.

"With that spirit, let's celebrate the good things and be a part of any opportunity to make a difference in this community," O'Brien said.

Also at the City Council meeting, Albert Vera Jr. and Yasmine-Imani McMorrin were sworn-in for their second term after being re-elected in November. Bryan "Bubba" Fish was also sworn-in, having been elected by residents during the November election. 

After eight years of service on the City Council, Council Member Göran Eriksson ended his term on Monday due to term limits. He reflected on the work he helped accomplish during his time on the City Council, including addressing the homelessness crisis, organizing the Feed Culver initiative during the pandemic, beginning to run City buses on biogas, approving the Culver Steps and Ivy Station developments, and completing a citywide municipal fiber network.

The first City Council meeting in 2025 is set for January 13th at the Culver City Senior Center. The Mike Balkman Council Chambers will be undergoing renovations to its technology systems. 

Additional Council Decisions 

Additional items approved by the City Council include:

• Approved cash disbursements from November 2 to November 29, 2024.
• Approved minutes of the City Council Meetings held on June 3 and November 11, 2024.
• Adopted a resolution approving the salary schedule for the City Attorney, effective retroactive to December 2, 2024. It also adopted a resolution approving salary schedules for the Culver City Fire Management Group (FMG) and the Culver City Firefighter’s Association (FFA), effective retroactive to July 1, 2024. And the City Council adopted a resolution approving the salary schedule for non-benefited employees (NBNE) in accordance with the State of California Minimum Wage Increase effective December 30, 2024. Salaries for City Council Members will also increase from $485.10 per month to $1,261.26 per month. Read more about the salary scheduled increases on the City’s website.
• Approved a Direct Service Provider Agreement with Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 2 for recovered organic waste product in an amount not-to-exceed $55,000 annually.
• Adopted an ordinance to confirm the Downtown Culver City Business Improvement District (DCCBID) 2025 Annual Work Plan and Levy of Assessments, including a 3% increase. The proposed 2025 DCCBID Annual Work Program includes:
  • Marketing and promotional activities;
  • Decoration and beautification;
  • Supplemental maintenance of the district;
  • Annual budget;
  • Schedule of Business Assessments

The 2025 DCCBID budget estimates assessment revenues of approximately $408,080. The budget includes appropriations for maintenance, administration, and marketing in the amount of $398,000 and an anticipated reserve of $10,000.

• Approved an agreement with Arakelian Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Athens Services, to allow the delivery of Municipal Waste to the Culver City Transfer Station. Athens Services, a private hauler providing waste services to the City of Los Angeles, has requested approval to deliver up to 125 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day to the Culver City Transfer Station. These materials would be transloaded at the station and transported to the Simi Valley Landfill, alongside the City of Culver City's MSW. At $90 per ton, this agreement could generate over $1 million for the remainder of the current fiscal year that would offset expenses. Future agreements will have similar variable revenue generation based on the amount of waste delivered to the Transfer Station.
• Adopted an ordinance approving Comprehensive Plan, Density and Other Bonus Incentives, General Plan Map Amendment, and Zoning Code Map Amendment. This allows for the mixed-use project to proceed at 5700 Hannum Avenue. The Project is a new six-story (up to 78-foot high) mixed-use residential and commercial development with two semi-subterranean levels, 309 residential units (including 27 very low-income units) and 5,600 square feet of retail space. There is a total of 7,507 square feet of publicly accessible open space, 19,526 square feet of private open space, and 27,123 square feet of residential common open space. There are 428 vehicle parking spaces (399 residential, 6 guest, and 23 commercial) in the two semisubterranean vehicle parking levels with additional at grade parking on the first floor, and two vehicle access points: residential only on Buckingham Parkway and commercial and residential on Hannum Avenue. The Project also contains 92 bicycle spaces: 11 short-term and 81 long-term.
• Approve a professional services agreement with CWE for the Transfer Station Stormwater Diversion Upgrades in an amount not-to-exceed $129,500. The City will integrate the drainage areas from the Transfer Station site’s roof and parking areas into the stormwater diversion system, thus preventing stormwater runoff from entering the storm drain system and Ballona Creek. Potential improvements include upsizing existing underground storage chambers, building additional onsite underground storage chambers, and diverting the stormwater runoff from the roof and parking drainage areas into the sanitary sewer.
• Adopted an ordinance to confirm the Culver City Arts District Business Improvement District (CCADBID) Annual Work Plan and Levy of Assessments for the 2025 Calendar Year. The proposed 2025 CCADBID Annual Work Program (Attachment 2) includes:
  • Marketing and promotional activities;
  • Decoration and beautification;
  • Supplemental maintenance of the district;
  • Annual budget;
  • Schedule of business assessment.

The CCADBID Advisory Board is proposing a 25% increase to the existing assessments for 2025.

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, January 13^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.

2025 Culver City Mayor Dan O'Brien