Culver City Presents Balanced Proposed Budget to City Council
Published on May 13, 2026
The City of Culver City reached an important milestone in its ongoing work to stabilize its finances and strengthen long-term sustainability. On Monday, City Manager Odis Jones and staff presented a proposed balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
“People want a city that maintains services, strengthens reserves, fixes infrastructure, supports families, and plans responsibly for the future. That is exactly what this budget and this financing strategy are designed to accomplish,” said Mayor Freddy Puza. “Through strategic budgeting, cutting the fat, and making smarter financial decisions, we will be able to support schools, invest in affordable housing, strengthen infrastructure, and maintain services without forcing those false choices onto the community. This is a vision moving forward into the future. And there is another important piece to this conversation: affordability and affordable housing.”
The Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Proposed Budget is available for review on the City’s website. Monday’s City Council budget presentation is also available for the public to view.
Within his first six months, Jones has led the organization in developing a balanced budget and has moved the City out of a declared fiscal emergency. This work reflects a focused and disciplined approach to aligning resources with City Council priorities at a time when many cities continue to face financial pressure.
In response to structural deficits and rising costs, the City took a deliberate “back to basics” approach. It prioritizes core services, improves internal coordination, and makes thoughtful decisions to bring expenditures in line with available resources. The result is a balanced budget that strengthens the City’s financial position while maintaining the services residents rely on every day.
“This budget reflects a clear commitment to fiscal responsibility and to the community we serve,” said City Manager Odis Jones. “Our focus has been on getting the fundamentals right, aligning resources with priorities, maintaining core services, and making decisions that position Culver City for long-term stability.”
Key elements of this effort include:
- Aligning ongoing expenditures with available revenues to address the structural deficit
- Maintaining core City services while identifying operational efficiencies
- Strengthening coordination across departments to ensure resources support Council priorities
- Establishing a more disciplined, priority-based approach to budgeting and performance
This work positions the City to move beyond short-term stabilization toward a more sustainable long-term financial strategy that supports continued investment in infrastructure, housing, parks, economic development, and overall community well-being.
While this milestone represents meaningful progress, the work is ongoing. The City remains focused on maintaining balanced budgets, ensuring fiscal discipline, and ensuring that every public dollar is used effectively and in alignment with community priorities.
The City invites the public to two Community Conversations on the Budget on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30 PM inside the Culver West Alexander Park Recreation Center and on Saturday, May 16th at 1:30 PM inside the Senior Center.
We invite you to take the Community Budget Input Survey.