City Council Meeting Summary, January 8, 2024

Published on January 10, 2024

Staff and City Council take photo of Dr MLK Jr Proclamation

City Council Begins 2024 Year with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Proclamation; Names, Creates and Updates a Number of Committees

Council Members Chosen to Represent City on Agencies and Subcommittees

The City Council approved Council Members to represent the City on various “outside agencies” and on City Council Subcommittees. Some of the outside agency boards require the adoption of a resolution to make Culver City appointments to their bodies. The appointments include:

Los Angeles County City Selection Committee – Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Vice Mayor Dan O’Brien
League of California Cities/Los Angeles County Division – Council Member Goran Eriksson, O’Brien
Independent Cities Association of Los Angeles County – Eriksson, Council Member Albert Vera
Los Angeles County Sanitation District Number Five – McMorrin, O’Brien
Southern California Association of Governments (S.C.A.G.) – McMorrin, O’Brien
Disaster Management “Area A” Executive Board – City Manager John Nachbar
Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) – Eriksson, O’Brien
Interagency Communications Interoperability System (ICI System) – Council Member Freddy Puza
The Clean Power Alliance – McMorrin, Vera

City Subcommittees:

Baldwin Hills & Urban Watersheds Conservancy Board – Francisca Castillo
Baldwin Hills Community Standards District, Community Advisory Panel – Vera, McMorrin
Joint Finance and Judiciary Subcommittee; Treasury Investment Subcommittee; and Audit, Financial Planning and Budget Subcommittee – McMorrin, O’Brien
Standing Economic Development Subcommittee – Vera, Eriksson
Culver City Unified School District/City Council Liaison Subcommittee – McMorrin, O’Brien
Standing Sustainability Subcommittee – McMorrin, Puza
Standing Mobility, Traffic and Parking Subcommittee – Eriksson, Puza
Ad Hoc City Council Policies Subcommittee – Vera, McMorrin
City Council-West Los Angeles College Liaison Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza
Ad Hoc Short-Term Rental Policy Subcommittee – McMorrin, O’Brien
Ad Hoc Equity Subcommittee – McMorrin, Puza
Ad Hoc 2028 Summer Olympics Preparation Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza
Ad Hoc Minimum Wage Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza
Ad Hoc Bill Botts Fields and Veterans Memorial Park Feasibility Study Subcommittee – O’Brien, Vera
Ad Hoc General Plan Subcommittee – Puza, O’Brien
Ad Hoc MLK Jr. Event Subcommittee – McMorrin, Puza
Ad Hoc Signage Subcommittee – Vera, O’Brien

The City Council agreed the recommendations for new subcommittees including:

Ad Hoc Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Special Events Grant Program Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza
Ad Hoc 2024 Legislative and Policy Platform Subcommittee – Eriksson, O’Brien
County Inglewood Oil Field (IOF) Projects Subcommittee – Vera, McMorrin
Ad Hoc 2024 Police Policies Subcommittee – Eriksson, O’Brien

The City Council agreed to dissolve several subcommittees including:

Ad Hoc Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Special Events Grant Program Subcommittee
Ad Hoc 2023 Legislative and Policy Platform Subcommittee
Ad Hoc Cannabis Policy Subcommittee
Nonconforming Firearms Retailer Uses Subcommittee
Fiesta Vendor Ad Hoc Subcommittee
Ad Hoc Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Subcommittee
Ad Hoc Police Liaison Subcommittee
Ad Hoc Regional Oil Operations Subcommittee (also known as Oil Drilling Subcommittee)
Ad Hoc Street Vendors Subcommittee
Ad Hoc Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee

You can read the entire list of agency boards, subcommittees, and their function online.

City Council Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Proclamation

The City Council began 2024 with a proclamation in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Day 2024. Culver City will host a number of events on January 20^th and 21^st, 2024. On Saturday, the community is invited to join the Care Package Service Project from 9 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will assemble care packages for Project Homekey. The King Day Program will begin at 10 a.m. The event includes a pancake breakfast, resource fair, and performances. On Sunday, the community is invited to join a clean-up project at Fox Hills Park from 8 a.m. to noon. Registration is required for all events, which you can access on the Culver City’s website.

Transportation Department Provides Update on Micromobility Services

Micromobility operator Bird's recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on December 20th, 2023, has prompted proactive measures from Culver City officials to safeguard community services. Bird has pledged to maintain uninterrupted service and meet all obligations to Culver City. City staff are in touch with Bird. Both parties are dedicated to ensuring continuity of operations and the high level of service that the community expects. In the short term, no changes are anticipated to the Culver City Shared Micromobility Program. The City will soon pursue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an additional micromobility company to operate in conjunction with Bird. This will ensure that residents have options and, should Bird suspend operations or pull out of Culver City, micromobility services will continue.

Homelessness Emergency Update

The City Council received an update from the Housing and Human Services Department. The homeless count will be conducted in late January. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) will lead the census throughout Los Angeles County, including the Culver City area. The City of Culver City will conduct an internal count on January 24^th, 2024 with the help of a number of community partners. Internal staff will help with the accuracy of the count. Meanwhile, the Mobile Crisis Unit’s van was delivered in December. The unmarked van has tinted windows for privacy, swivel chairs, a desk, as well as accessible features. The team will hold an outreach day and public unveiling on February 27^th, 2024. Lastly, the update included photos from the holiday celebrations at Project Homekey and Wellness Village (Safe Sleep). Fourteen people now reside at Project Homekey with an additional four to six people moving in the coming weeks. In a 3 to 2 vote, City Council agreed to scale back updates on the homelessness emergency to every 60 days instead of every council meeting. Vice Mayor Dan O’Brien, Council Members Goran Eriksson and Albert Vera voted in favor of the change. Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin and Council Member Freddy Puza voted against.

Additional Council Decisions

Additional items approved by the City Council include:

Approval of cash disbursements from December 2nd through December 29th, 2023.
Approval of minutes from the December 11th, 2023.
Approval of a temporary use permit to allow extended construction hours for an office development located at 8833 National Boulevard.
Adopted a resolution approving the salary schedule for non-benefited employees to reflect the State of California’s minimum wage increase.
Accepted $1 million in state funding for the Jubilo Village Affordable Housing Development located at 4464 Sepulveda Boulevard, as well as $500,000 for the Wende Museum Affordable Housing for Artists at Risk Development located at 10860 Culver Boulevard through the Department of Housing and Community Development. Council also approved a budget amendment to record the revenue of $1.5 million and appropriate the funds to the project.
Approved a proposed budget amendment of $10,871 for the 2024 Senior Prom and Resource Fair.
Approval of an amendment to an existing service agreement with Willdan Engineering. The additional $36,000 is for contract planning manager services.
Approval of amendments to the existing construction contracts with Cornerstone Construction Group, Inc. in an aggregate amount of $72,006 for improvements to Project Homekey located at 3868 and 3900 Sepulveda Boulevard.
Approval of amendments to the purchase orders with Napa Auto Parts for $30,000, Sonsray Fleet Services for $40,000, and Waxie Sanitary Supply for $50,000.
Approval of a memorandum of understanding with the Culver City Unified School District and the Culver City Education Foundation to apply for Partnerships for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) grant in the amount of $500,000.
Adoption of two resolutions that approve the recognized obligation payment schedule as well as budget for the Successor Agency Board from July 1^st, 2024 through June 30^th, 2025. The Executive Director is authorized to make the payments.

The City Council adjourned the meeting in memory of two individuals who recently passed away. David Ashcroft was the City of Culver City’s first Director of Transportation. He is credited with gathering funding for the current transportation depot. The Council also honored Jane Brockman who was a resident and composer. She was also a fracking activist.

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 will be made available on the City’s website for viewing.

The City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 22^nd.