1 THESE MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL,
CULVER CITY PARKING AUTHORITY,
CULVER CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD,
AND SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE CULVER CITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD
REGULAR BUDGET MEETING – CITY WORK PLANS March 7, 2022
MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 3:00 p.m.
SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE CULVER CITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD,
CULVER CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD
AND CULVER CITY PARKING AUTHORITY
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Mayor Lee convened the regular budget meeting – City Work Plans of the City Council, Successor Agency to the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Board, Culver City Housing Authority Board and Culver City Parking Authority to order at 3:03 p.m. in the Mike Balkman Chambers at City Hall via Webex.
Present: Daniel Lee, Mayor
Albert Vera, Vice Mayor
Göran Eriksson, Council Member
Alex Fisch, Council Member
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Council Member
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Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Lee led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Community Announcements by City Council Members/Information Items from Staff
Council Member Eriksson thanked Parks and Recreation for their work to get the baseball field ready.
March 7, 2022
2 Vice Mayor Vera thanked Armando Abrego and staff for their work to rehabilitate the baseball field.
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Joint Public Comment – Items Not on the Agenda
Mayor Lee invited public comment.
The following member of the public addressed the City Council:
Michael Russell discussed the work of the Culver City Arts District; MOVE Culver City; increased maintenance needs; creating an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for a maintenance and lighting plan; collaboration to achieve goals; the
Washington/Melville parklet; the Art Walk and Roll Festival; night markets; making a strong comeback post pandemic; and he indicated wanting to make a full presentation on the item to the City Council.
Mayor Lee received City Council consensus to agendize a presentation from the Arts District.
Disa Lindgren commended Helen Chin for her professionalism and compassion; discussed the response of the City to unhoused persons; the posted Notice for Removal action on March 1; concern with criminalizing the unhoused; safe and accessible sidewalks; and the importance of working toward housing solutions rather than criminalization.
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Receipt and Filing of Correspondence
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FISCH, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER
MCMORRIN AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL RECEIVE AND FILE CORRESPONDENCE.
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Order of the Agenda
No changes were made.
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March 7, 2022
3 Item A-1
CC - Discussion and Direction to the City Manager Regarding the Illumination of the Veterans Memorial Building in Blue and Yellow, the Colors of the Ukrainian Flag
Shelly Wolfberg, Assistant to the City Manager, provided a summary of the material of record.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding insight as to what other local jurisdictions are doing in terms of duration of the action; technology to light the tower with blue on top and yellow at the bottom; taking a similar action at City Hall; use of gels rather than colored lights; people coming together to condemn actions; and the lack of an appetite for war.
Mayor Lee invited public comment.
The following member of the public addressed the City Council:
Alexey Steele discussed his service as Artist Laureate for Culver City; he and his family’s experiences in Ukraine and Russia; the projection launched at Helms; he asked the City to adopt a resolution in support of Ukrainian peo ple, in
condemnation of the war , and demanding peace ; he expressed support for lighting the Veterans building in blue and yellow; discussed enriching the experience by adding a slide show to combine the colors of the Ukrainian flag with images of the Ukrainian people; low cost and maximum impact; creating a visual thread throughout the City with displays in other locations ; the current assault on the Ukrainian people; and he asked for support in communicating with property owners for lighting displays.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding atrocities in Ukraine; support for lighting the tower and staff exploration of displaying the images of the Ukrainian people; agreement by the Wende Museum to change their lighting to yellow and blue; support for displaying colors for the duration of the war or possibly longer; the need to agendize a discussion of a resolution; best practices; the actions of other cities; sending healing and prayers to Mr. Steele and his family; moving forward with additional artistic depictions; sharing solidarity in denouncing a territorial war in the 21st century; creating a broader campaign; support for moving forward quickly; and City March 7, 2022
4 Council consensus was achieved to agendize a discussion of a resolution on March 14.
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON, SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR VERA AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL: ILLUMINATE THE
VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDING TOWER AND OTHERS IN BLUE AND YELLOW IN SOLIDARITY OF THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding the actions of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, and thoughts for Mr. Steele and all Ukrainians.
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Item A-2
CC:HA:PA:SA - (1) Presentation and Consideration of Current and Proposed Work Plans for City Departments; and (2) (If Desired) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate
Mayor Lee invited public input.
The following members of the public addressed the City Council:
Khin Khin Gyi indicated that her comments were specific to the Culver City Police Department (CCPD); commended Chief Cid and his leadership team for practicing budgetary restrain t, discipline, and discretion; discussed development of a Mobile Crisis Response Pilot Program; ensuring that needed care can be provided; and she asked about the availability of Measure J funds.
Michelle Weiner was called to speak but could not be heard.
Disa Lindgren expressed appreciation for positive language used throughout the CCPD workplan; discussed the actual impact of the plan; attention paid to unhoused persons; criminalizing the unhoused; traffic enforcement; crossing guards; moving in the direction that has been discussed; and moving functions that do not require being armed out of CCPD.
Michelle Weiner was called to speak but could not be heard.
Nancy Barba provided background on herself; expressed
appreciation for the level of detail in the CCPD budget over previous years; noted that intent does not equal impact; she felt that finding ways to address issues with the mentally ill March 7, 2022
5 or unhoused citizens should not fall within CCPD; discussed the cleanup of Ballona Creek; data to support that police response to mental health crises escalates issues; and she noted the need to assess the budget and identify what needs to remain within CCPD and what does not.
Manny Cid, Police Chief, introduced CCPD staff; provided a status update for the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Police Department Work Plan; and he discussed the proposed Work Plan for 2022- 2023.
Michelle Weiner discussed comments from Mr. Steele; compassion and support for the people of Ukraine; rallying to support people of color in the United States ; studies about how to change traffic enforcement so that it is more civilian -based; the experiences of other cities; vouchers for equipment repair given by civilians; crisis response; and ensuring that the conversation about the implementation of civilian services for specific issues is not dropped.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation to staff for their efforts; the budget as a reflection of community values; support for changes to policing; conducting an impact assessment of those on the margins; quality of life in the community; appreciation for the level of detail in the report; grant opportunities; aligning with strategic goals of the City Council; identification of training
reimbursements; overlap with Transporta tion; educational opportunities pertaining to Mobility; elimination of low-level traffic enforcement; focusing on hazardous traffic violations; staffing challenges; parking enforcement; policy issues; City Council purview; school traffic; Vision Zero goals ; safety; Ballona Creek; unhoused outreach; Bike Walk and Talk; metrics for success; increasing visibility; engagement; acting in a supportive role; clarification that homelessness is not a crime; community oriented policing; getting policemen out of cars; police presence as a crime deter rent; response time;
alternatives to policing; youth diversion; school partnerships; success metrics placed on trainings for potential use of force; appreciation for the commitment to wellness; creation of a citizen oversight body; partnerships; rebuilding trust in the community; centering those who were being focused on in 2020; those with concerns about the process and calling the police; complaint data; use of force data; staffing; retention; the Chief’s Advisory Panel; tailoring service to the community; finding a balance; providing safety; the Solidarity Consulting Report; traffic enforcement reform; continued work; mobile March 7, 2022
6 crisis intervention; addressing petty theft; legitimate concerns of retailers; priorities; creation of a diversion program for shoplifters; bias in software; jail staffing; response times; traffic volume; increases to violent crime in the City; the SET Team; data collection; the m id-year budget report; public records requests; automation of duties; training; re-writing policy; changes over the years; rebuilding
institutional knowledge with staff losses; education;
leadership development; the anomaly and unsustainable nature of the past few years; finding a balance; baseline training and development; crime statistics; difficulty comparing year to year; humanizing the people behind the badge; de-escalation training; implicit bias training; better serving low -level misdemeanors; collaborating with the Chamber of Commerce; appreciation for the flexibility of staff to address issues; change vs. transformation; insourcing rather than outsourcing; having Parks and Recreation take over crossing guards and having those jobs within the Culver City Employees Association; community engagement metrics; tracking monthly encounters; community surveying; the context of interactions; ensuring that past practices are not replicated; the World Café organized by community members at the Peace Center with CCPD, the Los Angeles Police Department ( LAPD), county sheriffs and Highway Patrol speaking with residents and stakeholders ; number of police officers at events; shared goals; structure put in place to ensure that people get to know more officers on a regular basis; assumptions on both sides; having a state of the City with City staff and police officers; encouraging a deeper understanding among each other; putting statistics into context; support for CCPD; pressure put on every department by the pandemic; trauma response; conducting an equity analysis; sharing Racial Information and Profiling Act ( RIPA) documentation with the community; basing response on activity outside of CCPD, not from within CCPD; support for mental health engagement outside of CCPD; the uniform as escalating the situation; things asked of police officers that they are not trained for; disagreement with the way government has proceeded vs. the privilege of a greeing with every step taken by the government; proactive outreach to unhoused individuals; preventing the number of calls for mobile crisis response from being high; and mobile crisis response that does not include unhoused people.
Ken Powell, Fire Chief, introduced staff; provided a
presentation on the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Fire Department Work Plan; and he discussed highlights of the 2021-2022 Work Plan.
Mayor Lee invited public comment.
March 7, 2022
7 Jeremy Green, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation to staff; increased call volume; trends; homeless outreach; determining the best approach; increased numbers of fires connected to the underhoused; outreach; offering
alternatives; heating and cooking; the Crisis Response Team; collaboration with other departments; grants; paramedic training; collaboration with the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD); public safety frequencies; moving local government to a commercial system; the Emergency Operations Plan; the Incident Command System; the Emergency Operations Center; the battery backup syst em; generators; staffing; education; costs; retention rates; contract requirements; increased fire calls; fire inspections; outreach and education; CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training; the
importance of training; the number of trained paramedics in the department; experience; certification; competition with hiring; stress on current employees; morale; filling vacancies; instances when no ambulances were available; coverage from Los Angeles; delayed response; Level of Service; initiation of life support measures; types of units available; alarm handling and turnout times; variables; dead spots in the City; ensuring that buildings have built -in receivers; lack of cellphone
connectivity at the F ox Hills station; planned extension of fiber infrastructure; the Information Technology Work Plan; 5G antennas; mutual benefit s to cell phone providers locating nearby City emergency facilities; and recruitment of female firefighters.
Armando Abrego, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director, highlighted goals and objectives of the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department Work Plan and provided an update on 2021 -2022 strategic plan initiatives.
Mayor Lee invited public input.
Jeremy Green, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for the work of staff; resources for the unhoused; incorporating additional supports; data around seniors
experiencing housing issues; collaboration with other
March 7, 2022
8 departments; professionalizing the department; the Parks Master Plan; training; staffing; comparisons to other cities; the need to prioritize capital improvement and maintenance; equity; regulation of recreational drone flying; creating a state of the art facility for the entire community at Vets; the joint use agreement with CCUSD; facilitating a workin g partnership; better defining community needs; flexibility; making parks more active; utilizing Town Plaza as a park more often; creation of an outdoor screening series; the need for increased funding at the Teen Center; students matriculating with waivers;
afterschool care; collaboration with CCUSD; student workers; providing more structured programming; surveying to gain input on desired programming; mentorship; mental health support at the Senior Center; development of workforce or affordable housing on underutilized areas in the City; balancing drop -in vs. structure with the Teen Program; the summer concert series; opportunity for community building events; sharing space; and offering services when allowed.
Heather Baker , City Attorney , introduced department staff; thanked the City Council for their support and for the
opportunity to se rve; and she provided a presentation on the proposed 2022-2023 Work Plan for the City Attorney’s Office and a status report on the 2021-2022 Work Plan.
Mayor Lee invited public input.
Jeremy Green, City Clerk, reported that no requests to speak had been received.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation to staff; the new public records format; tracking of staff time involved; centralizing the process; outsourcing vs. doing work in -house; and the number of public records requests last year vs. the amount received so far this year.
Yanni Demetri, Public Works Director, thanked the professional and dedicated staff, and he provided an update on the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Public Works Department Work Plan , and an overview of the proposed Work Plan for 2021-2022.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation to staff for the presentation; bringing back the Sustainable Business Program; the micro -grid program; grant funding; the petition process for speed humps; speed surveys and traffic counts to substantiate volume and speed concerns with data; Arbor Day; prioritizing sidewalk and street repair; March 7, 2022
9 focusing on the Ballona Creek Bike Path from Duquesne to Harter; tree maintenance; creation of a replacement plan for the tree canopy; creating an effective system for residential organic waste collection that encourages partic ipation; graffiti removal; pressure washing; contracting out for certain services; staffing issues; same day pothole filling service; appreciation for the responsiveness of Public Works; locations for solar panels on City -owned buildings; the Clean Power A lliance; collaboration and regional participation; GIS (Geographic Information System) functionality; promoting learning about the City; collaborating with CCUSD on sustain ability; working together to drive down costs; organics containers for multi - family units; SB (Senate Bill) 1383; CalRecycle; requirements; enforcement; the food recovery program; food storage and dissemination; concern with exclusion; accessible
refrigerators; need at the Senior Center; placing the focus on providing a high level of service; appreciation for staff responsiveness to resident requests; and staff agreement to provide responses to concerns raised.
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Public Comment – Items Not on the Agenda
Mayor Lee invited public comment.
Jeremy Green, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to make public comment had been received.
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Items from Council Members
None.
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Council Member Requests to Agendize Future Items
None.
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March 7, 2022
10 Adjournment
There being no further business, at 9:14 p.m., the City Council, Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency Board, Culver City Housing Authority Board and Culver City Parking Authority adjourned the meeting to March 8, 2022.
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Jeremy Green
CITY CLERK of Culver City, California
EX-OFFICIO CLERK of the City Council and SECRETARY of the Successor Agency to the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Board, Culver City Parking Authority, and Culver City Housing Authority Board
Culver City, California
DR. DANIEL LEE
MAYOR of Culver City, California and CHAIR of the Successor Agency to the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Board, Culver City Parking Authority, and Culver City Housing Authority Board
Date: _________________________