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 21, 2024 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 McMorrin 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: Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Mayor
Dan O’Brien, Vice Mayor
Göran Eriksson, Council Member
Freddy Puza, Council Member
Albert Vera, Council Member
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Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor McMorrin led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Community Announcements by City Council Members/ Updates from Commission, Board and/or Committees/Information Items from Staff
None.
March 21, 2024
2 o0o
Joint Public Comment – Items Not on the Agenda
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated there were no requests to speak for Items Not on the Agenda.
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Receipt and Filing of Correspondence
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no correspondence had been received.
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Action Items
Item A-1
CC:HA:PA:SA - (1) Presentation and Consideration of Current and Proposed Work Plans for City Departments, Continued from March 20, 2024 ; and (2) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate
Lisa Soghor , Chief Financial Officer, introduced staff; discussed staffing levels; and provided a presentation on core functions of the Finance Department.
Elizabeth Shavelson, Financial Systems and Purchasing Manager, discussed priorities for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Finance Department Work Plan.
Lisa Soghor, Chief Financial Officer, thanked Finance staff for their work to improve processes, and other departments for their collaboration in finding efficiencies and budget savi ngs wherever possible.
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no public comment had been received.
March 21, 2024
3 Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding sustainability of the current trajectory; projec tions
indicating overspending of revenue that is coming in; reserves; one-time costs; CIPs (Capital Improvement Projects); lack of sustainability in the long -term; things that residents want; tough choices to make during the budget process; Measure RE; lowered projections; vacant positions; and attrition.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding review of revenue streams and financial forecasts; the payment schedule created from actuary study for unfunded pension obligations; changes with regard to future pension payments; the Community Budget Workshop; the May budget presentation; regular reports by actuarial consultants under contract with the City; annual changes to unfunded accrued liability; current unfunded l iability; balancing over time; evaluation of facility conditions; determining capital needs for the City; long-term planning; factoring in replacement cost of facilities; downtown parking garages; support for public participation; and the importance of pro viding access to information on the website.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding congratulations for the accomplishments and awards received by the Finance Department; concern about the budget; the importance of the long-term cost category; annual update of user fees; public participation and staff attendance of the budget workshop; ensuring user -friendly webpages; graphic resources; and appreciation for the debrief at the City Council retreat.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding availability of the video of the budget workshop; attendance of the workshop by Finance Advisory Committee Members; potential rate reductions; the Real Estate Transfer tax; difficulties in the commercial real estate sector; the small amount of revenue from residential sales; business license revenue; market performance; impacts to pensions; City investments; CalPERS; assumptions; total annual return; impacts of the state budget to the local budget; frozen funds; delay to payments; concern with streetlight funding; and the effect of the market.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding current staffing levels; participatory budgeting; the priority of public participati on; costs; appreciation for the successful Community Budget Workshop; goals for frequency of community engagement; the new CIP program and portal; putting March 21, 2024
4 together a longer CIP program in consultation with other departments; difficulty for the public to attend meetings during the day; lack of explanation of acronyms; the difficult point of entry for the meetings; priorities from last year; Budget in Brief documents; the ACFR (Annual Comprehensive Financial Report) and the PAFR (Proper Annual Financial Repor t); consultation with the Communications Officer about producing short videos on specific topics; available budget presentations online; searchability of City Council notes; the process and frequency of audits; the police budget; the focus on the General Fund; appreciation for the focus on keeping the City solvent; and continuing education for the community on City priorities.
Michelle Hamilton, Senior Human Resources and Equity Manager, introduced staff and expressed appreciation for their efforts; discussed core functions; department initiatives; and
priorities for the Fiscal Year 2024 -2025 Human Resources Department Work Plan.
Mayor McMorrin invited public input.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding staffing; onboarding the new City-wide Safety Officer position; clarification that there are no vacancies; and appreciation for the presentation.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for departmental efforts to speed up filling vacancies; the core function to assist departments in filling their vacancies; vacancies in other dep artments affecting services; skills-gap training; issues with service levels in the Transportation Department due to lack of
operators; examination of drug and alcohol policies; individuals operating vehicles; consideration of the new law by employment lawyers; function of the EHRAC (Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee) to field complaints; purview; lack of applicable complaints for the EHRAC to consider; prioritization of filling Transportation positions; and the goal for vacancy rates.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for bringing back the employee
appreciation event; the REAP (Racial and Equity Action Plan); Diversity, Equity , and Inclusion (DEI) Training; training March 21, 2024
5 specifically for white-identifying people; affinity group work; and further discussion in the Equity Subcommittee.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for strengthening employee recognition and wellness programs; the importance of mental health; helping new Council Members transition from public citizen to civil servant; closing the gap between information that Human Resources and the City Clerk are responsible for; valuable information for incoming Council Members and candidates; the role of the City Manager; appreciation for digitization of forms; insurance requirements; lack of a policy; advantages to the current approach; evaluating risk; and concern with negotiating.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding total number of City employees; average age and tenure; retention; benefits; COVID; the Great Resignation; getting creative with recruitment efforts; trends; employee demographics; part -time employees; the complete EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) plan; professional development; succession planning; skill sets; building employee
satisfaction; employees who try to promote within the
organization; helping people excel in their cu rrent position; performance reviews; due diligence before making a personnel decision; the process to determine who conducts various trainings; RFPs vs. quotes; community engagement for creation of the complaint mechanism; creation of the EHRAC; outreach; making information more prominent on the Equity page of the website; feedback from the EHRAC regarding availability of information; a recommendation to make the complaint link more visible; evaluating how Equity is working within Human
Resources; benchmarking; best practices; the actions of other cities to have a separate office; and FTEs on equity work.
Michelle Williams, Information Technology, presented
Information Technology (IT) Department Work Plan priorities for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 and thanked IT Department staff for their dedicated work.
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that there were no requests to speak.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for the work of department; data protection; the importance of IT; remote work; docking stations; updates to March 21, 2024
6 network infrastructure; and interaction with every department in the City.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Me mbers regarding concern with instances where the system goes down and users are frustrated; planned updates; issues that will not be resolved; the many different systems working together; a recent global issue with Cisco Webex; appreciation for live meetin gs; the need to harden the system; physical IT security; increased risk with laptops; and minimizing the number of people who have the function.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for the digital connectivi ty;
availability of Wi-Fi at parks; prioritization based on programming; parklets that do not yet have programming; and staff agreement to provide a list of parks served to Council Members.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding a request that Council Members be able to view what is being projected on the screen in Council Chambers at the dais; efforts to include Wi-Fi on buses; ransomware; recovery from backups; insurance; evaluation of whether Webex is the best tool; security; Zoom-bombing; the importance of providing a secure platform; Microsoft Teams; evaluation of policies with regard to AI (Artificial Intelligence); and creation of policy ensuring responsible use of machine learning.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for prioritization of advancements for meeting technology; providing support for Committees, Boards, and Commissions (CB Cs); equity issues; W i-Fi in the parks; network infrastructure enhancements; Culver Connect; investment as a City; the partnership with Onward; revenue sharing; Ting!; the importance of dark fiber to the success of local
corporations; past barriers; and ap preciation for the work to keep the City running.
Diana Chang, Chief Transportation Office r, discussed 96 years of continuous service to the community; Transit Worker
Appreciation Day on March 18; gratitude to the leadership team for the department for their diligent work; staff participation in Bus Roadeos; appreciation for partnership with other City departments throughout the year; core functions of the
Transportation Department; key initiatives; and she provided an March 21, 2024
7 overview of Transportation Department Work Plan priorities for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
Mayor McMorrin invited public input.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that there were no requests to speak.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regardin g appreciation for staff efforts; the regional Bus Roadeo; staffing issues; difficulty of retention; ensuring that Culver City is competitive; promoting from within; overall ridership levels; largest challenges faced by the department; funding; planning for the future; meeting demand for projected increases to density; electrification of buses; technology limitations; range; the Zero Emission Master Plan; consideration of hydrogen electric vehicles; identification of funding for a pilot program; Bus Ambassador programs; collaboration with other cities to provide a cohesive connected system ; safety; accessibility; dependability; regional efforts to improve public transportation for the Olympics; and funding coming into the region for infrastructure and services.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding money allocated for ten year s of operation of the Jefferson Circulator; the grant to pay for bus costs and improvements at the bus stops; the need for operational funding; challenges; mobility options; moving people from cars to buses; delivering volume; focusing on increasing frequency, safety, and reliability; centering the Circulator and Dial -a-Ride vs. bicycles; increased number s of student bus riders; and the feeling of safety provided by Transit Ambassador programs.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding the function of the Transit Ambassador Program ; clarification that Transit Ambassadors would not act as security; micro -transit; the pilot service with LA Metro; helping with first and last mile; the focus on downtown Culver City and the Hayden Tract area; unsuccessful efforts in the past; accommodating employees; costs; funding for the long run; working to complement HLA and CD5; and inclusion of West LA College in the Jefferson Circulator.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding marketing the 100 th anniversary of Culver CityBus during the Olympics; lack of staff resources to prioritize Wi-Fi on buses; incentivizing ridership; providing equity; prelimin ary March 21, 2024
8 locations for Metro BikeShare; enforcement of bus lane violations; monitoring changes to traffic as a result of MOVE Culver City; analyzing data; the importance of mass transit and increasing ridership; the regional incentive program for large employers; transportation provided to Apple for their employees; providing Park and Ride near the freeways; and the upcoming Comprehensive Mobility Services Plan.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for the work of the Transportation Department; outreach; connectivity with the School District; increasing the opportunity for more free fare days; providing an opportunity to introduce the system to people who don’t usually use it; efforts to make services more consistent, sustainable, and attractive; keeping Culver City conne cted; Metro Bike programs; utilization of plans related to the Bike and Pedestrian Action Plan an d TOD (Transit Oriented
Development) studies; consideration of all available plans; examination of the network for cyclists; pedestrians; first/last mile; creating a menu of options for the community; the intent to allow the community not to have to rely on cars; providing a universal car share service; alignment of plans; the General Plan Update; projected increases to jobs and population; the Land Use Element; the future of mobility services; understanding what investments need to be ma de; the need for co mmunity education; people fearful of moving away from cars as a primary mode of transportation; mobility initiatives to achieve long - term plans and the future of transportation; storytelling about the future of mobility; addressing concerns and fear about changes to quality of life; ensuring that climate concerns and emissions goals are part of community education; appreciation for branding; sustainability of the work; learning from what other are cities are doing with their Transit Ambassador programs; benchmarking; support for implementation of a second pilot program in the Westfield Culver City/Culver Point area; costs for implementation of the Metro BikeShare program ; maintenance and operation costs to be funded out of the General Fund; and appreciation for the leadership and intention of the department to provide connectivity for residents.
Mayor McMorrin invited public input.
The following member of the public addressed the City Council:
Karim Sahli expressed support for the presentation and the work of the Transportation Department; discussed the difficulty of fighting car culture; work of progressives to support a paradigm March 21, 2024
9 shift; the importance of reducing dependence of cars in the future; the impacts of climate change on every aspect of life; and he indicated the need to put the record straight noting that Council Member Eriksson was not the only person to put buses in the budget.
Council Member Eriksson asserted that he had introduced the idea that buses should be included in discussions of mobility.
Mike Bruckner, Assistant City Manager, introduced staff for the City Manager’s Office and discussed core functions.
Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager, discussed progress with the fiber network; pending projects; the Oil Pipeline Franchise Agreement; TOT (Transit Occupancy Tax) collected from Airbnb; regulations; purchase of the Retting Gun Store; City Council consideration; and the process for community input.
Shelly Wolfberg, City Mana ger’s Office, discussed the City Council Policy Manual Update; collaboration with other
departments on administrative policies; and she expressed appreciation to Council Members for the hard work.
Dustin Klemann, Communications and Public Information Mana ger, discussed goals; growth and opportunity in the ability to connect with the community; and work provided in the past six months.
Mayor McMorrin invited public input.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that there were no requests to speak.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation to the City Manager and staff for their efforts ; getting out the word on work done by the City; monitoring street- based healthcare to gage need; Culver Connect; liability for initial capital investment; the Onward investment; increased investment in laterals; onboarding new Council Members; staff agreement to communicate with the City Council to formulate a program for new Council Members; collaboration between the City Manager’s Office and the entire City; recent actions of Los Angeles with short term rentals; the need for regulations in order to involve VRBO; the importance of having regulations in place a year before FIFA; and solving revenue issues with a solid TOT program for short-term rentals during FIFA.
March 21, 2024
10 Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding staffing levels; data collection on the Mobile Crisis Team; the impo rtance of having metrics to assess response to the local emergency on homelessness; the need for additional information on the impacts of short-term rentals on housing ; implementation of recommendations from Moss Adams; identified issues; the internal audit function; process improvements; efficiency and effectiveness; the ongoing process;
identification of a vision for each department; grant funding; equitable distribution of staff time; the growth opportunity for more un iform presentation s across processes; KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) across all departments to measure success; and appreciation for continued partnership.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, presented the City Clerk Office Workplan Priorities for Fiscal Year 2024-2025; acknowledged the work of City staff; she discussed the mission of the City Clerk’s Office; and core functions.
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding lifecycles of official records; meeting procedures and rules; agenda accessibility; requests to speak at meetings; efforts to bridge two programs to make participation easier; e -comments vs. requests to speak; accessibility and retention of video recordings; YouTube; public records requests; consultation with the City Attorney; streamlin ing systems to get a clear number of requests; and appreciation to staff for their efforts.
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director, discussed core functions of the Economic Development Department, and priorities for the proposed Economic Development Department Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that there were no requests to speak.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding appreciation for collaboration on the Economic Development Subcommittee; positive feedback from the property
owners/brokers meeting; addressing issues with the parking lot; March 21, 2024
11 City branding; the commercial corridor; the updated vacancy rate for retail and office space; comparability to surrounding cities; the importance of attracting and retaining quality businesses; financial participation of stakeholders in marketing Culver City; appreciation for meetings with
stakeholders; looking at ways to generate revenue; the Summer Concert Series; the CIP in the Arts District for the West Washington median; lighting revitalization; creating an attractive environment; planting canopy trees along West Washington; streetscape requirements for new development; the jazz series; activations in other parts of the City; Love Local; existing infrastructure in the downtown area; upcoming events in different areas of the City; difficulty finding out door locations; suppor t for tourism in the City; connecting the unhoused with job opportunities; work with homeless students; collaboration with West Los Angeles College; the low vacancy rate for retail; raising revenue; loss of art galleries in the Arts District; activation of the Arts District with public art; support from the studios for intentional efforts to hire local; staffing levels; opportunities to engage non -profit and community organizations; preference for using Discover Culver City rather than Visit Culver City to promote tourism; being welcoming to everyone; the importance of a campaign and putting assets forward for tourism; appreciation for events throughout the City and community events at Westfield; support and collaboration with Westfield ; creating a process for formal acknowledgement of new businesses coming to town; and
appreciation to staff for their efforts.
Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager, thanked staff for their efforts; reported that a new Cultural Affairs Manager had been hired; discussed core functions; and priorities for the Cultural Affairs Department Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
Discussion ensued between staff and Council Members regarding support for bringing back Concerts in the Chambers; activation of spaces with storefront art; removal of the Dino’s sign; a suggestion to bring the police department into the conversation regarding the artwork outside of the police department; Creative Economy Networking events; staffing; the Community Cultural Plan; updating the Creative Economy analysis; the Cultural Trust Fund; appreciation for the investment in the arts; incorporating March 21, 2024
12 young people into the arts; appreciation to staff; and support for continued intentional planning.
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Public Comment – Items Not on the Agenda
Mayor McMorrin invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
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Items from Council Members
None.
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Council Member Requests to Agendize Future Items
Council Member Eriksson received unanimous City Council consensus to agendize consideration of appointing a new City Historian.
Mayor McMorrin discussed accessibility of the City Historian position if it is only volunteer.
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March 21, 2024
13 Adjournment
There being no further business, at 7:39 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 April 8, 2024.
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Jeremy Bocchino
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
YASMINE-IMANI MCMORRIN
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: _________________________