OFFICIAL MINUTES
JOINT SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
CITY COUNCIL AND THE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
March 10, 2025
4:30 p.m.
Mayor O'Brien called the joint special meeting of the City Council and the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness to order at 4:33 p.m. in the Mike Balkman Chambers at City Hall.
Present: Dan O'Brien, Mayor Freddy
Puza, Vice Mayor Bubba
Fish, Council Member
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Council Member
Albert Vera, Council Member
Present: Dr. Khin Khin Gyi, Chair*
Jonathon Dilworth, Vice Chair
Amy Cherness, Committee Member
Darryl Cherness, Committee Member
Robert Gagnier, Committee Member
Patrick Godinez, Committee Member
Dana Sayles, Committee Member
Amberly Washington, Committee Member
*Chair Khin Khin Gyi arrived at 4:40 p.m .
Absent: Emily Dibiny, Committee Member
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Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor O'Brien led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Community Announcements by City Council Members/Information Items from Staff
None.
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Joint Public Comment - Items NOT on the Agenda
Mayor O'Brien invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no public comment had been received.
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Receipt and Filing of Correspondence
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no correspondence had been received.
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Order of the Agenda
No changes were made .
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Consent Calendar Items
Item C-1
ACOHH - Approval by the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness of the Minutes of the Joint City Council and Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness Held on April 19, 2021
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, reported that the minutes had approved by the City Council on May 10, 2021.
Discussion ensued between staff and Committee Members regarding clarification that Members did not need to have been present to indicate that the minutes, already approved by the City Council, are accurate; the need to have read the minutes; and all Committee Members present agreed to defer the item to a future Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (ACOHH) meeting for consideration.
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Action Items
Item A-1
CC:ACOHH - (1) Status Update on the 2018 Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness; and (2) City Council Authorization to Release a Request for Proposals to Prepare and Update Culver City's 2018 Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness by Re Evaluating Existing Short-Term and Long-Term Strategies to Address Homelessness in Culver City as Recommended by the Advisory Cormnittee on Housing and Homelessness
Tevis Barnes, Director of Housing and Human Services, introduced staff.
Dr. Khin Khin Gyi, ACOHH Chair, joined the meeting.
Tevis Barnes, Director of Housing and Human Services, discussed the four City Council Members present who had served on the ACOHH at some point; formation of the ACOHH; the three-year road map describing the City's long-term approach to address homelessness; examination of the status of meeting goals; video created to educate the public on what Culver City is doing to address issues; and she summarized goals and supporting actions.
Christina Staffers, Management Analyst, provided a presentation on goals and their status; discussed progress made on expanding affordable housing options for unhoused residents; increases to interim and permanent housing inventory; the master lease and nutrition program; housing vouchers; the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program; key goals achieved; the significant expansion of mental health and outreach services for unhoused residents; launch of the Mobile Crisis Team (MCT); the contract with Health Care in Action; staffing; Urban Alchemy; the Leading Outreach with Valued Engagement (LOVE) Team; ongoing commitment to improving heal th services and outreach efforts to support the unhoused population; expansion of homelessness prevention programming; rent control and tenant protection ordinances; and she presented videos about the opening of Project Home key, Wellness Village, and the Mobile Crisis Team (MCT).
Tevis Barnes, Housing and Human Services Director, discussed the focus on legislation; development of the scope of work for the new plan; the update to the 2018 Plan to Prevent and Combat 3 March 10, 2025
Homelessness; and she welcomed input on any additional
legislation that should be included in the update.
Christina Staffers, Management Analyst, discussed the status of goals; enhancing community education efforts around
homelessness; the dedicated Homeless Coordinator hired; retention of SAR Development Consultants; creation of a Homeless Toolkit; valuable resources to educate the public and offer guidance on where to find support; the transition from bi monthly to monthly ACOHH meetings; more effective identification of gaps in existing services, programs, and policies; monthly coordination meetings with the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) Needs Committee; engagement of the public relations (PR) consulting firm Rally to update materials; improving data tracking and homeless outreach services with the Homeless Dashboard and the Homeless Outreach Request Portal; identification of trends and areas of high need; effective and efficient resource allocation; and increased effectiveness of tracking and response to homelessness.
Tevis Barnes, Housing and Human Services Director, discussed creation of local programs to increase workforce training and job opportunities; organizations that hire persons currently or formerly experiencing homelessness; the partnership with Urban Alchemy; people who were part of the Justice System; training provided and opportunities for personal growth, and growth within the organization; enhancement of regional and local coordination; the work on the Westside Council of Governments (COG) and coordination with the county and the Army Corps by Arames White Shearin, Assistant to the City Manager on
Homelessness; and the Homekey Peers Cohort Team.
Discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding work to create a scope of work for an RFP (Request for Proposals) for a consultant to update the Homeless Plan; project management and coordination with City staff; phases of the process; adding affordable housing into the scope of work; increasing incentives for developers to build
affordable housing; expediting Building and Safety processes; establishing a Housing Trust Fund to help with funding gaps; competition for funding sources; reducing the number of meetings and public engagement processes required for development; concern with creating roadblocks to development; and getting past the "NIMBYness" (Not In My Back Yard) of the community.
Additional discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding short and long-term goals; 4 March 10, 2025
appreciation for the joint meeting; hiring a vendor to conduct surveys at interim and permanent homeless housing sites; addressing the root causes of homelessness; the multi-factorial problem; development of tools, parameters, and criteria on how to define program success; recommendations from the City Council and residents; Project Based Vouchers (PBVs) referenced in a Culver City press release from February 27, 2025; Jubilo Village; producing and preserving affordable housing for very low and extremely low income households; the actions of Santa Monica to facilitate affordable housing; observations of the increase in RVs and vans during the recent homelessness count; increased housing costs; plans to impose tariffs by the federal government; and support for the Safe Parking program.
Further discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding handling tasks proposed for the consultant internally; the LA Homeless Initiative; resources and contacts; vendor surveys; using money proposed for a consultant to bring on a grant writer; concern with the burden on taxpayers; increased effectiveness of applications with a grant writer; collaboration with HUD (Housing and urban Development) and the LA Initiative Committee; operational needs; accountability; development of a Housing Trust Fund; and taking a look at insurance providers.
Discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding the proposed public relations campaign to focus on affordable housing myth busting; concern with hiring a consultant when there could be people in-house to do the work; the Outreach Subcommittee; support for using available resources rather than expensive consultants; and the need for more specific information on incentives for affordable housing.
Additional discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding appreciation for the work done; acknowledgment of how much has been accomplished so quickly; continuing the work; support for tracking; the Homeless Dashboard; a suggestion to calculate the cost per user for services; determining which programs are most effective to inform resource allocation; ACOHH agreement to add resource tracking to the agenda for their next meeting; appreciation for the emphasis on housing production; expediting permitting; impact fees; community meetings; length the process for the Jubilo Village project; cost effectiveness; unaudited figures; hiring a professional auditor; and subcommittee conversations. 5 March 10, 2025
Additional discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding removing roadblocks to the development of affordable housing; addressing the missing piece; people who become homelessness because they can't pay their rent; providing an interim step for those at risk; success with providing services over the years; priority of the current City Council; housing production for at-risk individuals; bailing out the boat vs. plugging the holes; recognition of the association between the production of all housing and levels of homelessness; stabilization of rents; legislation on a state level; the fact that cities that build housing are able to keep their rents more stable; legislation that can be supported on a state level; things passed on a local level that are not being taken advantage of; and input from the ACOHH on how to make housing more abundant.
Further discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding the request for the joint meeting made back in August 2024; the intersection of the Homeless Emergency and the Homeless Plan; uncertainty around federal funding; support for the focus on housing production; emphasizing safe parking; increased need in the community; the cost of inaction; Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) students who do not live in Culver City; insolvency of the School District if non residents did not attend; the monthly meeting with the CCUSD Needs Committee; impacts of the lack of housing; the Westside COG; the emphasis on working regionally; opportunity to continue to lock arms with the crisis; concern with denying services; the need to establish MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding); and finding a way to support neighbors better to get into housing.
Additional discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding appreciation to staff and ACOHH Members for their efforts; identifying gaps and how to address them; increasing incentives for builders; fee waivers; creation of a Housing Trust Fund; grant writers; doing better with available resources; identification of streams of revenue; affordable housing production; job training; expediting affordable housing production; progression through the cycle; working with unions and vocational centers; affordability thresholds; transitioning through different cycles; Supervisor Holly Mitchell's Newsletter that reported Redondo Beach as reaching functional zero; and support for having a dedicated person to look at funding opportunities.
Further discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members and Council Members regarding the number of non-Culver City 6 March 10, 2025
residents attending CCUSD schools; costs to live in Culver City; the jobs/home imbalance; different data points; identification of the costs of not investing in housing and homeless services; hiring a vendor to conduct surveys at homeless housing sites; getting a statistical profile of how many students can't afford to live in Culver City; City and frontline workers who cannot afford to live in Culver City; transportation; and being able to meet emergency needs.
Discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding different levels of homelessness; affordable housing; people on the street; the continuum of care; treating the body, mind, and spirit; organizations that are doing a good job; a suggestion to agendize a presentation by the National Health Foundation; taking the burden off of taxpayers; and utilizing insurance.
Additional discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding the focus on housing; striking a balance in affordable housing; density bonuses; the upcoming Housing Trust Fund discussion; work of the Westside COG; creation of a westside center to provide services as a region; acknowledging that borders are porous; intentional outreach to West LA College; in-house outreach for the survey; and support for broader use of the videos to promote the work being done.
Mayor O'Brien invited public comment.
The following member of the public addressed the City Council and the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness:
Jeanne Black provided background on herself; proposed engagement of an outside consultant to evaluate the continuum of care; discussed effective use of limited resources; better
understanding basic metrics; measures of success;
identification of groups being served; the 2018 goal to improve access; the importance of prioritizing the increased production of affordable housing; examination of how to better position Culver City to compete for Measure A funds, not the ones that automatically go to the Westside COG; funding for the new Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Authority that has
77.5% of their funds earmarked for housing production with the Housing Production Committee Chaired by Senator Holly Mitchell; she proposed communicating with the Luskin School at UCLA about augmenting a consultant's work becoming a Masters project; and she noted the potential to learn because of the amount of work that has been done.
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Chair Khin Khin Gyi moved to authorize the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to prepare and update the Culver City 2018 Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness by re-evaluating existing short-term and long-term strategies to address homelessness in Culver City. Vice Chair Jonathon Dilworth seconded the motion.
Additional discussion ensued between staff, Committee Members, and Council Members regarding a suggestion to add a request to try to track costs of the programs as part of the motion or as direction to staff.
MOVED BY CHAIR KHIN KHIN GYI AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR JONATHON
DILWORTH THAT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS: RECOMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZE RELEASE OF A
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) TO PREPARE AND UPDATE CULVER CITY'S 2018 PLAN TO PREVENT AND COMBAT HOMELESSNESS (HOMELESS PLAN) BY
RE-EVALUATING EXISTING SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN CULVER CITY.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
AMY CHERNESS, DARRYL CHERNESS, JONATHON DILWORTH,
ROBERT GAGNIER, DANA SAYLES, AMBERLY WASHINGTON
PATRICK GODINEZ
EMILY DIBINY
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MCMORRIN, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FISH AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL: AUTHORIZE
THE RELEASE OF A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) TO PREPARE AND UPDATE CULVER CITY'S 2018 PLAN TO PREVENT AND COMBAT
HOMELESSNESS (HOMELESS PLAN) BY RE-EVALUATING EXISTING SHORT
TERM AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN CULVER
CITY AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS.
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Public Comment - Items Not on the Agenda
Mayor O'Brien invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no public comment had been received.
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8 Items from Members
None.
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Member Requests to Agendize Future Items
None.
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March 10, 2025
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Adjournment
There being no further business, at 6:01 p.m., the City Council and Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness adjourned the meeting.
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Jeremy Bocchino
of Culver City, California
er City, California
DAN O'BRIEN
MAYOR of Culver City, California
DR. KHIN KHIN GYI
CHAIR of the CULVER CITY COMMITTEE ON HOMELESSNESS
Culver City, California
Date: .ARR.JL L4 2.02-s
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