1 OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE CULVER CITY
STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE
SPECIAL MEETING OF July 23, 2025
THE CULVER CITY 7:00 p.m.
STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Council Member Fish called the special meeting of the Standing Mobility Subcommittee to order at 7:02 p.m. in the Dan Patacchia Meeting Room at City Hall and online.
Present: Freddy Puza, Vice Mayor
Bubba Fish, Council Member
Staff Present: Thomas Check, Senior Traffic Engineer
Ryan Hund, Transportation Management Analyst
Alicia Ide, Public Works Management Analyst
Kate Saunders-Britton, Transportation
Administrative Secretary
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Pledge of Allegiance
Council Member Fish led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Community Announcements from Members
None.
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Information Items from Staff
None.
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Standing Mobility Subcommittee
July 23, 2025
2 Public Comment - Items NOT on the Agenda
Council Member Fish invited public comment.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, read the statement on hate speech.
The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
Vignesh Ram, Serve Robotics, provided background on the organization; discussed interest in expanding their operations into Culver City; impact of food deliveries on public safety, congestion and carbon emissions; ways they are offering transportation alternatives and workforce development; building on the work Culver City has already done to reduce congestion; taking back the streets from people making deliveries; he indicated his intent to provide a presentation at the next meeting; and he provided his contact information.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, encouraged Council Members or staff to send to her questions or topics they wanted Serve Robotics to address in their presentation at the next meeting; she noted that Coco had previously made a presentation to the Subcommittee but had not answered the question of geographic area to be served.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding a request for a side-by-side comparison with Coco and a suggestion that the business model that Culver City would be required to provide be included in the presentation.
Marci Baun discussed going out riding earlier in the day; presented photographs of Elenda St between Culver Blvd and Farragut Dr; asserted that the streets were falling apart; stated that the Culver City Bike Path was not easy to access from the
neighborhoods; discussed pedestrians on the Bike Path instead of the pedestrian path; concern with having to stop for stop signs if no one is there; safety concerns with not obeying the stop signs; she felt that pedestrians should have to stop for the bike path; discussed pot holes that need to be addressed; uplifted sidewalks; injuries; liability; issues with the streets in the Clarkdale neighborhood; the need to focus on addressing issues; and addressing the top layer of concreate that is crumbling on the north side of The Plunge.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the annual Pavement Rehabilitation CIP (Capital Improvement Project); prioritization of projects; the PCI (Pavement Condition Index); availability of the list; funding through SB1; the RMRA Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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3 (Road Maintenance Rehabilitation Account); streets that have to be adopted by resolution of the City Council; projects listed by the year they were funded; consultant scoring of the streets; and follow up.
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Receive and File Correspondence
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, indicated that public comment had been received for Item A-2 and attached to the staff report.
MOVED BY VICE CHAIR PUZA, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FISH AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE RECEIVE AND FILE CORRESPONDENCE.
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Consent Calendar Items
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes for the Standing Mobility Subcommittee Special Meeting of June 12, 2025
MOVED BY VICE CHAIR PUZA, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FISH AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF JUNE 12, 2025.
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Action Items
Item A-1
(1) Receive a Presentation on Lease a Bike; and (2) Provide Direction to Staff.
Linda Crivello, “Lease a Bike,” provided a presentation on the company; discussed potential benefits to Culver City employees; bike leasing vs. bike sharing; program benefits; and she indicated that there was no required cost to the employer for the program.
Discussion ensued between Ms. Crivello, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding clarification that trade-ins are not an option during the term of the lease; situations where the employee leaves Standing Mobility Subcommittee
July 23, 2025
4 the organization; particulars of employee payment; unavailability of a pre-tax benefit; and clarification that there is no cost to offer the program or requirement for contribution by the City.
Council Member Fish invited public input.
The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
Jim Shanman asked about availability of the program to the general public and to Culver City Unified School District employees; monthly payments; and he questioned how the company profited from the program.
Linda Crivello, Lease a Bike, indicated that offering the program direct to consumers would be more expensive than partnering with organizations; discussed the ability of the administrator at work to deem employees eligible; the portal; and the calculator available on the website that determines the price depending on the type of bike and length of the lease.
Discussion ensued between Ms. Crivello, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding appreciation for the availability of the program; payment coming out of the employee paycheck; assistance for those interested in taking other forms of transportation; pushing for safer infrastructure; next steps; integration of software; coordination with the Transportation Department as part of RideShare; City Council consideration; the sales tax measure; shared costs with the City; clarification that about half of the companies in the program make some sort of contribution to support their employees in the program; support for providing another way to engage and increase riding; the $1,000 minimum of the bike price; bike standards; lease fees, insurance, and maintenance baked into the price; clarification that a high turnout is not necessary.
Staff agreed to provide introductions to CCUSD and to Economic Development, and to work with Lease a Bike to develop options for the City.
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Item A-2
(1) Receive an Update on the Better Overland Ave Project Including Community Outreach; and (2) Provide Direction to Staff
Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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5 Thomas Check, Senior Traffic Engineer, provided a summary of the material of record.
Council Member Fish invited public input.
The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
Marla Koosed provided background on herself; discussed the traffic study done in 2025; ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) issues for people in wheelchairs negotiating bike lanes; automated scooters and e-bikes; the study that was done for additional parking; she questioned why the parking evaluation was done at night; discussed the intense amount of activity in the area; changes in housing regulations; overloaded streets that will be even more so since there are no parking requirements; ongoing issues; changes made on Elenda St and traffic backups; and she proposed that no action be taken.
Mary Daval expressed appreciation for the meeting and thanked staff for their hard work on the project; requested more specific numbers about parking; discussed parking available on Overland Ave; other choices for parking besides street parking; and finding ways of using public space that keep everyone safe.
Daniel Raw provided background on himself; thanked staff and the consultants for their work on the project; discussed vehicular speeds on Overland Ave that are higher than the street is rated for; he expressed support for Alternative A; felt that keeping parking on both sides of the road and removing the center lane would naturally reduce perceived width of the road and encourage drivers to slow down even without additional signage; discussed unsignalized left turns as more dangerous then signalized left turns; improving safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians with signalized left turns with minimal impact to circulation; he recommended including bollards or flex posts between lanes to prevent drivers from crossing illegally; and he noted that people abide by physical built environment better than signage.
Monica Richardson indicated riding up and down Overland Ave for 30 years; asked that the City leave the street alone; asserted that the bike lanes were unused; discussed difficulty for the disabled to cross bike lanes; keeping things open for EMT, fire, and police; stated that it was dangerous for people to get out of their cars; noted that one could ride their bike for leisure but could not take it somewhere because it would get stolen; reported people angry about the MOVE program; asserted that the area was a thoroughfare; and she asked them to leave the street alone.
Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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6 Marci Baun indicated being a cyclist; noted that there were very few protected bike lanes and people still use them; discussed poor upkeep of streets and sidewalks; shutting off turn lanes in the tri-school area; permitted students that have to drive; and she pointed out much disagreement noting that only two options were noted, the third option was to leave the street alone.
Monica Richardson questioned why there were not car advocates as she felt it was lopsided to only have the bike advocates.
Michelle Weiner expressed appreciation to staff for the diligent and thorough work over a long period of time and for modifications made in response to public comment; felt that leaving Overland Ave alone was not a viable option; reported using Overland Ave a lot noting that it needed improvement; discussed feedback from people who live on the east side of Overland Ave that they need the middle turn lane; consideration of where drop off for deliveries would happen; providing a dedicated space in the plan; and she expressed appreciation that Culver City was moving toward equity in terms of street use.
Jim Shanman, Walk and Rollers, provided background on the organization; noted that he also served as the Safe Routes to School Coordinator, expressed support for slowing down traffic on this high-speed corridor and enhancing transit; discussed connectivity with the schools; the need to work in phases; appreciation for being responsive to the community; alternatives to provide protected bike lanes; encouraging active
transportation; the need or more north and south routes; mitigation of concerns; and he was looking forward to having a final format.
Ron Smoire expressed appreciation for the time and effort put in by staff; support for leaving things as they are; proposed accenting the bike lane with paint to make it more visible; discussed parking issues where he lives on Barman Ave; wanted any parking that is removed to be accommodated somewhere else; he suggested basing decisions on an examination of the number of accidents in the area in the last three years rather than assuming changes need to be made; discussed Overland Ave as an important corridor; suggested that people stand at Washington Blvd and Overland Ave or Culver Blvd and Overland Ave where there is construction to get an idea of what it would be like if proposed changes are made; discussed lengthy dangerous traffic backups; the bike mitigation at Elenda St; and he asserted that there were no arteries in the area and it was a dead zone.
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7 Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding clarification that vehicular travel capacity would not be reduced; willingness to discuss issues with speakers; funding; grants; the ability to raise the bike lanes to sidewalk level to address accessibility concerns if money is available; capacity on side streets; preferential parking; modification of current parking policy; support for Alternative B by the fire department; tradeoffs with retention of the center turn lane; the inability to provide parking on the bridge; allowing 3-5 feet for a door zone; number of parking spaces removed; parking evaluation at night to capture peak parking demand; potential use of the parking structure at the county library; the High Injury Network included in the Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP); failure to receive a grant to update the LRSP; severity of crashes vs. vehicle miles travelled (VMT) on the roadway; other parking protected facilities; use of effective design strategies to address challenges; and different criteria and scoring for different grant programs.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding thanks for community outreach; the focus on improving connection and circulation throughout the City; increasing the network that people have been desiring; the dangerous street that many people speed on; improving safety measures for cyclists and pedestrians; traffic fatalities as one of top reasons for deaths of youth in Los Angeles County; support for improving sidewalks and roads and fixing pot holes; the annual street rehabilitation plan; tradeoffs.
Council Member Puza in favor of moving forward with Alternative B, noted value in keeping the center lane, addressing accommodation for church trash collection and street sweeping and maintaining handicapped spots and the loading zone, and making parking accommodations on side streets.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding support for comments received; feedback on impacts; traffic fatalities in Culver City and in surrounding areas; the importance of community outreach; response to public feedback; parking policies on side streets to provide more access; the importance of providing a north/south bike connection; making streets accessible to every mode of transportation; providing alternate means of transportation to address worsening traffic; fostering independence for children by allowing them to bike, walk, and take transit to school; the feeling that the status quo is not an option; countries around the world that have gotten to Vision Zero; lack of funding or political will; making the streets feel safer for all modes, all ranges, and all abilities; protected bike Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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8 lanes as making streets safer for everyone; making the transition; difficulty of changing habits; and next steps.
Council Member Fish in favor of Alternative B, noted importance of center turn lane, providing addressing parking policies on side streets.
Staff to bring Alternative B recommendation to City Council.
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Public Comment for Items NOT on the Agenda (Continued)
Council Member Fish invited public participation.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, indicated that no additional requests to speak had been received.
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Subcommittee Member Requests to Agendize Future Items
Council Member Fish received clarification that the presentation from Serve Robotics had been agendized for the next meeting.
Vice Mayor Puza discussed the requested installation of bike racks in front of the Village Well Bookstore in response to the drunk driver that drove into the front of the store.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding upcoming agenda items; confirmation of a discussion of the parking tax with the Finance Department at the August meeting; the potential for inclusion of a conversation about the Mobility Fund in the Finance Department presentation or at a later meeting; addressing the green paint conversation with studios; compliance with federal standards; federal law vs. guidelines; communication with the City Manager; concern with setting a bad precedent by allowing non-compliance with federal law; receipt of a
presentation by Ohmio; putting a pause on the Circuit conversation; an update on National Blvd; the grant for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan (BPAP); implementation procedures for version 2 of Complete Streets Design Standards; reflecting current priorities; adding an update to the next agenda; the parking inventory discussion that has been put on hold; the conversation on policy options for parking maximums coming forward later in the year; and agreement on the date and time for next meeting.