1 OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE CULVER CITY
STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CULVER CITY August 20, 2025
STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE 6:00 p.m.
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Vice Mayor Puza called the special meeting of the Standing Mobility Subcommittee to order at 6:07 p.m. in the Dan Patacchia Meeting Room at City Hall.
Present: Freddy Puza, Vice Mayor
Bubba Fish, Council Member
Staff Present: Andrew Maximous, Mobility and Traffic Engineering Manager
Thomas Check, Senior Traffic Engineer
Lisa Soghor, Chief Financial Officer
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst
Kate Saunders-Britton, Transportation
Administrative Secretary
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Pledge of Allegiance
Vice Mayor Puza the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Community Announcements from Members
None.
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Information Items from Staff
Thomas Check, Senior Traffic Engineer , provided an update on Complete Streets and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan (BPAP); reported that they had been selected for a sustainable
transportation planning grant that they had applied for to create Standing Mobility Subcommittee
August 20, 2025
2 Complete Streets implementation procedures; discussed parameters of the grant; addressing obstacles to Complete Streets
implementation; constraints; goals of the procedures; City Council acceptance of the grant; the local match requirement; partial funding of the request submitted for the Better Overland Project contingent on passing the US Federal Budget for FY 2025 -2026 in September 2025; lack of funding for community funding requests last year; the Metro Active Transportation Cycle 2 Grant submitted to LA Metro for Phase 2 of the Better Overland Project; the recommendation to the Board for full funding; and lack of a local match component.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding shelf life for Better Overland 2 funding; length of time for other projects to be completed; earmarking funding ; project phasing; design; sequencing; making sure the names are clear; and appreciation for the update.
Staff provided an update on the pilot bus service to SoFi Stadium; discussed efforts to enhance regional mobility; the bus upgrade to meet increased demand with the new school year; the Comprehensive Mobility Services Plan (CMSP) to examine how travel patterns have changed, how transit is performing, and to serve as a road map to enhance and reimagine transit services; and community engagement efforts.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding International Walk to School Day; understanding requirements for the event; special event permits; fund allocation; the timeframe; following protocol; allowing enough time; partnership with Jim Shanman; notification; and timing for City Council consideration.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, discussed the presentation by Lieutenant Chris Car aballo in April noting that he was back to provide an update.
Chris Carballo, Culver City Police Department (CCPD) Lieutenant, provided an update on accident statistics; discussed information regarding collisions involving vehicles vs. pedestrians and bicycles for 2025; information on date, time, and location provided; information that can be disclosed; information requested to be published; the location map; publishing of information on the Culver City website for anyone to see; the ability to zoom in on the map; and proactive patrolling and enforcement in affected areas.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding additional information available; ongoing updates; data as Standing Mobility Subcommittee
August 20, 2025
3 compared to previous years; a suggestion to gather information and publish every six months; data points necessary to establish a pattern; providing context; notating problem areas; fatalities; a request to provide data going back to 2020 in pdf and Excel form; and enforcement and education.
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Public Comment - Items NOT on the Agenda
Vice Mayor Puza invited public comment.
Alicia Ide, Management Analyst, read the statement on hate speech.
The following members of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
David Coles discussed the upcoming heat wave; bus stops that lack proper shade; the need to make riding the bus a safe and comfortable option; he asked that a representative from Transportation present a plan for moving toward a goal of providing shade at every bus stop in Culver City; requested regular updates on the camera mounted enforcement of bus lane violations; and he noted the importance of providing data to identify trends.
Seth Contreras, Mobility Planning Manager, expressed appreciation for the feedback; indicated that they would look at providing updates; discussed challenges of waiting in the heat for the air- conditioned buses; preliminary data received relating to camera enforcement of bus lane violations; clarification that citations were being issued for violations in bus lanes and at bus stops; staff review; information gathering and processing; and the intent to provide a report.
Monica Richardson urged the City not to make changes to Overland; discussed causing problems for people with disabilities and seniors; support for adding a light and a crosswalk at the library; a suggestion to add an auto enthusiast on the Subcommittee to provide balance; ensuring proper representation; funding from Los Angeles and Caltrans; she noted that she had lived in Culver City for a long time and did not appreciate the changes being made; reported feedback from people who do not want to go downtown because of changes being made; expressed concern with
representation focused on a small niche group of people; and discussed people passing through the City.
David Metzler asked about data from the downtown corridor including vehicle counts, pedestrian counts, cyclist counts, and vehicle speeds.
Standing Mobility Subcommittee
August 20, 2025
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Receive and File Correspondence
Vice Mayor Puza noted that no correspondence had been received.
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Consent Calendar Items
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes for the Standing Mobility Subcommittee Special Meeting of July 23, 2025
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FISH , SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR PUZA AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE STANDING MOBILITY SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF JULY 23, 2025.
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Action Items
Item A-1
(1) Receive a Presentation from Serve Robotics; (2) Discuss and Consider Implementation of the Service in Culver City; and (3)Provide Direction to Staff
Council Member Fish asked for an update on the request from Vice Mayor Puza to research the viability of moving parking control and animal personnel to a different department.
Kelly Jones, Serve Robotics, provided background on the company; discussed Ciclavia; efficiencies; safety; reducing the number of daily pedestrian deaths nationwide; providing a way to get cars off the road and reduce travel time; the last mile delivery service; limitations to the robots; brand partnerships; environmental and safety benefits; robots vs. EVs; projected reductions to emissions; taking back public spaces; prioritizing walkability; history of Serve Robotics in West Hollywood; the proliferation of electric scooters in 2018 without proper process; the aim of Serve Robotics to work with cities to create a program that works for everyone; the pilot program in West Hollywood; city planning data; data collected on sidewalks; identification of missing curb cutouts; heat maps of economic activity; improving Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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5 the local right of way; and service provided to the densest neighborhoods.
Vice Mayor Puza invited public input.
The following member of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
Kira Pusch discussed City planning data presented by Serve Robotics and responsibility for implementing any changes identified as being needed.
Discussion ensued between Ms. Jones , staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding the competitive landscape and benefits of completely automated units vs. remotely operated units.
Yariel Diaz, Serve Robotics, discussed differences between major players in the industry and improved safety with autonomous units.
Discussion ensued between Serve Robotics representatives, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding maximum range of operation; other cities in Los Angeles county that use robots; the ability to add special conditions to regulate the service; structure of the relationship with the City; the ability to allow more than one operator; the partnership between Serve Robotics and Uber Eats; the request for the ability to operate in Culver City; lack of fiscal impact to the City beyond the permit fee; bike deliveries; support for safety and sustainability provided with the delivery model; routing determined by the platform; benefits to autonomous units; number of bots operating and permits g ranted in West Hollywood; the inability for bots to cross into unpermitted jurisdictions; the default of the unit to yield to pedestrians; support for allowing the service in Culver City; the ability to institute a pilot program and to limit the number of units and area served; determining the number of units based on demand; potential limitations due to sidewalk width; market evaluation; ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) concerns; creation of a map by the robots while in operation; streets in West Holl ywood that Serve does not operate on; geofencing; specific direction from staff on streets that are not ADA compliant; and feedback from Serve on desired areas to operate in.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding support for allowing service in the City; staff to research what other cities have done and return with potential regulations for consideration; determining a location for a pilot program; geofencing; concern with permitting robots in areas that scooters and bicycles are prohibited from; agreement to agendize Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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6 consideration of Town Plaza; jurisdiction; and potential Brown Act issues.
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Item A-2
(1) Receive and Discuss Presentation on Parking Occupancy Tax; and (2) Direction to Staff as Appropriate
Lisa Soghor , Chief Financial Officer, introduced the item; discussed prior experience with parking occupancy taxes; the need for voter approval; options for the tax to pass with a simple majority; other cities with a parking occupancy tax; typical tax rate; large draw parking; taxes generated from parking lots in other cities; and other cities with specialty uses that Culver City does not have.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding declaration of a fiscal emergency; dedicating funds for a specific purpose; election costs; public vs. private lots; money that goes to the Parking Authority vs. to the General Fund; Measure PSK; money earmarked for Public Safety Initiatives; the advisory measure that does not earmark funds; clarification that taxes are only charged when people pay to park; lack of facilities; required business licenses; calculations on the amount of taxes that could be generated with a parking tax; Code Enforcement; the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) rate in Culver City vs. the rate in other cities; and amount of revenue that could be generated with a 1% increase to TOT.
Vice Mayor Puza invited public input.
David Metzler was called to speak but was not present in person or online.
Additional d iscussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding Parking Authority use of funds; improvements to be made; fund balance; maintenance funds; use for CPIs (Capital Improvement Projects) specific to parking structures and parking meters; use of funds for street-related projects; increasing funds for Safe Streets projects; direction to staff to come back with ways to replenish funds; generating revenue from events; number of cars that travel through Culver City daily; employee parking; gathering data that is not readily available; a suggestion to tax with a dollar fee for anyone parking in C ulver City even if no transaction is taking place; clarification that taxes cannot be placed on something that is not a transaction; charging a toll; Standing Mobility Subcommittee
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7 the Mobility Fund; impact fees for development; the long list of projects waiting for funding; and Culver City as a job center.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding appreciation for the presentation; private employers that charge employees to park; self-reported taxes remitted to the City; compliance; audits; administrative costs; permits; charging true costs; operating costs; collaboration with Economic Development; ensuring revenue outweighs the costs; the need to generate revenue; timing; passage of Measure K in Santa Monica; potential estimated revenue; the ability to only charge the increase on private lots rather than public lots; capturing money for mobility projects; money transferred out of the CIPs (Capital Improvement Projects); the rate study examining parking rates and meters; rental of public space; opportunity; improvements that can be made with the funds; Culver City as charging rates that are lower than neighboring cities; the recommended increase that did not move forward; approval of increased meter charges in Santa Monica; impacts of parking fees to businesses; demand; and concern with timing.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding City Council direction to staff to return with a contingency plan before the end of the year; obtaining City Council direction to move forward before expending resources with time-intensive data gathering; ensuring sufficient time for research to get the item onto a ballot; bridging the gap for the School District; TOT; the parcel tax; the Parks Plan; providing context; planning; direction to staff to bring the item to the City Council as part of the menu of revenue generating ideas to replenish contingency reserves; separate consideration of parking meters; and future discussion on use of the Mobility Fund.
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Item A-3
(1) Receive a Presentation, Discuss, and Approve Installation of All-Way Stop Control at Braddock Drive and Lincoln Avenue
Andrew Maximous, Mobility and Traffic Engineer ing Manager , provided a summary of the material of record.
Vice Mayor Puza invited public input.
The following member of the public addressed the Subcommittee:
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8 David Coles expressed support for a four-way stop at Braddock Drive and Lincon Avenue; discussed length of time it takes to cross the street; he felt the decision should be made administratively if it meets the criteria; and he wanted to see the City err on the side of pedestrian safety rath er than introducing the opportunity to endlessly debate and put up obstacles.
David Metzler was called to speak but was not present in person or online.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding origin of the request; past practice; allowing public comment; other processes required for other requests; the process for stop sign requests; number of pending requests and requests each year; crosswalk markings; curb ramps; traffic control; stop signs without crosswalks; the ability to add the location to the on-call contract with the striping company; evaluation of stop sign requests for the appropriateness of crosswalks; and enhancing visibility.
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Public Comment for Items NOT on the Agenda (Continued)
Vice Mayor Puza 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
Vice Mayor Puza discussed the request to agendize consideration of signage in Town Plaza and a parking meter fee increase.
Council Member Puza discussed receipt of feedback from a resident about egregious penalties related to the ABLE (Automated Bus Lane Enforcement) Program; efforts to address the issue with various departments; consideration of a forgiveness program for low-income individuals who get parking tickets; and consideration of making changes to the late fee.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the grace period before the law went into effect; impact of blocking bus stops; appreciation for the work of staff; working to make the envelopes more noticeable; concern with doubling the fee when late; discussion with Transportation and CCPD; concern wit h Standing Mobility Subcommittee
August 20, 2025
being overly punitive; trash fees; and consideration of reducing the late fee.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding upcoming agenda items including a report from Finance on what projects can be funded out of the Mobility Fund; a discussion on parking maximums; receipt of a presentation from Ohmio; consideration of options for a feasibility study for Wesley and National; the grant situation with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Plan; parking inventory; Town Plaza mobility signage; ABLE late fees; and consideration of shifting parking enforcement.
Andrew Maximous, Mobility and Traffic Engineering Manager, discussed replacement of damaged bike racks at the Village Well; impact of reallocating Mobility Funds to the School District; the intent not to draw down the fund to zero, but to use as needed; anticipated replenishment; and developments in the pipeline.
Council Member Fish asked about National Walk to School Day.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding date and location for the next meeting.
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Ad journme nt
There being no further business, at 8:54 p.m., the Standing Mobility Subcommittee adjourned its meeting to October 29, 2025. oOo
Ali aka
SECRETARY of the Culver City Standing Mobility Subcommittee, Culver City, California
uza
YOR, Standing Mobility Subcommittee
r/City, California
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