1 THESE MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVED BY THE
CULVER CITY
STANDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE January 8, 2026
CULVER CITY STANDING 1:30 p.m.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Mayor Puza called the special meeting of the Economic
Development Subcommittee of the City Council to order at 1:30 p.m. in the Patio Room at City Hall and via Webex.
Present: Freddy Puza, Mayor
Albert Vera, Council Member
Staff Present: Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development
Project Manager
Luis Gonzalez, Economic Development Project
Manager
Edgar Varela, Special Events Manager
Michelle Villongco, Associate Analyst
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Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Puza led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Public Comment for Items NOT On the Agenda
Mayor Puza invited public comment.
Standing Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council
January 8, 2026
2 Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, reported that no public comment had been received.
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Receipt of Correspondence
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, reported that no correspondence had been received.
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Order of the Agenda
No changes were made.
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Action Items
Item A-1
Receive an Update on Upcoming City Produced and City Sponsored Special Events and Economic Development-Related Events
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director, provided a summary of the material of record.
Julie Major, MMGY, indicated that the presentation would be made available to Subcommittee Members; discussed new Culver City brand architecture, tagline, and revised logos;
application in the real world; brand essence, values,
promise, experience, and voice; outreach and feedback; the need to differentiate and reflect self-definition rather than comparison; and the Trailblazer originality score for the unique tagline that cannot be copied.
Brandon Sanders, MMGY, provided background on himself;
discussed the process to get to the proposed logos; and feedback that guided the process.
Bre Marsh, MMGY, discussed the branding workshop; provided examples of potential logos and color palettes with examples of real-world applications; discussed diversity and vibrancy in Culver City; different styles coming together; custom letter forms used; simplicity of color; connectivity and Standing Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council
January 8, 2026
3 bringing neighborhoods together; versatility with adapting the logos to different occasions; and pairing the logos with the tagline.
Brandon Sanders, MMGY, provided an additional concept;
discussed being careful about what is used for inspiration; ensuring against being too vintage; use of timeless
qualities; design updates; symbolism; the primary logo; subtle elements; color; simplicity and power; and examples of logos with the tagline.
Julie Major, MMGY, discussed brand identity of Culver City; engaging people; and making Culver City a place people want to check out.
Discussion ensued between meeting attendees, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding connecting a logo with a proposed tagline; iconography; concern that the word City was being lost in the proposed concepts; concern that use of arched letters could pose usage challenges; working to
encapsulate the totality of the City; high school logos; overall support for the first logo presented; feedback on different taglines proposed; the ability to change the
tagline; different tagline examples to show the thought process; difficulty of judging a tagline on its own without putting a story behind it; putting the tagline in context of marketing and branding; ensuring that City is included in marketing; support for incorporation of the jacarandas in one of the logos; those who refer to Culver City as Culver; bridging generations with the use of Culver rather than Culver City; alternative taglines; appreciation for the creative ideas; being able to add on top of something distinctive; the ability to change the arched logo to a horizontal logo; iconic architectural features that are part of the story of Culver City; elevated elegance; whether people understand that Culver alone means Culver City; the attitude and personality of a tagline that would never be standing by itself but would always be paired with an image or something else; appreciation for use of the city’s script; including the inspiration for development of the color palette in the presentation; the mood board; suggestions for adjustments to the C in the first logo presented; providing a more cohesive logo; and
conversations being had by the Culver City Arts Foundation about their name.
Standing Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council
January 8, 2026
4 Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding City Council consideration; community outreach; support for an earlier version of the first logo; and instruction to Subcommittee Members share their
preferences via email.
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Public Comment for Items NOT On the Agenda (Continued)
None.
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Items from Members/Staff
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director,
discussed date and agenda items for the next meeting.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the small business program and logistics.
Luis Gonzalez, Economic Development Project Manager,
discussed City Council approval of the Downtown Culver City Entertainment Zone; activation during special events; and the management plan.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding goals; the DBA (Downtown Business Association); concerns about boundaries; being inclusive to small
businesses; and next steps.
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director,
discussed event policy issues; the need for Standing
Subcommittee direction and a recommendation to make an
update; existing policy; grants allocated on an automated process; and streamlining the process moving forward.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding industry clusters; keeping vitality in Culver City; ways to bring more businesses to Culver City; potential dates and clusters; Member availability; additional consideration of the Culver City logo; meeting schedule; the upcoming City Council retreat; use of EIFDs (Enhanced
Infrastructure Financing Districts); the need to identify a project; use in unincorporated areas; use by West Hollywood Standing Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council
January 8, 2026
5 for the Metro; usage prior to development; and staff agreed to do additional research for potential discussion.
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Standing Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council
January 8, 2026
6 Adjournment
There being no further business, at 2:45 p.m., the Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council adjourned its meeting.
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___________________________________________________________ Jeremy Bocchino
SECRETARY of the Culver City Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council Culver City, California
APPROVED
___________________________________________________________ Freddy Puza
MAYOR, Economic Development Subcommittee of the City
Council Culver City, California