Culver City Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee Equity and Human Relations Award Ad Hoc Subcommittee
September 29, 2026
Members of the 2025/2026 Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee are Haifaa Moammar, Denice Renteria, Rebecca Rona-Tuttle, and Carlos Valverde.
City Council Commendations The City Council presented commendations the four Equity and Human Relations Award recipients Monday, September 14th.
This report is detailed because EHRAC members did not know until that evening exactly how the city council would handle presentation of the commendations. For example, it wasn’t known whether the wording of the commendations would include the fact that these people had been chosen by EHRAC to receive the Equity and Human Relations Award. As it happened, each commendation did include that explanation.
The ad hoc subommittee had submitted detailed descriptions of the four award recipients to the mayor and city clerk, who accepted all four: Student: Lailanie Azam; Individual: Sameen Ahmadnia; Business Owner:
Jennifer Casper, owner of Village Well Books and Coffee; Joelle Kirtley, founder and executive director of Mass Liberation.
Vice Chair Haifaa Moammar, Member Carlos Valverde and Member Rebecca Rona participated in the 9/14 presentation of commendations, which all agreed was meaningful and beautiful.
The mayor offered the members of the awards ad hoc subcommittee the opportunity to describe and explain the award, as well as say a few words about EHRAC.
The recipients were called up one at a time. The mayor and various councilmembers read the commendations, structured similarly to a proclamation.
After recitation of each commendation, the microphone was handed to the recipient. All but the student spoke.
It appeared that everyone was pleased with the commendations process.
Members of the awards ad hoc subcommittee were told that night that they would have been "allowed" to give the medallions to the recipients immediately after the commendations had been presented. However, the medallions had not been engraved yet. The ad hoc committee members showed the medallion--minus engraving--to each recipient, and explained that after their medallions had been engraved, they would be mailed to them.
In the future In the future it is possible that not all of the four award recipients will be accepted by the council to receive commendations. If this occurs, whoever does not receive a commendation will still receive the medallion.
Cost of Medallions: The cost of the medallions before engraving was $140 each for a total of $560. The cost of the engraving plus ribbons and taxes was $106.46. The total cost was $666.46.
Concern about the selection process: During EHRAC’s April meeting, some members expressed concern about the process used in selecting award recipients.
In an email, Britta Erickkson, a member of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, had praised the Chamber’s method of selecting their Woman of the Year honoree.
Chamber of Commerce’s process In response to members’ concern, Member Rona spoke at length with a member of the Chamber of Commerce about their process of selecting their Woman of the Year honorees.
The person with whom she spoke serves on the committee that selects a member to be honored.
Most of their process does not apply to EHRAC. But there is an important exception. The members of this committee spend a great deal of time discussing the nominees (applicants?).
Recommendation: Members of the Equity and Human Relations Award Ad Hoc Subcommittee have discussed possible revisions to the process extensively. We propose that subsequent members of the awards ad hoc subcommittees continue using the rubric, which is quite useful, and spend more time than in the past discussing the nominees. In addition it is recommended that to the extent possible members of the ad hoc subcommittee research the semifinalists.