1 THESE MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVED BY THE
CULVER CITY
STANDING GOVERNANCE SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE September 2, 2026
CULVER CITY STANDING GOVERNANCE 4:00 p.m.
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Vice Mayor Fish called the special meeting of the Standing Governance Subcommittee of the City Council to order at 4:04 p.m. in the Patacchia Room at City Hall.
Present: Bubba Fish, Vice Mayor
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Council Member
Staff Present: Shelly Wolfberg, Assistant to the City
Manager
Lea Eriksen, Senior Assistant City Manager
Christina Burrows, Assistant City Attorney
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk
T’Ana Allen, Deputy City Clerk
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Pledge of Allegiance
Vice Mayor Fish led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Public Comment – Items NOT On The Agenda
Vice Mayor Fish invited public comment.
Standing Governance Subcommittee
of the City Council
September 2, 2026
2 Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, reported that no requests to speak had been received.
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Receipt of Correspondence
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, reported that no correspondence had been received.
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Consent Calendar Items
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes of the Standing Governance Subcommittee Meeting Held on April 1, 2026
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, noted a correction to the minutes to indicate that Deputy City Attorney Monica Kilaita was present rather than Assistant City Attorney Christina
Burrows.
MOVED BY VICE MAYOR FISH, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MCMORRIN
AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE STANDING GOVERNANCE
SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES OF THE STANDING GOVERNANCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON APRIL 1, 2026 AS CORRECTED. o0o
Order of the Agenda
Item A-3 was considered before Item A-1.
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Standing Governance Subcommittee
of the City Council
September 2, 2026
3 Action Items
Item A-3
(Out of Sequence)
(1) Discussion of a Potential Comprehensive Culver City Charter Review; and, if Desired, (2) Recommendation to Staff as Deemed Appropriate
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, discussed the 2004-2005
committee report showing the process for the charter review; the option to amend the charter as needed or to conduct a comprehensive charter review; identification of items that might need update or review; creation of a charter review committee to do a full review; and identification of changes to specific sections to the charter.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding ballot measures with changes to the charter that previously passed; updates to outdated language;
opportunities to make the City more equitable; campaign finance; public financing; matching funds; creating a
separate meeting for the installation of the new Mayor and Vice Mayor; rank choice voting; regular review of the charter every 10 years to determine whether a comprehensive review is needed; bringing discussion items before the City Council; pros and cons of looking at specific items vs. an engaging in an entire overhaul of the charter; voter approval required for changes; previous changes made to the way Culver City was organized; potential items to consider; and work involved that could be handled as an amendment.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding appreciation for the research done; the importance of providing education about what charter review means; providing context; understanding what the community would want to see; engaging in focused outreach; being
intentional about messaging and education; a suggestion to have a civic assembly; exploration; time required for an extensive review; support for doing a full review; having one item that encompasses multiple reforms; resources; going to the City Council for a decision on whether to engage in a full charter review; formulation of a timeline and budget to move forward; a suggestion to include potential items for review in the staff report; charter reform processes that include an Inspector General; the opportunity to share out information about how tax dollars are being spent; and staff Standing Governance Subcommittee
of the City Council
September 2, 2026
4 workload and items coming forward.
Vice Mayor Fish invited public comment.
T’Ana Allen, Deputy City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
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Item A-1
Discussion on the Update and Virtual Tour of Culver City’s New Elections Webpage and Public Campaign Finance Portal T’Ana Allen, Deputy City Clerk, provided an overview of updates made to the City’s elections page and a virtual tour of the new elections webpage and public campaign finance portal; discussed the update on the City’s filing system for FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) forms; Form 700; the redesign of the NetFile portals; adding transparency with different ways to search for information; and Public Records Requests that inspired making more documents available to everyone.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding a previous request for similar access; the ability to create a CSV; available information; transparency;
download links; the How to Run for City Council page; a user who successfully tried out the system; appreciation that information on the website helped someone; showing people what the process entails; the small number of candidates; providing information on campaign etiquette; and following the law.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Council
Members regarding appreciation for the work done and
information provided; amplification of the AI disclosure piece; the complaint process; feedback from the public and updates to the webpages; timing to make everything live; information from the municipal code on yard signs that is provided to candidates; a suggestion to add an FAQ on yard signs; the provision indicating that door knocking is not allowed if “No Solicitation” signage is posted; adding
clarification on canvassing etiquette; adding FAQ tabs; the need for clarification on the policy regarding use of footage from official meetings in campaign ads; and the inability to use the City logo or uniforms.
Standing Governance Subcommittee
of the City Council
September 2, 2026
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Item A-2
(1) Discussion of a Democracy Voucher Program and a Public Matching Funds Program and, if desired, (2) Provide a
Recommendation to Staff as Deemed Appropriate
Shelly Wolfberg, City Manager’s Office, noted that the item was a follow-up to the April 1, 2026 discussion regarding potential democracy vouchers and requested Council direction.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding appreciation for the work of staff; support for exploration of a pilot program for both options; finances as a key part of campaigns; number of candidates running in Culver City; ensuring that representation remains reflective of the changing community; new housing coming in; the
prohousing designation from the state; stipulations that could work for the community; staff input; pros and cons to different scenarios; matching funds; vouchers; establishing a cap; the limit on how much a person can self-fund; looking at programs run by other cities; funding sources; education; viability; and participation.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding difficulty of competing with money coming from the outside; challenges for those not supported by corporate interests; personal and economic barriers that prevent candidates from spending extensive time campaigning; ensuring that people-powered candidates have a chance;
clarification that vouchers are more expensive than matching funds; limited resources available; instituting a total cap per candidate; support for an affordable program that
provides meaningful support to candidates; other cities that have had candidate forums; forums held in Culver City in the past; the importance of hearing from a person who wants to represent you; prohibiting corporate buy-in; mandated
transparency; development of criteria; partnership with a non-partisan non-profit; questions asked during forums; regulating campaign finance through the municipal code; and staff agreement to research whether a charter change or a code change would be required.
Vice Mayor Fish invited public comment.
Standing Governance Subcommittee
of the City Council
September 2, 2026
6 Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
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Public Comment - Items NOT on the Agenda (Continued)
Vice Mayor Fish invited public comment.
Jeremy Bocchino, City Clerk, indicated that no requests to speak had been received.
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Items from Members/Staff
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding successful agenda management and process
improvements; tracking efficiency and effectiveness of
changes made; citizen buy-in; agreement to include meeting schedule and charter review in the January staff report; certification of the election; a previous meeting to discuss timing of seating of new Council Members; the inability to separate voting and seating of the new Mayor and Vice Mayor; awkwardness with celebrations and not knowing who the new Mayor and Vice Mayor will be; existing policy language; setting regular meetings by resolution; a suggestion to adjourn for a recess during the installation meeting to allow new Council Members to celebrate; the ability to add a
meeting; openness to trying new things; the goal to not have business at the meeting where new Council Members are seated; holding a ceremonial community swearing in celebration or a meet and greet; venues; funding; participation by officials from other government entities; setting a precedent; a
reminder to the Subcommittee to stay on topic; and discussion of the swearing in/seating issue as part of the charter review.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding the next civic assembly; the budget; the suggestion to summarize proclamations; allowing people a chance to speak; providing education; and the date for the next meeting.
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Standing Governance Subcommittee
of the City Council
September 2, 2026
7 Adjournment
There being no further business, at 5:42 p.m., the Standing Governance Subcommittee of the City Council adjourned to a meeting to be held on October 7, 2026.
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___________________________________________________________ Jeremy Bocchino
SECRETARY of the Culver City Standing Governance
Subcommittee of the City Council, Culver City, California
APPROVED
___________________________________________________________ Bubba Fish
VICE MAYOR, Standing Governance Subcommittee of the City Council, Culver City, California