At the City Council meeting on the evening of Monday, September 8, Consent Calendar item C15 called for, “(1) Approval of a Donation Agreement with Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) for a One-Time Donation of $2.5 Million with Established Conditions; and (2) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a Related Budget Amendment to (A) Defund 17 Capital Improvements Projects (CIPs) Totaling $2,508,256 in General Fund Dollars; (B) Appropriate $1,082,902 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) to Fund Four Eligible CIPs Identified for Defunding; and (C) Appropriate $2.5 Million from the General Fund for Donation to CCUSD after the Donation Agreement is Executed.”
Council Member Bubba Fish raised a motion to discuss the generation of additional revenue through building housing on city land, and that passed 3-2. The no votes were from Mayor Dan O’Brien and Council Member Albert Vera. The main motion, to direct the $2.5 million to the school district, passed unanimously.
Action Item A1 saw the council move to ratify the recent election results. “Adoption of a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Culver City, California, Certifying and Reciting the Facts of the All-Mailed Ballot Special Municipal Election Held on August 26, 2025, Stating the Results of Such Election in Accordance with the City Charter and the California Elections Code and Approval of the Ordinance that was Passed, Approved, and Adopted by the Voters to Amend Chapter 3.08 of the CCMC to Impose a Transactions and Use Tax for Neighborhood Safety and City Services Protection to be Administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration,” the schedule read.
Staff announced that the election was approved by 67 percent of the voters. 4,327 voted yes, with 2,120 voting no. The vote to ratify the election passed unanimously.
Action Item A2 called for, “(1) Discussion of Terms and, if Desired, Approval of an Agreement with the New Zealand Olympic Committee for Exclusive Use of Town Plaza during the 2028 Olympics for a Hospitality House and Fan Zone; (2) Designation of the New Zealand Hospitality House and Fan Zone as a City-Sponsored Event; and (3) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.”
A delegation from New Zealand returned to spell out the vision for the Olympics Fan Zone, and all of the sitting council members seemed keen, though the concern from Vice Mayor Freddy Puza and Council Members Yasmine-Imani McMorrin and Bubba Fish was the cost to the city (a commitment of $717,000).
Fish put it to the representatives of New Zealand that they could contribute more, but that was swiftly rebuffed in the spirit of partnership. Discussions will continue at the next meeting, with staff directed to look at ways of diminishing the cost to the city.
Council Member Albert Vera was clearly frustrated, releasing a statement after the meeting with the title “Is Culver City Becoming an International Embarrassment?”
“The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) would like to invest $1.4 million (or more) to create a “New Zealand House” in Culver City, centered on the famed Culver Hotel, and also set up – at its expense – two large viewing screens for the community to watch the Games, construct an entertainment stage and develop a variety of local arts and cultural activities across 19 days in July 2028,” Vera said in the statement.
“Mayor O’Brien and I have long championed this effort because we know that the New Zealand House in Paris at the 2024 Games attracted more than 20,000 visitors! But after more than four months of negotiations, three of our colleagues chose to send the NZOC away with nothing! Instead, they spent more than two hours haranguing over the city’s financial commitment of $717,000; embarrassed the New Zealand representatives, who flew more 6,000 miles solely for this Council meeting; and made it clear that Culver City is not ready for prime time.”
The motion to continue discussions passed unanimously.
Action Item A3 called for, “Discussion and Direction Regarding a Potential Local Amendment to the California Building Code and the California Fire Code that Would Allow a Single Exit Stairway in Residential Buildings up to Six Stories in Height.” That too passed unanimously.
The final item of the evening was Action Item A4, and Vera excused himself prior to the discussion as he had “been up since 4 a.m.,” though he stated that he wouldn’t have supported A4 anyway:
“Approval of a Commitment Letter for a $21 Million Construction and Permanent Loan to 4464 Sepulveda Blvd, LP and Community Corporation of Santa Monica for the Jubilo Village Affordable Housing Project.”
After months of controversy related to the Jubilo Village project, the passing of the commitment letter was fairly swift with a 3-1 vote (Mayor Dan O’Brien the one no vote in Vera’s absence).