Last weekend, a cheap “Hit Piece” propaganda flyer was distributed throughout Culver City by a group of unidentified individuals hiding behind a profile, “Love Living in Culver City.” This flyer once again brings out the worst in politics: cowardly people hiding behind an unknown group.
Some candidates posted the piece on their Facebook page and then disavowed it! Giving publicity to the “Hit Piece” by posting it is encouraging this shameful activity. As President/CEO of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, I’m proud of our record of an open endorsement practice by inviting ALL candidates to our forums, publishing the forum rules and following them.
Since we are in the middle of the 2016 election campaign, endorsements are coming out of the woodwork from organizations that only appear during the election cycle or when their own particular interests are being brought to the forefront. The issue that concerns me the most is that these organizations state that they are for or against different issues or candidates without ever telling the public who their membership consists of, where their funding comes from, or their endorsement process.
The Culver City Chamber is proud to have four of the seven city council candidates as members of the Chamber. Besides Göran Eriksson and Scott Wyant, Thomas Small and Marcus Tiggs are each Culver City Chamber members.
The Chamber advocates for the betterment of Culver City, including its business interests, something that I’m personally proud of doing for over the last 29 years. We volunteer and support our local schools, their charitable organizations, assist the homeless and those in need through support of S.A.V.E.S., Backpacks for Kids, and the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, along with giving an annual CCHS high school scholarship and assisting in the middle schools 8th Grade Exit Interview Program.
The Chamber advocates for economic development, improved city infrastructure, more efficient transportation and parking, quality public safety, health care, environmental and education services. A significant number of our members are Culver City residents, including a majority of the Board members. They share a commitment to improving Culver City as a place to live, work, shop, dine and play for us all.
Your Culver City Chamber’s membership is as diverse as the City’s population:, The Helms Bakery Building, five new-car dealerships, The Culver Studios, the four major hotels in the city, Westfield Culver City along with an array of smaller organizations that have found many benefits from Chamber membership including the Culver-Palms YMCA, Temple Akiba, Antioch University, Ballona Creek Renaissance, the Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF), AYSO and Walk ‘n Rollers!
If the Chamber would not provide this wide array of services who would?
— Steven J. Rose
President/CEO
