The General Municipal Election will take place on Tuesday, November 3, and with five candidates contesting two available council seats plus three measures on the ballot, there’s plenty to consider. The News is speaking to the candidates, continuing with Kimberley Griffin and Mayor Freddy Puza.
How do you think your time on the Council so far has gone?
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I’m also grateful for how much I’ve learned. I often say that every year I’m a new Councilmember because every year brings new experiences, challenges, and opportunities to grow. I approach every decision by considering three things: community feedback, data, and my values. I believe good governance requires listening to different perspectives, understanding the facts, and ultimately making decisions that move our city forward.
When I look at the results, there’s a lot to celebrate. We’ve made tremendous progress addressing homelessness. Our latest homeless count showed a nearly 30% reduction in just one year and a 69% reduction since 2021. Those numbers represent real people and demonstrate that our investments in housing, prevention, and supportive services are making a difference.
Downtown Culver City has become one of the most vibrant destinations in the region. People recognize it as a walkable, bikeable community where they can shop, dine, work, and spend time together. That quality of life is one of the reasons people want to live and invest here.
We’ve also put our money where our mouth is when it comes to affordable housing. Rather than simply talking about the housing crisis, we’re investing in three affordable housing projects, expanding tenant protections, and making it easier to build the housing our community needs.
Ultimately, I believe we’ve made Culver City a better place to live, whether you’ve called this city home your entire life or you’re just beginning to build your future here. There’s always more work to do, but I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and the foundation we’re building for the next generation.
In particular, how do you feel about your time as Mayor?
Serving as Mayor has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I’m especially proud of how much we’ve accomplished together in a relatively short period of time.
One of the most encouraging indicators is that we’ve seen a 14-percentage-point increase in residents who believe Culver City is headed in the right direction. To me, that reflects growing confidence in our city’s leadership and the work we’re doing.
This year, we passed our first balanced budget in three years, lifted our fiscal emergency, and restored our reserves to approximately 27%, bringing us close to where we were before our financial challenges. But we didn’t balance the budget at the expense of our community. We made strategic investments in the things that matter most to residents.
We tripled funding for sidewalk repairs, doubled the number of lane miles we’re maintaining, invested in safer streets and affordable housing, expanded access to childcare and after-school programs, and provided financial support to our school district through loans and grants. We’re also piloting a universal basic income program to help residents facing economic challenges.
And we’re making government more transparent and accountable. City staff is developing a public-facing performance dashboard so residents can see our progress, understand how their tax dollars are being spent, and have greater visibility into when city services and improvements are expected to be delivered.
Our economic development efforts are also gaining recognition. The Los Angeles Times described Culver City as a business hot spot, and we were named one of five finalists for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s Most Business-Friendly City award. That recognition matters because a strong local economy helps us support the services and investments our residents depend on.
What makes me especially proud is that we’re demonstrating that fiscal responsibility and investing in our community aren’t mutually exclusive. We can balance our budget, strengthen our economy, and improve people’s quality of life at the same time.
Where do you think the current Council needs to improve?
I think we have an incredibly ambitious Council, and that’s a good thing. Every member brings ideas and a genuine desire to improve our community. But one of the lessons I’ve learned is that ambition has to be balanced with capacity.
There are only so many hours in the day, and our city staff can only take on so much at once. When we continually introduce new initiatives without fully considering staffing, resources, and timelines, we risk slowing down the very progress we’re trying to achieve.
I think we need to become more disciplined about setting priorities, establishing realistic expectations, and giving staff the resources and direction they need to deliver results.
That’s why I recommended, and why we held, a strategic planning retreat and financial summit this past February. These sessions gave the Council an opportunity to come together, identify our shared priorities, evaluate our financial outlook, and develop a more realistic roadmap for the years ahead.
Good governance isn’t just about how many initiatives we introduce. It’s about how effectively we implement them and whether residents actually experience improvements in their daily lives.
What has the current Council done well?
I think one of this Council’s greatest strengths is our willingness to tackle difficult challenges rather than postpone them. We’ve had to make some tough decisions, particularly when it comes to our finances, housing, and infrastructure. But we’ve demonstrated that we can work together, even when we disagree, to move Culver City forward.
Balancing our budget after three years of structural deficits is a major accomplishment. So is making meaningful investments in affordable housing, expanding childcare access, improving our streets and sidewalks, supporting local businesses, and strengthening public safety and community services.
I’m also proud that we’ve been willing to rethink how government delivers services. Whether it’s expanding our Mobile Crisis Team, investing in homelessness prevention, improving our transportation network, or developing better ways to measure performance, we’re looking for solutions that are both innovative and practical.
Another strength is that we’re willing to listen and adjust. I don’t believe leadership means having all the answers or assuming every decision will be perfect. It means being open to feedback, evaluating what’s working, and making improvements when necessary.
Most importantly, I think this Council understands that we’re not here simply to maintain the status quo. We’re here to address today’s challenges while preparing Culver City for the future.
What are your priorities moving forward?
My overarching priority is keeping Culver City within reach for everyone. That means making sure working families, seniors, young people, longtime residents, and future generations can afford to live here and enjoy everything our city has to offer.
I’m proud to have launched the Council’s Affordability Subcommittee because affordability extends well beyond housing. It’s about childcare, transportation, food, utilities, and the everyday costs that affect people’s ability to build a stable life.
We need to continue expanding affordable housing, protecting renters, creating pathways to homeownership, and supporting older adults who want to age in place. We also need to address the growing cost of childcare, which is one of the biggest financial challenges facing working families.
Another priority is strengthening community engagement. This past year, we conducted an unprecedented amount of public outreach, including engaging communities that have historically been left out of local government conversations. But there’s much more we can do.
For the past two years, I’ve been working to bring faith-based leaders together and strengthen their connections with the city. I’m also working to build relationships with childcare providers so we can better understand their challenges and identify opportunities to expand access.
I want our city government to be accessible to everyone, not just those who regularly attend Council meetings or have the time and resources to participate in traditional civic engagement.
Fiscal sustainability is equally important. I’m proud that we balanced the budget this year, but one balanced budget doesn’t mean our work is finished. We have to make sure our city remains financially healthy for years to come.
That’s why we’re developing a five-year financial plan, implementing priority-based budgeting, and preparing to transition to a two-year budget cycle next year. These changes will help us make more informed decisions, align spending with community priorities, and plan responsibly for the future.
Ultimately, I want Culver City to be a place where people don’t just get by, but can truly thrive.
Culver City is special because…
We’re a city of creativity, innovation, and diversity. We’re home to world-class entertainment companies, thriving small businesses, incredible restaurants, artists, educators, and families who have lived here for generations. But what really makes Culver City special is its people.
It’s the neighbors who look out for one another, the volunteers who dedicate their time to making our community better, the small business owners who know their customers by name, and the residents who care deeply about the future of our city.
We’re also a community that isn’t afraid to evolve. From our history as the Heart of Screenland to our emergence as a center for technology, entertainment, and innovation, Culver City has continually reinvented itself while maintaining its unique identity.
And I love that we’re a place where you can walk or bike safely to a neighborhood restaurant, enjoy our parks, experience incredible arts and culture, and still feel connected to the people around you.
What makes Culver City special isn’t just what we’ve built. It’s what we believe is possible.
We’re a city that can honor its history while embracing change, celebrate our diversity while finding common ground, and create opportunities for people from all walks of life.
That’s the Culver City I love, and that’s the Culver City I want to keep building.