City Manager’s Office
Culver City Meets Venice — CicLAvia returns to Culver City on Sunday from 9 to 4 under the banner “Culver City Meets Venice,” which clues you into the route. Sponsored by the city, funded by Metro, it is free to participants.
Portions of Washington Boulevard, Washington Place, Culver Boulevard and Venice Boulevard will be closed to vehicle traffic, welcoming bicyclists and pedestrians to explore the city and participate in a space normally dominated by automobiles. The start/end points of the route will be the Culver City Expo Station and Windward Circle at Venice Beach. The route in Culver City will transition to Venice Boulevard at Centinela Avenue. The route is 6.22 miles.
Culver City will have two hub locations for water stations, entertainment, and other planned activities, including a display from Cirque de Soleil. The hub sites are at Parcel B in Downtown and at Tellefson Park. The two hub sites in Los Angeles will be at the Mar Vista Farmers Market and Windward Circle at Venice Beach. http://www.ciclavia.org/.
Fire Dept.
New Recruits – Three new recruit firefighters began training July 17 at the Fire Training Tower. After they complete the eight-week academy at the Tower, they will move to a Fire Dept. engine or truck company where they will continue to train and be evaluated throughout their year-long probationary period.
Fundraising Yard Sale – For the past few years, the department has been working closely with the Lindberg Park Neighborhood Watch Assn. to assist with the creation of a neighborhood emergency plan.
Over a recent weekend, the Lindberg Park Neighborhood Watch Assn. held a yard sale at Lindberg Park to fundraise for disaster supplies, which will replenish and increase existing neighborhood supplies. Neighbors donated hundreds of items to be sold. They had a wonderful time working together to reach their goal. Sales exceeded their expectations and now they are able to buy all of their needed supplies.
Disaster Resilience Pilot Project – In 2012, Culver City was selected as one of 16 cities in the county for a pilot program to enhance community disaster resilience. It involved gathering stakeholders from various business and volunteer sectors to 1) discuss their needs and the needs of the community as a whole, 2) use pilot program tools and methods to educate community members, and 3) create a more disaster resilient Culver City.
The stakeholders, known as “Ready Culver City – A Disaster Resilience Coalition,” engaged the community by using funding to sponsor free first aid training and several CPR training classes, distribute information about disaster resilience at various City sponsored events, and provide a five-week neighborhood resilience training, attended by the Culver Crest Neighborhood Watch Assn. Ready Culver City also used its funding to purchase twenty 55-gallon drums filled with survival supplies and a large shelter cart.
July marked the end of the three-year pilot program. Nevertheless, Ready Culver City Coalition members are committed to continuing their mission of creating a disaster resilient community. They will meet quarterly. Special thanks to our coalition members Helen Obih, Los Angeles County Public Health and Disaster Preparedness Nurse, Councilmember Meghan Sahli-Wells; Lawren Askew-Miller from the Westside Children’s Center, Kyle Momii of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Gerby Aballe of Southern California Hospital at Culver City, Darci Niva of the Westside Shelter & Hunger Coalition, Dianna Castro, school nurse with the School District, and Christine Parra, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the city.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Dept.
Teen Volunteers – The city has a new webpage for Teen Volunteers (http://www.culvercity.org/Services/teenvolunteers). The site includes a local teen volunteer directory, weekly updated volunteer opportunities and links to online volunteer databases and resources.
Volunteers Needed – Fiesta La Ballona is seeking volunteers for the Party at the Park, Aug. 28-30. Volunteers are the backbone of the Fiesta. They welcome individuals and groups from corporations, faith-based groups, schools, clubs, and neighborhoods. They provide credit hours for students fulfilling service requirements. Contact Jill Thomsen at 310.253.6722 or jill.thomsen@culvercity.org. To volunteer, see http://www.fiestalaballona.org/volunteersignup.aspx.
Parks & Playgrounds Program – In July, the National Recreation and Park Assn. celebrated 30 years of Parks and Recreation Month and the importance of parks and recreation for the world. From the start, parks were created to serve the people – to give them a place to appreciate nature, exercise, socialize, and have fun. The mission lived on through efforts on Saturday, July 25, when staff promoted the city’s parks, activities, and recreation programs at Culver West Alexander Park, Fox Hills Park, Lindberg Park, Syd Kronenthal Park and Vets Park.
Camp Programs – Just 4 Kids Summer Day Camp is in its seventh week. Summer is more than half over, and has only three weeks left. They still have trips planned to Knott’s Berry Farm, Hurricane Harbor and Soak City and special events planned, such as the Kidspace Children’s Museum Star Lab Workshop and the Camp Carnival.
Park Pride Day – The Fox Hills community, in conjunction with the Fox Hills Neighborhood Assn., once again organized the Fox Hills Park Pride Day event on July 25. Thirty eager volunteers turned out to work on a hot sunny weekend day in the park, weeding, raking, trimming and picking up trash. This group’s dedication and enthusiasm to this park is an example of community commitment and involvement.
Vets Auditorium Rental Operation – Rental Office staff is booking rooms into 2016. Reservations may be made by calling 310.253.6625 or by emailing vmc.booking@culvercity.org.
Performing Arts Grant Program – The Actors’ Gang presents Harry Potter Hamlet as part of its free, annual Shakespeare in the Park series. The performances will occur in Media Park on Saturdays and Sundays this month. www.theactorsgang.com.
The Performing Arts Grant Program has been posted at www.culvercity.org. The city will present a workshop to assist organizations with the completion of theCulver City Performing Arts Grant application. The free workshop will be held on Thursday, Aug. 13, 7 o’clock, in the Uruapan Room at the Vets Auditorium. Performances must be presented by non-profit performing arts organizations in the disciplines of theater, musical theater, music, opera or dance. To RSVP for the workshop. contact cultural.affairs@culvercity.org or the Cultural Affairs Hotline at 310.253.5716.
CarFit for Seniors – The Culver City Senior and Social Services Division hosted its fifth annual CarFit event on Saturday, July 25 at the Senior Center, drawing a capacity crowd. It offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles fit them. The event is co-sponsored by the Assn. of American Retired Persons, the American Automobile Assn., American Occupational Therapy Assn., and the Culver City Senior Citizens Assn.
Fiesta La Ballona
Sponsors – Fiesta La Ballona is sponsored by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Cedars-Sinai, Bunnin Chevrolet, SoCal Gas Co., Kane, Ballmer & Berkman, Tito’s Tacos, Culver City Mazda-Volvo, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Backstage Bar & Grill, Heather & Art Realtors, Golden State Water Co., In8love Chiropractic, Just Tires, Cavanaugh Realtors, The Conservatory of Coffee & Tea, See’s Candies, Staples Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Haynes Building Services, LLC, Steeldeck, Angel City Derby Girls, Palms Cycle, Zog Sports, Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum, Enriched Farms, West Coast Arborists, LA Weekly, KCET, L.A. Kings Ice Crew, and L.A. Galaxy Star Squad. www.fiestalaballona.org.
KCET Kiosk – The city and KCET, the nation’s largest independent public television station, have partnered to celebrate KCET’s 50th anniversary and Culver City’s commitment to the community by hosting a special multimedia community exhibit during Fiesta La Ballona on Saturday, Aug. 29. The exhibit is a traveling arts and education kiosk that takes the public through historical touch points of the region. The kiosk, created by KCET and local environmental designer Melissa Castellano, was built by fabricators Dave’s Signs and Tortoise Industries.
Pre-Sale Wristbands – The pre-sale for carnival ride wristbands at the Fiesta has started. Advanced sale wristbands cost $25 and are available at the Recreation Registration Counter until Friday, Aug. 28. At the Fiesta, the price is $30. On Friday the 28th from 5 to 10 p.m., individual carnival rides will be specially priced, two riders for the price of one.
Sustainability – Both the Public Works and Transportation departments are involved in the sustainability efforts for the Fiesta. They include a bike valet so that persons may ride their bikes to Fiesta and park them securely. Palms Cycle and Angel City Derby Girls are joining forces to sponsor and provide the bike valet at Fiesta. Check the Culver City Bus Bicycle Rack display where bicyclists can learn how to properly secure their bicycles on the stationary bike rack in a relaxed setting. Culver CityBus personnel will be available to answer questions on how to commute by bike. Check out PediCabs, sponsored by Bunnin Chevrolet and ride in from the Sony parking lot.
Zero Waste – Public Works Environmental Programs and Operations and Haynes Building Services are providing support and sponsorship to get to Zero Waste for Fiesta. The goal is to ensure resource recovery and protect scarce natural resources. The plan encompasses waste reduction, recycling and reuse, changes in consumption habits and encouraging Fiesta participants to view zero waste as a personal evolution in the relationship between waste and people. Plans include: a clean mini materials recovery facility onsite; an ongoing display on how the Fiesta is achieving Zero Waste during the event; increased visibility and signage for recycling and composting bins in high-traffic areas; Zero Waste ambassadors to assist crowds with recycling and sorting; inspectors to assist and encourage vendors to be as environmentally friendly as possible; and the elimination of the use of styrofoam at the Fiesta, by encouraging vendors to ask their local food service ware supplier about “environmentally friendly” options.
Police Dept.
Special Olympics – Some 140 Special Olympics World Games participants travelled to Culver City during the games last month. Members of law enforcement and Special Olympics athletes ran from the Police Station to the Culver Studios where they met studio executives and went on a tour.
Chief Bixby Meets Athletes — On another day, Chief Scott Bixby and members of the department met with the Special Olympics team from Malaysia at the King Fahad Mosque.
Police Academy — The eighth session of the Citizens Police Academy has begun. Chief Bixby gave a brief overview of the department. The program is designed to educate the community on job responsibilities within the department and build a working relationship with residents.
Public Works Dept.
Turf Rebate Ends – The Metropolitan Water District has closed its turf rebate program to new applications because available funding has been fully allocated.
Metropolitan’s $450 million conservation program will focus remaining available funds on rebates for water-saving devices and a multi-media outreach campaign to promote greater water conservation in homes, gardens and communities throughout the Southland. The district will also maintain a waiting list of interested turf rebate applicants in the event that some of the approved projects do not move forward with their planned landscape changes.
A variety of conservation tips is provided at Metropolitan’s drought information and conservation rebate website, www.bewaterwise.com.
Rubberized Sidewalks Panels — The state Dept. of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) approved the city’s grant request for the Tire-Derived Product. The grant funds will cover the cost of purchasing rubberized walkway to replace uplifted city sidewalks at selected locations.
Parkway Tree Planting — The city has received a $150,000 grant from the County Regional Park Open Space District to plant 300 trees in vacant parkways citywide. The city entered into an agreement with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps to purchase, plant and water the trees over the first year. The Corps commenced planting the trees last week. It will take 10 weeks to complete. The Corps mission is to provide at-risk young adults and school-aged youth with opportunities for success through job skills training, education and work experience with an emphasis on conservation and service projects that benefit the community. The Corps has hired a crew comprised of at-risk young adults to plant 300 trees in the city’s vacant parkways this summer.
Active Transportation – Metro is developing an Active Transportation Strategic Plan to identify needs, resources and strategies to improve and increase walking, bicycling and transit use in the County. Input is invited. The first workshop is Tuesday afternoon, from 4 to 6, in the Rotunda Room of the Vets Auditorium.
Workshops will gather input on improving first and last mile access to transit and improvements to the regional network of walking and bicycling facilities, including shared-use paths and on-street bikeways.
They will explore opportunities for supporting local and regional partners to get these projects and programs implemented.
The workshops are designed for planners, engineers, traffic safety professionals, public health and injury prevention professionals, advocates, transit riders, transit operators, non-profit organizations, decision-makers, and other interested stakeholders. Each workshop will include information about the overall plan and information specific to the sub-region.
Home Tour for Residents – On Sunday, Aug. 16, between 10 and 3, City Hall is partnering with the Energy Network to help homeowners see first-hand how homes can become energy and water efficient. Community members can walk through a typical Culver City bungalow near Downtown that was built in 1940 and recently upgraded using statewide rebates. The upgrades not only make the home more energy and water efficient, but provide more comfort, better air quality, and greater resale value.
The homeowners will be on hand to answer questions about the upgrade process and their before-and-after experiences. Upgrades to the home include insulation, air sealing, LED lights, efficient windows, a more efficient air conditioning system, and a tankless water heater. In addition, the home features zero-VOC paint and recycled wood floors as well as drought-tolerant landscaping.
The Home Tour will include refreshments, prizes, and a chance to meet other green leaders in the city. Homeowners can also learn about financing options to make upgrading easier. To RSVP for the tour and learn the home’s address, see www.tenres.com/culvercity.
Contact the Energy Network at at homeupgrade@theenergynetwork.com.
Free e-Waste Roundup — Each year in California, hundreds of thousands of computers, copiers and fax machines are replaced. On Saturday, Sept. 12, the city along with the Exceptional Children’s Foundation and California Recycles will be providing a free E-waste Roundup.
For a complete list of electronic waste events organized by the City, or for more information about electronics recycling and other Household Hazardous Waste disposal options, visit the city’s website at www.culvercity.org/hhw
Expanding demand for new features and technologies accelerate the generation of old electronic equipment. Electronic items contain lead, PCBs, all harmful to people and the environment. Old electronics cannot be disposed of in the regular trash or left outside for curbside pick-up in the city.
Costal Cleanup Day – Saturday, Sept. 19, is the annual Coastal Cleanup Day. Bring family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to participate with the thousands of volunteers around the world in taking a stand against ocean pollution at Ballona Creek clean up in Culver City.
Check in begins at 9. Get a safety talk on what to pick up and how, get supplies, a spritz of sunscreen, and meet and talk with other like-minded volunteers at check-in. Volunteers under the age of 18 must obtain a parent’s signature. Wear comfortable clothes. Closed toe shoes are recommended along with hats or sunglasses to beat the heat and a water bottle to stay hydrated. Bring your own reusable buckets and gloves to collect trash if you can. http://www.culvercity.org/Environment/BallonaCreek/BallonaCreekCleanup.aspx or http://www.healthebay.org/volunteer/calendar/coastal-cleanup-day.
Lawn Advice – Wondering about the right material to plant when replacing your lawn? On Saturday, Sept. 26, hear Lili Singer address the topic at a California Natives workshop, 9:30 to 12 noon, in the Dan Patacchia Room on the ground floor of City Hall. Ms. Singer is an award-winning horticulturist, educator, editor, and garden writer with a background in wholesale and retail nurseries.
Gardening with California Native plants has many benefits. A native plant garden can be a seasonal showcase of flowers, seed, fruit and foliage. This class illustrates numerous trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and grasses that can ensure color all year long.
Sewer Main Rehabilitation Update – Phase 4 of the citywide Sewer Main Rehabilitation Lining Project is 50 percent complete. The contractor has been working in various parts of the city and installed nine miles of cured-in-place within the existing aging sewer main. The lining installation usually takes less than one day to install, during which time the sewer service may be impacted. Residents can view the latest project information and the contractor’s weekly installation schedule at http://www.culvercity.org/sewer.
Mr. Nachbar, the city manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org
