City Manager’s Office
New Committee – The City Council has approved creation of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and authorized the city manager to advertise for applicants. Contact Rudolph Galindo, Public Works management analyst, at rudolph.galindo@culvercity.org for information.
City Clerk’s Office
Meet Birdee, the Mascot — Birdee is the mascot for Culver City Counts – Culver City’s Voter Education and Outreach Campaign. Birdee is a non-partisan tweeter whose goal is to get the word out about registering to vote, to provide information about becoming a poll worker; to offer the option to sign up to become a permanent vote-by-mail voter, and increase voter knowledge about Election Day, Tuesday, April 12, when three City Council members will be chosen.
Through the Culver City Counts campaign, the city clerk’s office is striving to boost voter turnout and increase voter knowledge about the election process.
Click on the links below to sign up, follow, like, and share Birdee on:
www.facebook.com/CityOfCulverCity
www.instagram.com/culvercitygov/
www.youtube.com/channel/UCJiFiwX9o1v7iEUqMwAMWFA
Community Development Dept.
BIT Culver City Creative Office, LLC – Building plans were submitted for a 263,800-square foot development of a creative multi-use seven story office building and outdoor amenity space at 5800 Bristol Pky.
Sprout JK – Waffle LLC – Building plans have been submitted for an 878- square foot addition to an existing building for a proposed warehouse/accessory storage area at 3585 Hayden Ave. In addition, building plans were submitted for a new 2,700- square foot restaurant at 3599 Hayden Ave.
Westfield Culver City – Trader Joe’s submitted building plans for a 13,556- square foot tenant improvement for a future grocery store at 6150 Slauson Ave.
Art Gallery – The Building Safety Division issued a permit for a 2,294- square foot tenant improvement for a new art gallery at 8810 Washington Blvd. Platform.
Bank of the West – Building plans were submitted for a 3,199-square foot tenant improvement for a new bank at 8770 Washington Blvd. Platform.
Washington-Centinela Project – The city held a courtesy meeting with residents of Colonial Avenue at Culver West Alexander Park to discuss potential impacts resulting from the proposed Market Hall project. Reviewing the latest preliminary designs, the city is working on a Disposition and Development Agreement with the developer, Regency Centers. The entitlements process is due April 4. Construction is to begin by the end of the year.
Hayden Tract Spur Project – The project design was completed by the city’s engineering firm. The city met with the Hayden Tract Owners Assn. and the civil engineering design team on Jan. 20 to review the project design, which was approved by the property owners. On Feb. 3, the city conducted a walkthrough with the representatives and the engineers to identify final plan revisions, prior to submitting the design for City Council consideration. Subsequently, on Feb. 8, the City Council approved the plans and specifications and authorized the publication of a Notice Inviting Bids for the Project.
Baldwin Site/Axis-Mundi Project – The city is exploring options for the inclusion of an affordable housing component in this project.
Los Angeles Film Festival – Staff had a conference call with Los Angeles Film Festival personnel to explore possible venues for June.
Downtown Vacancies – The property owner of 9343 Culver Blvd. has submitted plans to improve the 4,000 square feet restaurant space and has identified prospective tenants.
Engage L.A. – Talk NYC, hosted its annual Engage L.A. Digital Storytelling Conference for the second year in Culver City on Feb. 3 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Engage L.A. is an in-depth look at how the digital age is evolving and transforming storytelling.
Housing Project – Housing staff is working with the developer, Habitat for Humanity, to organize community meetings to discuss the design of the Globe Avenue workforce project.
Tilden Terrace Tenants – The Tilden Terrace leasing agent said two new businesses, a sushi restaurant and a physical therapy office, will occupy the commercial space at the Tilden Terrace mixed-use project. McComb Orthodontics currently is leasing one of the commercial spaces, and negotiations are underway with several other potential tenants. The apartments are completely leased.
Washington-Centinela Project – The project is moving forward with entitlements with the developer, Regency Centers and Carlin Companies. The entitlements process is due April 4 with construction to begin by the end of the year.
Homeless Individuals/El Niño – Housing, Code Enforcement, the Police Dept., the Fire Dept., Public Works and the St. Joseph Center Homeless Outreach Team have developed a plan to work collaboratively in assisting homeless persons during the anticipated El Niño storms. The main focus is to find shelter before the rain. The Police Dept., working with St. Joseph, has started to engage the homeless, telling them of shelters and services. Signs providing information on shelter locations have been posted at the Housing Division office, all fire stations, the Police Dept., all parks, Vets Auditorium,the Senior Center, and at the Wende Museum.
Block Grants — The city submitted planning and activity documents to Community Development Block Grant administrators as part of the process to prepare contracts with the County for funding.
Information Technology Dept.
Website Redesigned – The city’s new website was launched with a re-designed look and streamlined navigation, making it easier for users to quickly find their desired information. It is fully compatible for viewing on mobile devices and soon will provide additional online services.
Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Dept.
Chinese New Year – The Senior Center nutrition staff celebrated the Chinese New Year last week. Staff designed placemats that discussed the attributes of each of the Chinese Zodiac symbols and added fortune cookies to the menu for the day. They celebrated Presidents Day with a menu that included hamburgers and cherry pie.
Senior Center and Symantec – The partnership between Symantec and the Senior Center enters its ninth year. In January, Symantec volunteers helped a record number of 50 seniors on a one-on-one basis with their technology questions.
Nutrition Program – March is National Nutrition Month, and the staff in the Senior & Social Services Nutrition program is gearing up with informational classes, seminars and instructional handouts. Cooking classes will be offered on March 4 and March 25 at 1:30 to help better plan healthier eating habits. A registered dietician will be available on March 7 to answer dietary needs questions.
On March 30, a presentation at the Teen Center for children enrolled in camp, will focus on healthy eating and portion control.
Vets Rental Operation – The Angel City Derby Girls return on Saturday. http://angelcityderby.com/.
Police Dept.
Black College Expo – Lt. Mike Shank, Lt. Aubrey Kellum, Sgt. William Jackson and Officer Terry Murphy hosted a recruitment booth to help find qualified candidates who are interested in a career in law enforcement after college at the Black College Expo at the Convention Center. https://hisd2college.files.wordpress.com
Reserve Officer Retires – Dave Gushansky, who recently retired after 21 years as a reserve officer, was instrumental in the city’s taxi-cab drivers permit process. He contributed many volunteer hours in the community at special events.
Public Works Dept.
Stormwater Grant Agreement – The city executed an agreement with the County for a $767,136 grant for the Culver City-Costco Infiltration System Project. The award was approved by the County Board of Supervisors through the 2015 Countywide Competitive Grant Program. This regional project will capture, treat, filter and infiltrate urban runoff and stormwater from a 42-acre drainage area. This will enable the city to achieve complete compliance with the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit for the portion of the Marina del Rey watershed within the city limits.
Sustainability Survey – The city is conducting a community survey to obtain input on future topics for discussion by the Sustainability Subcommittee of the City Council.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SustainableCulverCity
Happening Tonight – On two dates, starting tonight at 6 in the Dan Patacchia Room at City Hall, you can learn to create a California friendly garden using the latest sustainable materials and techniques. Course covers use of:
- Native Plants and Edibles
- Water Efficient Irrigation Devices
- Rain Water Capture and Permeable Materials
- On-site Water Retention to Reduce Water Run-Off and Ocean Pollution
The second date is Saturday, March 12, from 10 to 1, in the Rotunda Room at the Vets Auditorium.
Register by calling 310.371.4633 or see www.sbesc.com.
Construction Updates:
Southern California Gas Co. is working in the following areas:
- Sawtelle Boulevard, between Culver Boulevard and Washington Boulevard, installing new pipe to replace the existing gas main. Traffic control is set up between 9 a.m. and 3.
- Higuera Street between Hayden Avenue and Lucerne Avenue installing new pipe to replace the existing gas main. Working hours are from 8 a.m. to 5.
- Sherbourne Drive and across Washington Boulevard in both directions to install new pipe to replace the existing gas main. Working hours are from 8 a.m. to 5. Traffic control is set up to delineate around the ongoing construction. Work across Washington Boulevard has not been scheduled but is anticipated to start within a week.
Golden State Water Co. is working on Orville Street, Janisann Avenue, and McDonald Street on the east and west side of Sawtelle Boulevard installing pipe to replace the existing water main.
Working hours are from 8 a.m. to 5. Traffic control is set up to delineate around the ongoing construction.
Southern California Edison will be trenching along the parking lot of Veterans Park and on Culver Boulevard, between Elenda Street and Keystone Avenue, installing new conduit and pulling cable into the existing Substation. This work will affect traffic on eastbound and westbound Culver Boulevard, and on northbound and southbound Overland Avenue. To minimize traffic impacts and complete the work sooner, some night and weekend work will occur. Changeable message signs will be installed to alert motorists of the work. Daytime lane closure hours are from 9 to 3. Completion is slated for May.
Mr. Nachbar, the city manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org
