City Manager’s Office
Tree Lighting Ceremony – Next week, Thursday, Dec. 1, at 6 o’clock, the City Council and the Downtown Business Assn. are sponsoring at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Town Plaza. Santa Claus will make a special visit in honor of Culver City’s Centennial. Downtown businesses will provide hot cider, hot cocoa, cookies and other festive treats. Performances by folk dancing groups and local choirs will be featured as well as appearances by the City Council. Culver City makes this free holiday celebration green and energy efficient, lighting a 22-foot Rocky Mountain pine tree with 7,500 LED lights. Click here for more information about downtown parking and visit the Culver CityBus website for options to make your way over to the event.
International Visitor Leadership – City Councilman Göran Eriksson met with six members of a delegation from Indonesia to discuss community organizing and campaigns. This delegation was chosen by the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia to participate in the U.S. State Dept.-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program.
Fire Dept.
Thanksgiving Safety –know Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, doubling the regular number.
Tips to keep in mind:
- The leading cause of fire in the kitchen is unattended cooking. Stand by your pan when cooking on the stovetop. If you leave the kitchen for even a short time, turn off the stove.
- Stay in the home when cooking turkey. Check on it frequently. Set a timer so you will not forget\ as you watch the parade or football.
- When frying your turkey, use a fryer with thermostat controls to ensure the oil does not become over heated. Thaw the turkey completely; ice on the bird will cause oil to splatter. Don’t overfill the pot with oil. Always use the fryer outdoors.
- Make sure children stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns. Have a kid-free zone of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
- Keep the floor clear so you do not trip over anything while carrying hot food items.
- Be sure electric cords from appliances do not dangle off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — preferably, up high in a locked cabinet.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Dept.
Holiday Food Certificate Program – Here is an opportunity to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Culver City Senior Citizens Assn. Holiday Food Certificate Program. Each donated dollar goes directly toward buying supermarket certificates for less fortunate Culver City friends and neighbors to help them experience the joy, sharing and caring of the holiday season. The Food Certificate Program is sponsored by the Senior Citizens Assn., a 501(c)(3) organization, and the Senior and Social Services Division. The program relies solely on community donations for funding. Make donations payable to the Culver City Senior Citizens Assn. Send to: Culver City Senior Citizens Assn., Attn.: Holiday Certificate Program, 4095 Overland Ave., Culver City 90232.
Training and Information – Fifteen staff members from the Senior & Social Services Division recently participated in an eight-hour Mental Health First-Aid course offered by the County Dept. of Mental Health. The class was designed to help front line employees understand risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns, their impact, common treatments, as well as strategies and techniques to offer assistance to Center participants who may be in need of help. For Social Service inquiries and resources, contact Darren Uhl at 310.253.6729 or at darren.uhl@culvercity.org.
A Webinar – Senior & Social Services specialist Jill Thomsen presented a webinar to 100 National Assn. of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs members around the country. Ms. Thomsen was invited after speaking at the national Aging in America conference in Washington, D.C. this summer. The webinar focused on evolving volunteer trends and different types of recruitment efforts.
After School Recreation Program — After School program sites are looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving. Prior to the school recess, students will create arts and crafts projects that reflect the spirit of Thanksgiving. After School and the Teen Center will be closed from Wednesday through Friday.
Teen Center – The Teen Center’s Thanksgiving feast was today, a light Thanksgiving meal for all Teen Center members.
Tower Lighting – Culver City’s annual Tower Lighting Ceremony will take place on Friday, Dec. 2, 6:39 at the Vets Auditorium.
Room for Rent – Inquiries for Vets Auditorium rentals may be made via vmc.booking@culvercity.org or by calling 310.253.6625. The Rental Office hours will be temporarily adjusted during the upcoming few months. The Rental Office will be closed on Thursday and Friday. The Rental Office will be closed on Tuesday evenings and will be open on Wednesday evenings until 7:30 from now through January.
Come on Down – The Culver City Historical Society invites the public to visit the Archives and Resource Center on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 1 to 3, for holiday shopping. Julie Lugo Cerra, author of her newly published Culver City, California: The First Hundred Years, will be signing copies of her book. The organization has also produced two limited-edition products celebrating the Centennial. The Archives and Resource Center will be open again on Sunday, Dec. 18, from 1 to 3. www.culvercityhistoricalsociety.org/shop.
Parks, Recreation Commission Highlights Nov. 1 Meeting – The Commission heard an informational item regarding Youth and Family Programs, presented by staff from the Recreation Division. Topics included Parks and Playground Programs, the Culver City After School Recreation Program, Day Camp, the Teen Center and special annual events. The Commission held another in a series of planning discussions regarding Community Conversations – Topic No. 7, “Growing up in, or Attending School in Culver City: A Continuing Conversation on Culture and Race,” is tentatively scheduled for the Feb. 7, Commission meeting. The Commission heard updates from the Commission’s Ad Hoc Subcommittees and representative appointees to various outside Associations and City Committees.
Police Dept.
Leadership Program — After four intense months of studying and attending classes for 160 hours, Lieutenant Randy Vickrey graduated from the LAPD Leadership Program, formerly known as the West Point Leadership Program. Theprogram is designed for law enforcement management personnel to utilize contemporary behavioral science theories and approaches to identify and account for what is currently happening within police organizations and with the public.
Public Works Dept.
Dropoff for Old Holiday Trees – The city is providing Culver City residents with a new program to compost their holiday tree. The Park Your Tree program offers residents the opportunity to drop off their old holiday trees at any of the following four local parks: Vets Park, Fox Hills Park, Culver West Park, and Syd Kronenthal Park. Refuse and Recycling staff will deliver large bins at each park site and regularly collect all trees placed in containers beginning on Dec. 26 through the end of January. Residents can continue to place chopped-up trees in their green organics container on scheduled collection days. All decorations, lighting, and tree stands must be removed prior to disposal. Distribution of flyers and additional advertising will begin in December.
Sunday Refuse & Recycling Collection Service — The city began implementing daily collection services for commercial businesses in downtown, the Fox Hills Mall, and Costco 10 days ago. Previously, crews only collected trash and recyclable materials from Monday through Saturday. Recently, an analysis of waste collection services determined that businesses generating large volumes of trash and recycling would greatly benefit from daily collection. A Sunday collection service would expedite refuse and recycling collection the following Monday and would ensure cleaner trash enclosure areas for commercial businesses.
Transportation Dept.
Public Transit for Everyone — In partnership with Metro, Transportation staff hosted a field trip as part of the series “Public Transit is for Everyone.” The session provided an overview of “How to Ride the Bus” with useful transit tips and information. Seventeen senior citizens joined Culver CityBus and Metro to learn how local transit and the Metro rail work together. The group met Culver CityBus staff at the Senior Center and walked to the nearest stop for Culver CityBus Line 7. Once on board, the participants took the 10 minute ride to the Culver City Expo station. At the station, Metro staff joined the group and provided information including, how to use and load their TAP cards, safety features at Metro stations and on Trains, and how to follow directional and informational signage.
The program was designed to accommodate 20 senior citizens. Of the 17 participants, 10 had never been on the train, five had never been to the Expo station, and one person had never used public transit. All participants took the Expo train to Santa Monica where many stayed and enjoyed an afternoon on the Santa Monica Pier. High marks were received from all.
Culver High Loves TAP – Last week, Culver CityBus partnered with Metro and the School District for an event to get Culver High students on TAP (Transit Access Pass). Metro staff brought out their brand new Mobile Customer Service Center and 120 students were able to sign up for new student TAP cards, check balances, and load their cards on the spot! Metro and Culver CityBus staff were on hand to answer questions and provide information about routes and service.
Culver High is the first school to participate as Metro rolls out this new program to local high schools
Mr. Nachbar, the city manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org
