City Manager’s Office
End-of-Year Legislative Report – When U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City/Crenshaw District) hosted her End-of-Year Legislative Report Back in Culver City, 300 constituents and leaders from across the 37th Congressional District engaged in a dialogue about various issues. Mayor Jim Clarke and City Councilmember Meghan Sahli-Wells and attended.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Dept.
Senior Citizens Membership – Enrollment for membership in the Culver City Senior Citizens Assn. is being held this week and next, from 9 to 2 daily, in the lobby of the Senior Center. All members of the community ages 50 and older are eligible. Fees are $13 for membership, $5 per parking pass. An additional $12 is optional for those choosing to receive the monthly newsletter. Use of the fitness room is $125 per calendar year or $75 for six months. All fitness room memberships require a physician’s form for either new membership or renewals.
Police Dept.
Charity Event — Culver City Police Explorers, along with Dets. Andrea Lopez and Edward Baskaron, joined other volunteers from the military and the Fire Dept. to help with a holiday charity event sponsored by “A Child’s Dream-CA.” A Child’s Dream is an extension of the nonprofit organization, “Living Waters-West L.A.,” founded by CEO Cassandra Steptoe-Sampson to help children in underserved communities. During the event at the Teen Center, 600 children and their families received food, clothing, and gifts.
Sheriff’s Academy Graduation –Police recruit Calvin Aubrey completed 22 weeks of basic law enforcement training last month and graduated from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy. Officer Aubrey began the academy on July 25, and his courses included search- and-seizure, laws of arrest, cultural diversity, mental health awareness, firearms training and physical fitness.
Public Works Dept.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility – Mayor Jim Clarke and Councilmember Meghan Sahli-Wells recently traveled with the Public Works staffers to Perris in Riverside County, site of CR&R Environmental Services, a recycling and waste collection company. Their objective: To learn more about an anaerobic digestion facility. CR&R uses new technology to recycle organic waste. Following the enactment of Assembly Bill 1826, Culver City has been researching viable alternatives to its current composting program for the City’s organics waste stream. AB 1826 requires businesses that generate a specified amount of organic waste per week to arrange for recycling services for that waste. The group learned how anaerobic digesters digest organic waste to produce a biogas byproduct that can be converted to renewable natural gas. This natural gas is used to fuel CR&R’s fleet of trucks used to collect trash and haul waste and recycling materials.
CR&R has completed construction on Phase One of a four-phase project. The facility ultimately will house four food-waste digesters that will have the capacity to convert 300,000 tons of waste into four million gallon diesel equivalents of renewable natural gas in one year. Currently they convert 80,000 tons of organics waste into one million gallon diesel equivalents of renewable natural gas.
Polystyrene Ban – The City Council has voted to ban the use and sale of certain polystyrene foodware products citywide. An ordinance will be introduced sometime in the first quarter of the new year. City Hall is preparing an outreach strategy — webpage, a press release, letters, fliers and workshops – all designed to educate and provide businesses with information on alternative products and a list of suppliers.
Transportation Dept.
Santa Arrives – On Dec, 22-23, Santa Claus made final checks, traveling on Culver CityBus lines, going to and from malls. Joined by Mayor Clarke and Transportation Director Art Ida, Santa made the rounds and spread Christmas cheer.
Schedule Updates – Effective on Monday, Culver CityBus will make changes on Lines 3, 4, 6 and Rapid 6. See www.culvercitybus.com.
Mr. Nachbar, the city manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org
Image, courtesy of the Culver City Historical Society, shows the 1922 Culver City offices.
