Emails have come to my attention that indicate Culver City City Council candidate Meghan Sahli-Wells is offering advice and other involvement with community members opposed to a development project currently before the city Planning Commission, a plan to build a 7-Eleven market on the southeast corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Braddock Drive, which has been vacant and decaying for more than 14 years.
When I met Ms. Sahli-Wells on one of her neighborhood walkarounds, I brought up the project. She was coy, to put it mildly, about her stance on the issue.
When I expressed my support for it, she changed the subject and seemed grateful when I had to end the conversation to answer a phone call.
However, the evidence of her active involvement with opponents of a project that even Planning Commission members acknowledge meets all the legal requirements raises serious questions about her understanding of how government works and the responsibility of a representative – or a candidate to be a representative – to the law.
It might be interesting for you as a journalist to ascertain her position on the project and the extent of her involvement.
Thanks very much.
Mr. Silverman, a Culver City resident on Braddock Drive since 1990, may be contacted at alan.silverman@gmail.com
A Response
Speaking this morning from Sacramento where she is lobbying state legislators for more funding for schools, Ms. Sahli-Wells explained her opposition to the 7-Eleven store:
“I have heard from many residents in the area, and they have a lot of concerns about a 7-Eleven. I have written to some of them giving advice on things they can do.
“Residents are concerned about how much traffic would increase. It already is a heavily impacted area. They already have a Taco Bell there. The speaker is on too loud. They have noise issues. There are trash issues with people and their takeaway food, leaving wrappers all over the place. Some residents are concerned about the healthy choices kids are given. We know there are schools in the area.
“It reminds me about the 7-Eleven in Sunkist Park. The owner said that since his store was close to many schools, they would not sell liquor. They did that for a year, and then applied for a liquor license. The residents felt pretty betrayed, being told one thing, and then the store went ahead and did it anyway.
“That is bad precedent.
“I read an email a couple days ago that put it distinctly: They said Culver City has done such a good job in Downtown. ‘What we get on our end of town is Taco Bell, 7-Eleven and things like that. Would you put a 7-Eleven in the middle of Downtown?’
“The idea that I have heard from residents is, of course they want something to be there. They don’t want an empty lot. Nobody does. But they are hoping for the same kind of treatment other neighborhoods get, to bring in a business of higher quality that’s not just a drive-up.
“At 7-Eleven, you drive up, you grab something and you drive away. It’s a convenience store, like a takeout place. “When you look at the area, Samy’s Camera, which used to be that wonderful train shop, and they kept the existing architecture. You also have a YMCA, which is based on healthy exercises, and a wonderful restaurant that raise the bar in the area.”
