City Manager’s Office
California's first Citizens Redistricting Commission is a 14-member body charged with redrawing Senate, Assembly, State Board of Equalization, and now Congressional districts based on information gathered during the 2010 Census. Culver City resident Andre Parvenu has been selected from a pool of over 30,000 applicants to be a part of this historic process. Culver City will have an opportunity to provide public testimony when the Commission holds a Public Input Hearing in Council Chambers at City Hall, Thursday, June 16, from 6 to 9.
Community Development Dept.
• Rocco’s Tavern — Plans have been submitted for a new restaurant and bar, 3843 Main St. at the former site of La Ballona and Tokyo 77 restaurants.
• Ogilvy Co. — Plans have been submitted for a 27,241- square foot tenant improvement at 3530 Hayden Ave.
• Ramen Yamada-Ya — Plans have been submitted for a new restaurant at 11172 Washington Blvd.
• Westfield Culver City — The Disney Store remodel is complete, and the store has had its grand Re-Opening.
Parcel B, 9300 Culver Blvd. — Staff received seven proposals from prospective developers for the redevelopment of Parcel B. Responses will be analyzed and three will be recommended to prepare detailed proposals for the City Council to consider.
Tilden Terrace — The Westside Urban Forum is hosting a design competition, and staff will be submitting an application for the project to the competition.
Rainbow Day — The Redevelopment Agency presented the world premiere of Diavolo Dance Theatre’s new educational work T.R.U.S.T. on April 16 at The Help Group. Families with young children attended the two performances as well as inventive art workshops created by Culver City’s reDiscover Center. A Westside dining guide, featuring breakfast and lunch options, was distributed.
• Artwalk Culver City — Staff continues marketing efforts for the Saturday, June 4 event, 2 to 8 o’clock. More than 35 galleries and exhibition spaces will participate. Sponsors include Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Hammer Museum, ForYourArt. 89.9 KCRW, LA Weekly and Flavorpill. More information: www.culvercity.org
• Culver City Music Festival — Sponsorship efforts continue for the summer concert series Thursday nights from July 7 to Aug. 25. Gary Mandell of Boulevard Music is the producer, and the Jazz Bakery will be a guest presenter for the final two concerts. Information on sponsorship packages is available at www.culvercity.org
800 Corporate PointeThomson Reuters — The world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals and Syska Hennessy, a nationwide consulting, engineering and technology, and construction firm have relocated to this address Cool — Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches will open a brick and mortar store at 8588 Washington Blvd., in the Art District.
The End — Mark Peel’s “The Point” has closed in the Hayden Tract, 8522 National Blvd. Learning Slang — MoKo, short for Modern Korean, is a new Korean concept restaurant at the former Gyenari site, having opened last Wednesday.
Fire Dept.
Disaster Preparedness — In an effort to ensure that community members are prepared for a disaster, Christine Parra, the Ccy’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, has provided public education presentations to a variety of groups teachers at Exceptional Children Foundation, parents of La Playa Preschool, Lindberg Park Neighborhood Watch, and Culver City Friends of the Library. Presidential Visit — Fire Dept. representatives met with members of the Secret Service, LAPD, LAFD, LASD, and CCPD in preparation for President Obama’s event at Sony Studios. Parks, Recreation and Community Services Dept.
Administration — New Director Daniel Hernandez was welcomed to the city on April 18 from Santa Barbara County. He is meeting community members, Commissioners and familiarizing himself with staff, facilities and programs.
Recreation — Culver City Just4Kids & Teen Camp registration is underway. Camps begin Monday, June 20, and end Friday, Aug. 26. Camp staff has planned innovative activities to keep campers busy the entire 10 weeks. Starting with Week 1, the camp theme is Olympic Games. Campers will choose their sports of choice, form teams, compete amongst other teams, and then culminate in an Olympic Day Ceremony on Friday, June 24. Other activities include field trips to amusement parks, museums, water play in the park, and recreational swim days at the Plunge, as well as group swim lessons. Ultimate fun within safe environments is the motto for this summer.
Senior & Social Services — May is Older Americans Month. The Senior Center has special activities planned for May: On Friday, there will be an Arts & Crafts Boutique showcasing handmade treasures created by our members. Also Friday, the Senior Citizens Assn. and Kaiser Permanente are hosting a Mother’s Day Tea with live entertainment, gifts and special refreshments. There will be a talent show, the “Spring Follies,” on Wednesday, May 11, featuring seniors in a variety show. Seniors will display their art in the lobby of the Senior Center from May 24-27. Finally, on Friday, May 27, a celebratory party will be held with live entertainment and luncheon. At the party, the “Senior of the Year,” Bob Martz, wll be honored as a person who exemplifies the theme for this year’s celebration — Older Americans: Connecting the Community.
Senior & Social Services — A group of kindergarteners from Culver City’s Willows Community School visited the Senior Center for intergenerational karaoke on April 19. After songs and mingling with the seniors, the kids also joined karaoke members for an impromptu line dance lesson. A note from one parent said: “Thank you for letting (us) visit…and share their songs with the seniors today. The kids had such a great time. Thanks for welcoming us.”
Police Dept.
Checkpoint — On March 30, the Traffic Bureau along with members of the Hawthorne Police Dept. conducted a Driver’s License Checkpoint, from 7 a.m. to 11, and 12:30 to 3. It was an attempt to identify drivers with a suspended or revoked license or no license at all. The checkpoint was north bound on Sepulveda Boulevard between Culver and Washington.
Volunteers in Patrol — The VIPs received a thank you from Cultural Affairs staff. Several volunteers had attended the Cultural Affairs’ Speak Easy and offered to help. with the event.
Juvenile Diversion — On March 26, 15 female members of the Juvenile Diversion Program went on an overnight team building exercise and high ropes confidence course at Camp Hess Kramer, north of Malibu. During the weekend, the at-risk 13-17-years-olds learned the importance of team building and self-esteem. The program is intended to help teens learn the value of working together.
Centurion Award — On April 6, Police Dept. Forensic Unit Specialist Teresa Mendoza received the Police Officers Assn. of Los Angeles County Centurion Award for excellence in the area of Support Services. Ms. Mendoza was assigned to process the crime scene of a robbery case and quickly started prioritizing and processing evidence. In this case, she focused on the key pieces of potentially valuable evidence; the pizza boxes that had been handled by the suspects. Overall, there were more than 100 fingerprints on the boxes, 36 being identifiable. She submitted fingerprints into the Los Angeles County Fingerprint Identification System and got a match. Ms. Mendoza conducted a print comparison of the pizza box print and the known fingerprint; she concluded that they were a match. The print revealed the identity of one of the suspects, a male gang member with a long criminal history, and a previous job as a pizza delivery driver. The suspect was arrested and prosecuted.
Baker to Vegas Run — On April 16, the Department participated in the Baker to Vegas law enforcement run, which draws law enforcement teams from around the world to participate in the 120-mile run across the desert from. The 20 runners finished second in their division and 39th among 260 teams. The team ran the 120 miles in 15 hours, 55 minutes, a team best.
Suspects Arrested — On April 3, an assault and stabbing occurred during a party in the 5400 block of Coolidge Avenue. Detectives began a follow-up investigation, and after interviewing several party goers, they identified two suspects: Sergio Rodriguez and Andree Jara of Los Angeles. On April 7 at 1 o’clock, detectives, armed with search and arrest warrants, serve the warrants and took the suspects into custody. Both were booked for attempted murder.
Public Works Dept.
Widening Project — The Sepulveda Boulevard Widening Project (from Playa/Jefferson to Green Valley Circle) is expected to begin mobilization/construction the week of May 9 in two shifts, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with concrete pours between 10 p.m. and 6 a. m. (See Community Update.)
Meeting Tomorrow — County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority are hosting a second public workshop on the Park to Playa Trail, which would go from the Baldwin Hills along Ballona Creek to the Ballona Wetlands and the beach bicycle path. Therewill be a meeting Tuesday night, 7 to 9, in the Community Room at Kenny Hahn State Park. During the first workshop, participants provided ideas on where the trail should go within the parks, what connections to park facilities and community destinations should be made and what types of amenities make for a fun and enjoyable trail experience. In this second workshop, participants will be asked to share their thoughts on the proposed recommendations for the Park to Playa route and way-finding elements.
Mr. Nachbar, the City Manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org
