The explanation seems to be that Sister Cities leaders have staged the most visceral reaction to the City Council’s announcement 60 days ago that it intended to take a closer look at certain committees.
The Buildup
All of the committees have pushed back. Drama that verges on worry, if not outright resistance, has been steadily building since April.
So has the crackling tension.
Each of the three committees — Martin Luther King Day, the Fiesta La Ballona and the Sister Cities — has fought a closer examination of its actions with varying degrees of ferocity.
Sister Cities, hardest of all.
The Catalysts
The subtext from the City Council is that certain committees funded by City Hall have become too independent, have strained the leash from City Hall to the breaking point, and perhaps worst of all, have been too secretive about their finances.
Direct, hardline accountability has practically vanished, the Council has complained.
This long anticipated evening may be the first of several nights of renewed accountability.
Just the Opening Round
Ms. Gross said she expected this evening to be an exercise in “sorting out” because “the facts may be a good deal murkier than we have been led to believe.
“From the beginning of this process,” she said this morning, “I have said we need to be assured that the City Attorney’s office has full knowledge — and is comfortable with — the practices of these three committees.”
Flying Rumors
Conceding that the King Day Committee “has been making a lot of noise,” Ms. Gross thinks Sister Cities will be the main occupant of the center ring.
Fiscal rumors about Sister Cities have cluttered the skies over City Hall since the beginning of spring.
An Icon
It is one of Culver City’s oldest and most revered committees anointed by City Hall.
Organized in the early 1960s, Sister Cities has grown to be regarded as worthy of iconic stature, making a noble cultural contribution to contemporary society.
Their Mission
Sister Cities introduces international residents to Culver City, and brings hometown residents to the wider world.
The City Council is convinced that Sister Cities and the other two committees must, at the least, be placed under City Hall’s microscope.
What Used to be
Ms. Gross said that Sister Cities may be living by practices that were common 40 years ago but no longer are acceptable.
“It is not a matter of guilt,” she said.
“Some of what used to be acceptable is not feasible in these times.”
The City Council is not the only body curious about activities within the vault of Sister Cities.
Curious Members
“A significant group within Sister Cities has wondered about some actions, too,” Ms. Gross said. “They will be happy after things have been sorted out because there will be less mystery.”
On the dais and in the audience, passions are expected to heat up Council Chambers. But the emotions may not necessarily be spent in proportion to the amount each group is financially supported by City Hall.
Sister Cities receives $14,000 a year.
King Day, $500.
Final Decision Delayed?
Council members are not sure what final score to expect this evening.
“I do not believe we will make the ultimate decision tonight,” Ms. Gross said.
“A lot of sorting out needs to be done. It would not surprise me if the funding for each group were placed in escrow — not denied, not approved.”
