Culver City Observer -

City Manager’s Update

February 15, 2013

City Manager’s Office

· Assembly Budget Subcommittee Testimony – On February 11 Mayor Andrew Weissman, City Manager John Nachbar, and Community Development Director Sol Blumenfeld attended the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation, regarding Redevelopment follow-up to legislation, in Sacramento. Mayor Weissman provided testimony to the Assemblymembers on the Committee and representatives of the State Controller’s Office and Department of Finance. Mayor Weissman’s testimony focused on Culver City’s obstacles to implementing several projects as the City and Oversight Board arduously works through the implementation process.

· Westside Urban Forum Mayors Panel – Mayor Weissman participated on a Westside Urban Forum panel discussion with Mayors from the cities of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. The panel discussed several topics of shared interest to the Westside, including regional transportation and bike sharing programs; affordable housing; economic development; and tourism.

Community Development Department

• Tilden Terrace – The completion date is projected for May 31. City staff will start work with the developer, Los Angeles Housing Partnership, to initiate the tenant outreach and application process in February. City staff will meet with the developer to discuss the offsite improvements which include traffic signals and the intersection north of the project site.

• 2013 Homeless Count – The 2013 Homeless Count was held on Wednesday, January 30. The deployment location was the Culver City Senior Center. The Committee on Homelessness coordinated the event with City staff. A total of 72 volunteers assisted in the count. Community organizations that supported this event included Culver City High School, Temple Akiba, Saint Joseph Center, the Rotary Club, the Exchange Club, SHARE, and the Wende Museum. Local business also supported the Count by donating refreshments for the volunteers. Donations were secured from Tubbs Chili, Tito’s taco, Copenhagen Bakery, Season Greeting, and Ed Little. During the 2011 Count, 19 homeless individuals were counted. During the 2013 Count, this number increased to 22.

• Affordable Housing Roundtable – The Affordable Housing Roundtable was held on Friday, February 8 from 9 am to noon. A total of 62 people attended the event, which was co-sponsored by Assemblymember Holly Mitchell. Assemblymember Mitchell and Mayor Weissman served as discussion panelists.

Other panelists included:

o Charmaine Atherton – Bank of America Merrill Lynch

o Johanna Gullick – Union Bank/Culver City Resident

o Joan Ling – University of California, Los Angeles

o Andre Perry, Esq. – Los Angeles Housing Partnership

o Erin Rank – Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles

o Jim Suhr – Jim Suhr and Associates LLC/Urban Land Institute

Topics of discussion included:

1. What can be done to create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing?

2. What role will lending institutions play?

3. What resources are left for local governments to create affordable housing?

4. What are some local solutions to the loss of Redevelopment?

5. What role will zoning play in the future of creating affordable housing?

6. Is Inclusionary Ordinance a possible solution?

• Wildcraft Pizza – Work is completed for a new restaurant located at 9725 Culver Boulevard.
• Culver City Scout House – Plans have been approved for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades. The Scout House is located at 10866 Culver Boulevard.
• Yo Ku Man Yogurt – Plans have been approved for a new yogurt and coffee shop located at 10814 Jefferson Boulevard.
• Veterinary Cancer Group – Plans have been submitted for a 2,216 square foot tenant improvement to expand existing veterinary office located at 9599 Jefferson Boulevard.

· Westfield Culver City: A permit has been issued for improvements which include on-site grading, demo, erosion control, paving and utility plans. A permit has been issued for a new restaurant, called Chicken Now. Plans have been approved and a permit issued for a new clothing store called Varga.

· Lounge Spa – Plans have been approved for a new retail spa located at 4130 Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite C.

· Kimukatsu – Plans have been submitted for a new restaurant located at 4130 Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite B.

· Bunnin Chevrolet – Plans have been submitted for a tenant improvement, adding 286 square feet to the existing commercial structure and an additional 336 square feet canopy located at 6101 Slauson Avenue.

· 4043 Irving Place – The project is approximately 54% complete and on budget. Scheduled for completion June 30.

· Beats by Dr. Dre – A Music electronics retailer, Beats by Dr. Dre, known for music-related products such as headphones, earphones and speakers will move its headquarters from Santa Monica to Culver City. Beats will occupy the entire 40,000-square-foot building at 8476 Steller Drive, plus an additional 26,400 square feet in two adjacent properties at 8401 and 8454 Steller Drive.

· Enjoeat In and Enjoeat Out – Antonio Pellini, known for Eatalian Café, has leased space for a new eatery at 3912 Van Buren Place. Enjoeat In is a more formal sit-down Italian restaurant, and Enjoeat Out is a gelato shop and bakery.

· Gravlax – A new Scandinavian restaurant located at the Southwest intersection of Washington Boulevard and Centinela Avenue has begun construction.

Fire Department

· Training– Although firefighters train on a regular basis to ensure they are prepared for the most likely emergencies they will encounter, it is just as important to be prepared for the not so likely emergency. These types of emergencies are known as “high risk-low frequency” type events. There are numerous types of emergencies that firefighters must anticipate and ensure they have adequate training and resources available to mitigate. Over the years, fire personnel become proficient in the more “routine” type emergencies through training and actual responses. It is those high risk-low frequency type events we must continue to prepare for. Over the past couple of weeks Assistant Fire Chief Dave White observed the crews as they simulated the rescue of a tree trimmer injured while trimming a Palm Tree. This is a unique rescue that the Culver City Fire Department has conducted in the past, and local fire agencies have performed within the last month.

· Firefighter Survival and Confidence Training – Culver City’s recruit firefighters, along with recruits from the Beverly Hills Fire Department, participated in Firefighter Survival and Confidence training at the Los Angeles City Fire Department’s Training Center. This specialized training provides each member an opportunity to train in a realistic fire ground environment.

· Hazardous Materials Training - Two members from the Fire Prevention Division attended a week of hazardous materials training in Garden Grove. The training focused on best practices for the management and oversight of businesses that handle hazardous materials and hazardous waste in California. Representatives from the California Environmental Protection Agency, State Water Board, Emergency Management Agency, Cal Fire, and various industries were also in attendance. For additional information call Inspector Jesse Luna at 310-253-5930.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

· Administration – The Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services has been working with representatives of the Culver City Unified School District to assist in accommodating various teams that are temporarily being displaced from Culver City High due to school renovations. City facilities being utilized include the Culver City Baseball Fields, Lindberg Park and Veterans Park.

· School Safety - In an effort to cooperatively address school safety after the events at Newtown, members of the PRCS staff, the PRCS Director, Mike Reynolds from the CCUSD Superintendent’s office, along with CCPD, met at Blanco Park and El Marino to discuss issues related to access, fencing and security. By jointly addressing these issues, both the School District and the City hope to gain a better understanding of the duties and responsibilities of each organization and improve communication between agencies.

· Abraxis Donation - The Director would like to acknowledge the generous donation by Abraxis of over 150 cubic yards of high quality soil that staff is currently using to repair park fields and fill in low spots and areas that have been heavily impacted due to high use by the community. Park staff is also to be commended for reshuffling assignments to get this material out as soon as possible. Renovations with the new soil are completed at Syd Kronenthal Park and are underway at Culver City Park.

· Reverse Mortgage Seminar - The Culver City Senior Center will offer a seminar about Reverse Mortgages on Monday, February 25 at 1 pm and will include changes taking place in 2013. Like all of the Center’s education programs, this workshop is open to members of the public ages 50 and over.

· Parks – The Parks Division has completed winter rose pruning at the Senior Center and Culver City Park and is preparing for spring.

Police Department

· Cub Scouts Visit - On February 8 a Cub Scout troop came to the Police Department for a tour and presentation regarding personal safety tips.

· Meadows Neighborhood Watch Meeting - On February 13 Lieutenant Iizuka met with residents of the Meadows Apartment complex in Fox Hills. Lieutenant Iizuka discussed crime trends and safety issues. The meeting was well attended.

Public Works Department

· Expo Line Culver City Station - Parking Lot Closure for Paving - Please be advised that the parking lot at the Culver City Expo Line Station at Washington and National Boulevards is being paved. The east side of the parking lot will be closed from February 19 to February 25 and the west side of the parking lot will be closed from February 26 to March 4. Construction will take place between the hours of 7 am to 6 pm. Please obey all posted construction signs and do not enter the construction work zone.

Free parking is also available at the La Cienega/Jefferson Station and at the Expo/Crenshaw Station. For more travel options, use the Metro Trip Planner (http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php).

For more information, please contact Ms. Glenda Y. Silva, Government/Community Relations Representative, Exposition Construction Authority, at (213) 243-5534.

· Sepulveda Sharrow Installation – During the week of February 4 Public Works Department crewmembers installed Shared Lane Markings (“Sharrows”) on both sides of Sepulveda Boulevard between Culver Boulevard and the City boundary south of Franklin Avenue. Culver City staff members have been coordinating with City of Los Angeles staff, and expect that the City of Los Angeles will install Sharrows from the City boundary to Ballona Creek shortly.

· Fire Training Tower Repairs - During the week of February 4 Public Works Department staff completed repairs to the Fire Training Tower located at the Culver City Fire Drill Yard. The repairs included the replacement of the concrete stairway and removal and replacement of the fire damaged wall in the stairwell. The stairwell wall was replaced with fire retardant materials and covered with expanded metal to allow smoke used in training situations to permeate the tower levels. The damage, which had become progressively worse, was the result of normal wear and tear caused by training by the Culver City Fire Department and neighboring fire agencies that use the tower.

· USC Cycling Event - On Sunday, February 17 the USC Cycling Team hosted its first annual Culver City Criterium and Bicycle Event. A “criterium” is a bicycle lap race held on a short course and is typically held on closed city streets.