Culver City Observer -

By John Nachbar

City Manager

City Clerk’s Office

• Vacancies to be filled on Culver City's Commissions and Committees - The City Clerk’s Office is pleased to announce the application period for the following two vacancies: 1) Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission – Seat #1 (for an unexpired term ending on June 30, 2016) and 2) Disability Advisory Committee – Seat #9 (for an unexpired term ending on June 30, 2015). Applications will be accepted by the City Clerk’s Office until 5 p.m. on Friday October 24. Late applications may not be accepted.

Additional information and applications are available in person during business hours from the City Clerk’s Office, located on the first floor at City Hall (9770 Culver Boulevard); may be requested by phoning (310) 253-5851, or can be obtained on the City’s website (www.culvercity.org). Business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. City Hall is closed on alternate Fridays. Each body has a unique application form. Please be certain to complete the correct application form(s) for the seat(s) for which you are interested. Applications will be accepted in person, by mail, by fax to (310) 253-6010, or electronically via email to city.clerk@culvercity.org.

Appointments for these openings are tentatively scheduled to be considered by the City Council on Monday, November 10. Applicants are encouraged to attend this meeting.

• New Web-Based Technology - On September 8 the City Council approved a contract with Granicus to implement the “Government Transparency Suite.” Over the next 9-18 months, the City will be implementing this state-of-the-art online tool which will further improve online access to agenda materials, meeting broadcasts, and other public information for the City Council and the City’s other nine “legislative bodies.” The City Clerk’s Office, in partnership with the Information Technology Department, will coordinate this project which will involve the entire City organization. As the project moves forward, the City will provide periodic updates on its progress.

Community Development

• Temple Israel of Hollywood – A permit has been issued to demolish and reconstruct a 185 square foot mausoleum at 6001 Centinela Avenue.

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program - The City is drafting its CDBG Program Guidelines, as required by CDBG Administration.

• Washington-National Project - The transfer of the Washington National properties from the Successor Agency and the City to the Developer was considered by the Oversight Board on September 11.

• Downtown Business Association – The City conducted its monthly meeting with the President and Executive Director of the Downtown Business Association. A new landscaping plan was presented and parking operations were discussed.

• Parcel B – The Affair of the Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, September 20 from 11 am to 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday, September 21 from 11 am to 6 pm. The free outdoor festival showcases 60 of Southern California's premiere painters, photographers, sculptors, and glass, ceramics and jewelry artists and also includes live music.

Fire Department

• 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony – On September 11 the Fire and Police Departments held remembrance ceremonies at all three fire stations to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Fire, Police, City Staff and community members gathered around the American flag at each fire station to pause in silence to honor all of the fallen first responders, men, women, and children who lost their lives as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

• Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Tabletop Training Exercise – On August 27 and 28 the Emergency Preparedness Division held two four-hour training drills in the EOC. 45 staff representatives from various city departments attended. The mission of the training was to simulate response and recovery activities necessary to support the Culver City community in the event of a major disaster. The training highlighted operational coordination, available public and private services and resources, mass care service needs, and public information and warning activities.

• National Preparedness Month - September is National Preparedness Month. This year’s theme is “Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare.” Every week during the month of September we will concentrate on a specific disaster preparedness action to be taken. This week the focus is on “How to Reconnect with Family after a Disaster.” In order to reconnect, you need to have a Family Communication Plan in place. To create a family communication plan, have your family discuss and determine who your out-of-state contact will be, and where you would meet away from your home – both in your neighborhood and within your town. Make sure to write this information down and store in your cell phones. A Family Communication Plan template can be found at: http://www.culvercity.org/emergencyprep.

For more information on how to create a plan and how it works, please visit http://www.culvercity.org/emergencyprep. Also, please note that in the event of a disaster, the City will communicate information with the community via Nixle (an emergency notification system), the City’s Website, social media and its AM1690 radio station. To sign up for Nixle, go to http://www.nixle.com.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

• Culver City Historical Society - Culver City Historical Society’s Scavenger Hunt/Car Rally will occur on Sunday, September 21 from 3 pm to 6. Participants will start at the Society’s Archives and Resource Center, at the rear of VMB, to check in, receive their tickets and first set of directions. The ARC will be open for viewing from 1 pm to 3 that day. Ticket information is available by calling (310) 253-6941 or by emailing info@culvercityhistoricalsociety.org. All proceeds benefit the Culver City Historical Society.

• Fiesta La Ballona – The Fiesta la Ballona Instagram Photo Contest award winners have been notified. In this first year, there were awards for 1st Place, 2nd Place, 1st Honorable Mention and 2nd Honorable Mention. The Actors’ Gang provided the 1st Place Prize and Chevron El Segundo Refinery provided the remaining prizes. The Fiesta la Ballona LIKE Contest and Instagram Photo Contest attracted new followers on the Fiesta Facebook and Twitter accounts.

• Culver City Senior Center Talent Show – Singers, dancers, actors and more. The Talent Show, organized by Tony Munoz & Friends, will be held on Tuesday, September 30 at 1 p.m. at the Center. Refreshments provided, and admission is a $1 suggested donation.

• Gerontology for Family Caregivers – A seminar on “Gerontology for Family Caregivers” will be held on Monday, September 22 at 1 p.m. Join Peter Lancelotti for a discussion of the technology available for Smartphones, iPhones, and computers to help family caregivers. Learn about brain games for cognitive stimulation and mild traumatic brain injury, and future research you can participate in. Like all our education programs, this event is open to the public age 50+.

• The Benefits Enrollment Center – Find help with costs of food, health care, prescription drugs and utility bills. The Benefits Enrollment Center at WISE & Healthy Aging helps seniors find public benefit programs they may be eligible for and assists them through the application process through a free and simple 20-minute telephone screening. Call the toll-free number at (855) 636-7655. For more information about Social Services programs, contact Darren Uhl at (310) 253-6729.

Police Department

• California Attorney General Kamala Harris Hosted the Zone 1 Meeting and Awards Breakfast - On September 8, Chief Scott Bixby and the Command Staff attended this event hosted by the Attorney General. The purpose of the event was to recognize and present awards to law enforcement officers for all of their efforts in combating crime. Law enforcement agencies from Los Angeles and Orange counties participated at the meeting.

• 9/11 Ceremony at the West Los Angeles Vet Center: On September 11 Chief Scott Bixby, members of the Police Department, along Fire Chief Dave White, Assistant Chief Syverson, and Councilmember Jim B. Clarke participated in the West Los Angeles Vet Center’s event to honor military veterans past and present and to remember the horrific events of September 11. .

Public Works

• Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) - Saturday, September 20

CCD is an international event with over 60 countries around the world participating, making it one of the largest volunteer efforts on the planet! CCD in Culver City is a fun way for individuals, neighborhoods, schools, and community and company volunteer groups to get involved and demonstrate their commitment to healthy water.

Each year, Culver City Public Works Environmental Programs and Operations and local community support participate in the Annual CCD on the Ballona Creek bike path.

Saturday, September 20 from 9 a.m. until noon, Culver City joins over 12,000 volunteers from all over Los Angeles County at 70 different sites to take action to rid our beaches and inland waterways of unsightly harmful debris.

Hosted Registration sites will be located at the following four locations on the Ballona Creek Bike path in Culver City:

 Syd Kronenthal Park (at the bike path entrance) - Hosted by: Echo Horizon School, http://www.echohorizon.org

 Duquesne Avenue (north of Culver City Transportation Building) - Hosted by: Culver City Bike Coalition, http://www.ccbike.org

 Overland Avenue (Behind Julian Dixon Library) - Hosted by: Ballona Creek Renaissance, http://www.BallonaCreek.org

 Sepulveda Boulevard, (on Bike/Creek path entrance) Hosted by: Kiwanis Los Angeles

Bring your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to participate with the thousands of volunteers around the world in taking a stand against ocean pollution.

• Turf Removal Rebates Raised to $3 Per Square Foot –

The West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) announced on September 5th that it has increased the current Turf Removal Incentive from $2 to $3 per square foot within its service area thanks to a grant from the California Department of Water Resources and funding from the Metropolitan Water District. To find out more on how to qualify visit: http://www.socalwatersmart.com or call (888) 376-3314

• New Parking Spaces/Meters – During the month of September, 2014, the Public Works Department will create approximately 25 new parking spaces on the prolongation of Duquesne Avenue in Culver City Park. These new parking spaces will be beneficial to the nearby business community and to park visitors. In the near future, these parking spaces, as well as others in Culver City Park, will be metered. Some spaces will be 10-hour parking meters at the rate of $0.25 per hour, while others intended to ensure that park visitors have short-term available parking, will have meters with a 2-hour time-limit, but will be free.

• Downtown Banner Art Project for 5th Grade Students in Culver City –

The City of Culver City has collaborated with the Culver City Unified School District to host an Art Contest for all 5th Grade Students at each elementary school in the City. Culver City High AP Art Students will select two winners from each school. These art projects will be reproduced and displayed on the Downtown Banners during the winter season.