Culver City Observer -

By John Nachbar

City Manager

City Manager’s Office

• 8770 Washington Boulevard (Access Culver City) - At the September 9 Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC) meeting, the CAC approved a concept for permanent public art by merge conceptual design for Access Culver City.

• National Arts & Humanities Month - October has been recognized as National Arts & Humanities Month by thousands of arts and cultural organizations, communities, and states across the country, as well as by the White House and Congress for more than two decades. On October 13 the City Council will present a Proclamation designating October as Arts & Humanities Month in Culver City.

Community Development

• Westfield Culver City – Plans have been submitted for a new retail shoe store called Baldi London in addition to Orchard & Grand, a new food kiosk.

The Apple/Beats building, located at 8550 Higuera Street, was recently renovated.

New parking structure at Apple/Beats:

Hayden Avenue’s new office structure - "the pterodactyl" – located on top of the existing parking structure:

View of 8770 Washington Boulevard, the Graystar project, as viewed from the Platform project across the Metro Expo Light Rail Line:

The Platform project’s new parking structure, located at 8850 Washington Boulevard:

The Platform project’s new commercial buildings, located at 8850 Washington Boulevard:

Sony Studios’ new four-story Production Services Building:

Mazda’s new building, located at 11215 Washington Boulevard:

The new Marcasel mixed use project, located at 11955 Washington Boulevard:

Platinum Investment Group’s new commercial building with rooftop parking, located at 5450 Sepulveda Boulevard:

Temple Akiba’s renovation located, at 5249 Sepulveda Boulevard:

The new mausoleum building at Hillside Memorial Park and Mausoleum, located at 6001 Centinela Avenue:

A commercial building undergoing renovations, located at 6178 Jefferson Boulevard:

A new condominium project, located at 4138 Duquesne:

• Washington-National Site - The Oversight Board of the Successor Agency recommended approval to the Department of Finance (DOF) of the proposed property transfers of the Washington-National project site to Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group, the Developer, at its regularly scheduled meeting on September 11, pursuant to the Long Range Property Management Plan and the Implementation Agreement among the City, the Successor Agency and the Developer. The DOF has approved the transfer.

• Downtown Business Association (dba) Maintenance Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Management - The City has added $20,000 in supplementary funding to the MOU for Downtown Maintenance with the dba to assist in funding supplementary trash and debris removal work in the downtown area for Fiscal Year 2014-15.

• Affair of the Arts – Approximately 4,000 individuals attended the Affair of the Arts Festival in downtown during the weekend of September 20-21.

• Railroad Spur Project – A meeting was held with the former railroad spur stakeholders to announce that Agency bond funding had been secured to partially finance the project. The stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to redevelop the Hayden Avenue to Eastham Drive spur into a landscaped parking lot.

• Jazz Bakery Theater – The City met with the Jazz Bakery to obtain an update on its capital campaign progress, which is now under way to raise the funds necessary to construct the performance center.

• Business Stakeholder Meeting – A meeting with stakeholders from the business community and the Chamber of Commerce was held to discuss business retention, expansion and attraction efforts. This is a Work Program task identified in the City’s Economic Development Implementation Plan. Meetings will occur on a quarterly basis.

• Business Cluster Meeting – A meeting with representatives from the various auto dealerships and the Chamber of Commerce was held to discuss matters related to business operations in the City. This is also a Work Program task identified in the City’s Economic Development Implementation Plan. Meetings will occur on a quarterly basis and include the retail, restaurant, developer, broker, hotel and technology business sectors

• Engage LA – Representatives from Talk NYC is interested in bringing a digital storytelling presentation/conference, Engage LA, to Culver City in early 2015. Engage LA will be a one-day event with a select group of experts, visionaries and leaders to talk about trends in digital storytelling in a setting that’s informal, informative, and inspiring. It will feature cross-platform storytelling with a special focus on content creation, and examination of the role of current and emerging technology.

Fire Department

• Culver City Firefighters are Once Again going “PINK” this October – During the month of October Culver City Firefighters will again be wearing pink to support those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. The public is invited to join them and show support by purchasing a Culver City Fire Department Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirt. Beginning October 1st, pink T-shirts in men’s and women’s sizes will be available at Fire Station 1 (9600 Culver Boulevard) for $15 each. 100% of the T-shirt sales proceeds will go directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Please contact Tim Carr at timothy.carr@culvercity.org with any questions.

• National Preparedness Month - September is National Preparedness Month. This year’s theme is “Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare.” Here is a recap of the “How to…” topics covered so far:

 Reconnect with Family After a Disaster

 Plan for Specific Needs Before a Disaster

 Build an Emergency Kit

For more information on National Preparedness Month, please visit http://www.facebook.com/CityOfCulverCity. Also, remember to sign up for Nixle, the City’s emergency notification system. To sign up for phone, email and text alerts, visit http://www.nixle.com. Or text your zip code to 888777 from your cell phone to receive local alerts through Short Message Service (SMS).

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

• Veterans Memorial Building (VMB) and Rental Operations – The VMB now has portable mirrors available for dance and movement classes, rehearsals, and workshops. More information is available by contacting the VMB Rental Office at (310) 253-6625 or vmc.booking@culvercity.org.

• Culver City Historical Society - Aljean Harmetz, author of The Making of the Wizard Oz, will discuss her book about the classic movie, which was made in Culver City, at the next general meeting of the Culver City Historical Society on October 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Teen Center. The Wizard of Oz is marking its 75th Anniversary this year. All members of the Culver City Historical Society and the public are welcome to enjoy this free program, and students are encouraged to attend. For more information, please call the Society at (310) 253-6941 or inquire by email at info@culvercityhistoricalsociety.org for updates.

• Performing Arts Grant Program – The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Arts and Sound will present a free performance of sound. at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook on October 5 at 4 p.m. More information on this event is available at http://www.sassas.org.

• Performing Arts Grant Program – 17 grant applications were received on September 15 for the 2015 Culver City Performing Arts Grant Program. This year, with the assistance of the City’s Information Technology Department, a new electronic submission process was introduced with 10 applicants choosing that option.

Police Department

• Citizens Police Academy Class #7 Graduates - On September 9 the Culver City Police Academy Class #7 completed the eight-week course and graduated with flying colors. Each attendee had the opportunity to learn what its Police Department does on a daily basis. They learned everything from patrol functions, investigations, traffic enforcement, internal investigations, community relations, social media, and animal services and were able to meet and talk to the men and women who work at their Police Department. Congratulations to all 22 graduates!

• Culver City Bike Coalition Holds Meet and Greet - On September 18 Captain Iizuka attended the Culver City Bike Coalition Meet and Greet at Kay n’ Dave’s restaurant. The meeting was well attended and provided an opportunity for community members to learn about the Culver City Bike Coalition. Mayor Sahli-Wells and City Manager John Nachbar were also in attendance. The event’s host was Jim Shanman.

• Culver City Police Department Welcomes Two New Employees - On September 22 the Police Department welcomed two new employees to the Culver City family.

Management Analyst, Jeanine Plute. Jeanine was born and raised in Venice, California. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills and is currently in the Masters of Public Administration Degree program at California State University, San Bernardino. Jeanine has worked as an Analyst for other city/county governments and has worked for a Police Department. Jeanine recently moved to Culver City from the Palm Springs area.

Police Recruit, Steven Armenta. Steven was born and raised in Glendora. Steven served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, in which time he served a 10 month tour overseas in Afghanistan. He has also completed coursework at both Citrus College and Park University toward a Degree in Criminal Justice.

Public Works

• South Bay Business Environmental Coalition (SBBEC) Recognizes Culver City Nominees as Local Environmental Leaders – Culver City is part of the SBBEC's local government members group that strives to encourage and inspire environmental sustainability strategies. The SBBEC’s Cities Subcommittee developed the SoCal Environmental Excellence Development (SEED) Awards Program to honor local individuals, groups, and businesses that have exhibited excellence in helping to improve environmental sustainability and quality of life in the South Bay.

On September 25 SBBEC held its annual SEED Awards, recognizing local businesses, individuals and organizations that are doing their part to help the environment.

This unique event is the only such ceremony held in the South Bay, partnering businesses with local government and showcasing environmental leaders in their communities. This year’s festivities were held at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Nominees were recognized for their inspiring efforts to improve the quality of life and the environment. Culver City is proud of the following nominees from Culver City who were recognized at the event: Transition Culver City; Walk n’ Rollers; and Ballona Creek Renaissance.

SBBEC is looking forward to recognizing more stewards of the environment in the coming year. For more information and a complete list of nominees, please visit the SBBEC’s website at http://www.sbbec.org.

• Get Involved and Provide Your Input on Trees – As part of the preparation for the City’s Urban Forest Master Plan, the City’s consultant has created a survey link that the public can use to provide input. The survey will be just one avenue to generate community involvement in addition to the upcoming community meetings that will be scheduled. The link can be found on the City’s home page and is as follows:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CulverCityUrbanForest2014

• Culver City Celebrates International Walk to School Month and Day (October 8th) – International Walk to School Day is a global event that involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day. It began in 1997 as a one-day event. Over time, this event has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school and a celebration – with record breaking participation – each October. Today, thousands of schools across America – from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico – participate every October.

Representatives from the Culver City Safe Routes to School Program as well as members from Culver City Unified School District attended the City Council Meeting on Monday, September 22. Those in attendance received a Proclamation from the City declaring Walk to School Month in October and Walk to School Day on October 8. As part of the Culver City Safe Routes to School Program, the community is encouraged to participate in International Walk to School Day on October 8.

The Culver City Safe Routes to School Program strives to remind the community that walking and biking to school helps kids become more active while reducing traffic and pollution around schools.

Visit http://www.ccwalknroll.com for additional information regarding Walk to School Day on October 8, future events, and other resources for walking and biking to school.

• Construction Updates –

1. On College Drive and Matteson Avenue, behind La Ballona Elementary School, Golden State Water will be testing the new 8” water main and will tie into the existing main on Venice Boulevard. Working hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

2. On National Boulevard between Wesley Street and Washington Boulevard, the southbound lanes will be completely closed and traffic will be detoured for the purpose of paving by Southern California Edison. The project is during the weekend only. Working hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. m to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

3. Golden State Water Company will install a new water main on Garfield Avenue, east of Huntley Avenue. Working hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

4. The SCE project on Washington Boulevard, eastbound between Huron Avenue and Tilden Avenue, is substantially complete but the street still needs to be repaved. It is anticipated that the work will occur in the next two weeks.

5. In front of 5450 Sepulveda Boulevard, a new bus pad is being constructed, and the sidewalk is being reconstructed. One lane will be closed on Sepulveda Boulevard between Jefferson Boulevard and Sawtelle Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.