Opinion
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No Good Reason to Pass Sales-Tax Increase
Can I ask, “With all those millions the developers are spending on construction projects here in Culver City, why do we need to raise taxes?” You don’t need 20/20 vision to imagine City staff...
Kudos to Paper for Coverage of Measure K
Kudos to the Observer for publishing a range of citizen letters in support of Measure K on Oct. 4. This demonstrates the Observer’s balanced approach to the ballot issue despite its columnists’ recommendations to vote against K. I would like to...
Stop Runaway Taxes
Dear Editor, In the season of the “Op Ed”, I thought I should join in. When I moved from Venice to Culver City, in 1990, it was for good schools (we heard through people with children-no internet...
Vote 'No' on Prop. 10
By Ron Bassillian With less than a month to the election, Prop. 10, the “California Local Rent Control Initiative,” is waking up as the sleeper issue of the state. Prop. 10 is a repeal of the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which protects...
Dear Editor,
In the fall of 1979 I moved from New York State to Los Angeles. At a party, I asked where I might want to apply to work as a teacher. More than one guest suggested Culver City. I remember them saying...
Measure K Puts District First, Kids Second
On the few lawn signs I’ve seen around the community supporting the passage of the School Board’s Measure K, there is displayed a sentimental slogan: “It’s for Our Kids.” The slogan is meant to invoke a heart-felt sentimentality that the...
More Reasons to Reject Measure K
The Los Angeles County Office of Education has just released its annual report of its county-wide Certificated Salary Survey for 2017-'18. On page 45 it showed just how much our Culver City School...
Vote 'Yes' on Measure K Tax Hike
I am writing in support of the parcel tax being voted on Nov. 6. Known as Measure K, it will add $189 to each property owner’s tax bill for each of the next seven years. Five years ago, our Culver...
Passage of Measure K 'Imperative'
When we think of what’s wonderful about Culver City, our schools are at the top of the list. Our community thrives because of our great schools. New homeowners pay top-dollar to move into our...
Culver Union Backs Property-Tax Hike
It is with great pleasure that the Association of Classified Employees—Culver City supports Measure K, an initiative that will bring much needed funds into our District. The funds from Measure K...
More Support for Measure K
My three sons had the benefit of being educated in Culver City at no cost to me and my husband, Ed. California’s Education Code does not allow charging for most K-12 expenses. We were not obligated...
Dear Editor:
California’s Public Employee Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013 has ameliorated many of the causes of concern about public employee pension costs in local school districts; however, it is a...
After November, Even More Tax Hikes May be Needed
Can little Culver City continue to pay super-large paychecks and pensions to current and former City employees? If so, local taxes will need to continue to rise. No, I’m just not pointing the finger...
Putting a Price on Safety
How much is your safety and the safety of your family worth? According to Neil Rubenstein’s two columns earlier this month, if you live in Culver City, you’re paying too darn much. Citing gross...
Teachers Pensions Beat Others by 3-1 MarginBy Neil Rubenstein
In an ironic twist, a recent study by the nonprofit Bellwether Education Partners has found that the rising costs of teacher pension plans are starting to eat into their own salary hikes. Teachers,...
Work for City, Make $500,000 per Year
For those who missed my commentary last week, I am once again attaching a chart to this column showing the names, positions, and total amounts that key Culver City employees earned in 2017. The figure...
Culver Public 'Servants' Make Big Money
How much do you make each year? Are you, as a popular TV and radio advertisement asks, “financially comfortable”? Perhaps you are not, but many of our taxpayer-funded City employees are....
Council to Mull New Housing Plan
COMMENTARY By Neil Rubenstein Observer Columnist The Culver City Community Development Director of the Housing Division, Tevis Barnes, will soon be presenting to City Council a proposal for three...
District Needs more Budget 'Homework'
School districts across our state need to encourage and hire new teachers to come into the profession as veteran teachers retire. The average rate of teaching staff retirements found in most school districts is less than 10 percent annually. Having...
City Blows Chances for Affordable Housing
It is my firm belief that City Hall over the years has squandered city assets to pay for huge salaries and benefits. Coming soon, a startling expose. No, probably not in your neighborhood but in Fox...
Government Pension Coffers Stretch Even Thinner
Last July, our state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) reported that from June 2016 to June 2017, the state pension fund (CalSTRS) had its unfunded liabilities increase by almost 11 percent,...
School Board Facing Financial Crisis
The Culver City Unified School District’s annual contributions to CalSTRS and CalPERS, two of the state's largest public-employee pension funds, were expected to rise 215 percent by the year...
Defense of Senior Center
I've been a volunteer at the Culver City Senior Center for over 14 years as their Karaoke DJ on Tuesdays. We have a wide spectrum of personalities who come to the Center, and sometimes it's difficult...
Killer Coyotes
I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been more news coverage, or seemingly any follow-up, to the coyote issue facing various Culver City neighborhoods. There are many community members who still...
Culver City Observer Letters Policy
Letters and Commentaries are the opinion of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the newspaper. The Culver City Observer takes positions on issues and will be marked...
