Culver City Observer -

• Culver City Chamber Vice President Retires – Culver City Chamber of Commerce Vice President Barbara Brody retired on August 31. In honor of her retirement, Council Member and former Chamber of Commerce Chair Göran Eriksson presented a City Council Commendation to Ms. Brody at a Chamber event held on August 25.

Fire Department

• Water First Program – Dr. Ira Diamond, Culver City resident, and Christine Parra, the City’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, were invited to give a presentation to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s Emergency Preparedness Division about Culver City’s Water First Program. Area representatives from across the County attended the presentation to learn how Culver City implemented the program. Water First was very well received and several representatives have reached out with additional questions, as they are interested in implementing the program in their respective cities.

The Water First Program will be offered again to residents in support of National Preparedness Month—September. Culver City residents can purchase a 55 Gallon Water Storage System at a discounted price with free delivery to our drill yard for pick-up. The system allows you to fill a 55-gallon drum with water, which is good for five years. More Prepared has created a special landing page on their website for Culver City residents to place their orders before September 16. For more information about the program, visit http://www.culvercity.org/fire. Visit http://www.moreprepared.com/culver-city-residents.html to place your order.

• Joint Training at the Culver City Plunge – August 22 and August 23, Culver City Fire Department’s Nurse Educator, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Captain, and Battalion Chief conducted training with Culver City Plunge lifeguards. The training included eight in-pool and poolside exercises designed to practice coordinated responses during emergency situations. The Culver City Fire Department and the Plunge will continue to conduct this type of joint training annually.

• Fire Safety/Prevention Presentation – On August 17 three members of the Fire Prevention Division gave a presentation to Rotary Plaza residents and staff. They discussed fire safety and the importance of emergency preparedness. For more information about Fire Safety/Prevention, please visit http://www.culvercity.org/fire.

• Blue Cut Fire Strike Team Deployment – From August 16 through August 20 two engines and eight Culver City Firefighters deployed to the Blue Cut Fire in San Bernardino County with Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles City Fire Departments. The Firefighters provided structure protection and assisted animals on a property after the residents had to evacuate.

• Chimney Fire Strike Team Deployment – On August 22 one engine and four Culver City Firefighters deployed to the Chimney Fire in San Luis Obispo. At this time, the strike team is still on location with resources from Beverly Hills and Los Angeles City Fire Departments. While strike teams are away, the Department immediately recalls off-duty firefighters to ensure continuous coverage and a full response force for Culver City. Included below is a map of the current wildland fires.

Information Technology Department

• Groundbreaking for Municipal Fiber Network, Culver Connect – The City announces the groundbreaking for the Municipal Fiber Network, Culver Connect. Since 2013, City staff has been consulting with the Culver City business community about their need for enhanced broadband connectivity. On November 9, 2015, the City Council appropriated funding for the design and construction of a Municipal Fiber Network for the purpose facilitating high speed broadband connectivity to the business community, the Culver City Unified School District, and also for municipal purposes. The City partnered with Culver City-based Mox Networks to provide professional services to design, implement, and operate the Network. On June 27, 2016, City Council awarded a construction contract to HP Communications to complete the fiber infrastructure construction, which was scheduled to be completed in August 2017.

The City will expand its existing fiber network to install approximately 21 route miles of fiber for a redundant network backbone. The network design includes three geographical network rings that are all interconnected and will also connect to the telecommunications hubs at One Wilshire and in El Segundo. The City’s goal for extending this network is to enhance economic development by facilitating the delivery of high speed internet access for Culver City businesses located within the target areas, as well as enhancing broadband connectivity to the Culver City Unified School District. The City will install an open access network, where it is envisioned that any Internet Service Provider (ISP) will have the opportunity to utilize the City’s fiber infrastructure to service the business community. This will result in the business community having more service options when selecting a broadband provider.

Left to Right: City Manager John Nachbar; Council Member Göran Eriksson; Mayor Jim B. Clarke; Council Member Meghan Sahli-Wells; and Council Member Thomas Small

• Culver City Wins Website Award – The City of Culver City was among six cities and counties, from Florida to Alberta, Canada that were honored on August 16 when Vision announced the winners of the third annual “What’s Next Awards” competition. The competition recognizes local government websites for excellence in citizen engagement, green gov, online innovation, transparency and visual impact. Culver City’s website has won the top honor in the “Best Visual Impact” category. Vision states that Culver City’s website, “reflects the energetic vibe of the city and highlights local restaurants, technology and entertainment, is tops for visual impact. The site’s navigation was completely overhauled and features large buttons and photos that guide visitors to the most frequently visited pages with a single click. The Culver City site also leverages the mobile-friendly responsive design tools of visionCMS.”

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

• Culver City Senior Center Diabetes Education Program - The six week Diabetes Empowerment Education Program will begin at the Culver City Senior Center on Thursday, September 8 at 1 pm. Each two hour class is free. Everyone with Diabetes Counts is a program that encourages lifestyle changes while learning about your diabetes and the way it affects your health. Topics include: a better understanding of diabetes; diet and exercise; how to manage and prevent complications; and more. Enjoy the benefits of a healthier, more energetic lifestyle by signing up today! You can register at the front desk at the Senior Center, which is open on weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm and from noon to 4 pm on weekends. Workshop dates are on Thursdays as follows: September 8, 15, 22, 29 and October 6 and 13.

• Parks, Recreation and Community Service Commission Highlights - August – William Rickards was reappointed to the Commission. Kay Heineman was selected as Chair and Laura Stuart was selected as Vice Chair. Commission Members were reappointed as liaisons to various outside Associations and City Committees, and as members of existing Ad Hoc Subcommittees. The Commission appointed Commissioner Scott Zeidman as Delegate to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Advisory Committee. The Commission formed the Commissioner Summit Ad Hoc Subcommittee and appointed Vice Chair Laura Stuart and Commissioner William Rickards to the newly formed Ad Hoc Subcommittee. The Commission reviewed and commented on version two of the draft correspondence presented by the Commission Child Care Programs Ad Hoc Subcommittee and edited the correspondence and approved its distribution to the City Council. The correspondence relates to a proposed survey regarding daycare and camp programs. The Commission scheduled the annual PRCS Commission Parks and Facilities Tour for Saturday, October 22.

• Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) Highlights - August – Newly appointed DAC members Ko Ko Naing, Janet Cameron Holt and Robert Montgomery took the Oath of Office. Dr. Jay Shery was reappointed as Chair and Dr. Robert Montgomery was reappointed Vice Chair. The DAC received a presentation from the Public Works Department led by Director Charles Herbertson. Public Works staff and contractors shared details on the ADA Self Evaluation & Transition Plan process as well as information about the newly formed Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The DAC nominated DAC Member Robyn Tenensap to be appointed by the City Council to serve as the disability community representative on the newly formed Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The DAC nominated volunteers Toni Agron (The Jeffrey Foundation) and Maria Lopez (L.A. Goal) to receive an Individual Commendation. The DAC nominated Mychal’s Learning Place to receive an Organization Commendation for presentation by City Council in October for outstanding service to people with disabilities. The DAC discussed ongoing planning for October’s Disability Awareness Month events, including the Annual Kids Carnival on Sunday, October 23.

Police Department

• Neighborhood Watch Meeting - On August 23 Lieutenant Sam Agaiby met with the Rancho Higuera Neighborhood Watch at City Hall. Lieutenant Agaiby discussed current crime trends and traffic issues related to the neighborhood. Council Members Meghan Sahli-Wells and Thomas Small attended the meeting.

• Westside Commanders Meeting - On August 25 members of the Command Staff attended the Westside Commanders meeting hosted by the Beverly Hills Police Department. These meetings are held to share information regarding issues in the region and to discuss strategies to help solve those issues that are identified. Commanders from the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, UCLA Police, FBI, U.S. State Department, and the Glendale and Torrance Police Departments participated in the meeting.

Public Works Department

• Urban Forest Master Plan Recognition - On August 10 the City received recognition from the California Urban Forests Council at its annual conference for the City’s recently adopted Urban Forest Master Plan under the category of “Astounding Urban Forestry Project Award”. The City’s Urban Forest Master Plan met the numerous criteria required for this recognition which included addressing environmental and public safety issues; community involvement/input; and significant enhancements to the urban forest and livability of the community. Maintenance Operations Manager Eric Mirzaian and Parks Manager Patrick Reynolds (pictured below) received the recognition on behalf of the City.