The Editor’s article on homeless and CC budget/taxes bring up the core of the matter for CC.

Why are our sales taxes so high, while the city has made so much space available to new businesses in Culver City? Were there tax giveaways used to entice the new developments and occupants?

Where are the wide loud communications of the council to alert us BEFORE these matters are all done deals? How is it that fire person wages were on the ballot when it was really some kind of ploy to divert funds elsewhere?

Why is the city using half a million dollars to reface city hall? City Hall looks fine. Who has their hands in the kitty for that?

Finally, why are there so many expensive pensions in the first place? We should limit new hires and eliminate those who are yet to vest in such expensive payouts.

We were once (I may be dreaming) a small-ish city with self-government at the heart of our decisions. Now we are manipulated by poor-me scenarios to pay for overspending on way too many things. And now we learn that there's homeless housing to be built without public knowledge regarding financing, location, upkeep, future costs, numbers of units, management. The devil is in the details. Will this housing mean yet another big pension to be paid for? Our open government here in Culver City is nothing but open. It's a carefully played game aimed at getting things done that a majority of us know nothing about. The idea that I can always attend a city council meeting is ridiculous. We should know about the issues long before they become issues in city council. We are not an informed populace. I know tons about the impeachment but next to nothing that's going on backstage in my own community. Change that and maybe we'll have a democratic government here in our community.

Steve Mullen

Culver city