Culver City Observer -

Dear Neighbors,

If you have not already voted, I ask that you vote for Alex Fisch and Freddy Puza for City Council. Electing any of the other candidates will create a conservative majority on the Council which will slow or reverse environmental protection, workers' rights, regulations which have kept renters in their homes, and long-term strategies to address homelessness. Some of the other candidates may say things that superficially sound good on these issues, but they are backed by conservative elected officials and business groups who are committed to derailing, delaying, and diluting policies that put people and the planet ahead of profits.

Alex and Freddy are endorsed by the Sierra Club, the Culver City Democratic Club, our Assembly Member Isaac Bryan, and our County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. They represent what is best about our community.

In an unprecedented move, Michael Hackman, the landlord of the Culver Studios, Culver Steps, and other major properties, has spent over $250,000 on a Political Action Committee to boost conservatives Dan O'Brien and Denice Renteria, and on donations to PACs running negative campaigns against Fisch and Puza, including Culver City Neighbors United, Common Sense Culver City, and the Culver City Coalition. While candidates are not responsible for what independent PACs do, you should ask yourself what Hackman wants out of this election, whether it is what you want, and how comfortable you are with this flood of money from a single source.

Meanwhile, the Fisch and Puza campaigns have refused donations from developers. These are not my personal opinions or theories about campaign finance, they are facts which can easily be verified through the City's website. The elected official responsible for the City first putting campaign finance data online? Alex Fisch. Please join me in re-electing him and in choosing Freddy Puza to replace Daniel Lee.

Jeff Schwartz

Culver City