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Culver City was founded in 1917 by Harry Culver, who created a ‘live and work’ community for the newly-created film industry. It’s come full circle in the 21st Century by becoming a haven for tech businesses and a home for innovators. The old city motto “The Heart of Screenland” has been upgraded to the heart of ‘streamland’ where content creators are setting up headquarters.

Culver City has an outstanding school district with a focus on arts education, a thriving recreation scene with 12 parks, and a major public art program with dozens of murals, sculptures and installations throughout the city. The renowned restaurant scene has everything from the gourmet tasting menu at Vespertine to the old school favorite Tito’s Tacos. Bicycle culture thrives with designated bikes lanes and landscaped bike paths through the city, including the Ballona Creek bike path to the beach.

We have been covering all the best of Culver City since 2009, with city council and school district news along with theater and arts coverage, restaurant reviews at CC Foodie, and a spotlight on the good works from all the local service clubs.

Your comments are always welcome; just post under the article and we will clear it and publish it asap.  Letters to the Editor can be sent to [email protected]. For publication, we need you to sign your real name, and please, no threats or obscene language. Letters to the Editor are not edited, so be as brief as you like or as detailed as you want; but do sign your real name.

We are Culver City’s only local daily news, and the prime source for news, events, politics, education and culture. We are here to serve the community, create connections, and have fun.

Judith Martin-Straw, publisher and editor of Culver City Crossroads has lived and worked in Culver City since 2001. Before moving to Culver City she lived in Venice Beach, and worked on the Venice Beachhead (America’s oldest underground newspaper) and has also contributed to the LA Weekly, and Random Lengths. She was the editor of the Culver City News in 2009. She is also a poet, and is included in the Beyond Baroque anthology Echo 681.

Pam Teplitz is the graphic designer and webmaster for the site, with decades of experience and a long list of credits. You can find her work on Teplitzart.com

Elizabeth Moss, investigative reporter, is a graduate of the Culver City High School and the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts; she knows this city from the sidewalks on up to the spotlights. Moss is also a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, where she wrote for the Daily Californian. She is currently focused on covering COVID-19 stories.

Check in every weekday afternoon at 3 pm, or sign up for the daily email for only $5 a month. We’ll have more up-to-date, accurate, intelligent news about Culver City here for you.

Publisher & Editor

Judith Martin-Straw

The Actors' Gang

19 Comments

  1. I hear there is going to be a “snow day” at Veterans park this weekend on the 8th- but I don’t see any info on the city web site- does anyone know about it? What time etc?
    Thanks!

  2. Hi Todd,
    Thanks for checking in with Culver City Crossroads. The Winter Wonderland event at Vets Park will be Saturday Jan.9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4117 Overland Ave. The Recreation office says that “tons of snow will transform the landscape into a wintery play area.” Free to all. For more info, call 310-253-6650.

  3. Dear Judith,
    I have been a resident of Culver City for 28 years. As a registered nurse, I am well aware of the “nursing shortage” issue. One of the problems is a lack of nursing schools and nursing educators. Wanting to make a difference, it is my dream to open a nursing school in Culver City.

    I found a property with sufficient space near Culver Center. Before signing the lease, I went to the City of Culver City to obtain a business license. I was informed by the planning department that I must apply for an Administrative Use Permit. This permit takes 6-8 weeks to complete and would look at the impact the school would make on the neighborhood. This permit comes at the astronomical price of $3,897.92. Even if the permit is declined, the city would keep my $3,897.92.

    I guess my question is, “How is a small business supposed to get started in Culver City?” I feel that my only solution is to look in another city. Any ideas?

  4. Hey I’m looking to move into the Culver area in the next month. Does any one know of a website that specializes in apartments in the Culver City area? If so the help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

  5. I’m the furthest thing from an alarmist, but the fact that there are historical cases where hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,”has contaminated community’s daily water supply to the point where they cannot even use the water that comes from their faucets. Imagine never being able to turn shower, kitchen tap, sprinkler system, garden hoses because of the toxic waste water/chemicals that would be released into one’s home, apartment, condo etc. Please explain how injecting large amounts of chemicals (up to 500 industrial lethal chemicals) into the ground would not harm the natural ecosystems, aquifers and additional water supplies? The pollutants used are unhealthy to the people, animals and environment? I’m curious if there are other concerned citizens who live around these oil fields. Heck, have not even discussed the fracking earthquakes. This is common knowledge and people are now beginning to openly discuss this vital issue.

    one day my daughter was flipping through the channels when we came across this interesting documentary on fracking in the state of Pennsylvania. I’m not here to promote it and won’t mention it by name, but it is worth a watch. It was also an Oscar-nominated film. Watch it and come to your own conclusion.

    I wish we can all live in an environment free of man made toxic chemicals.

  6. Go to the Culver City Website in the box at the lower right hand side of the page – Get in touch with City Housing – Tevis Barnes is the woman you want to email. She can tell you about th elottery and what other help is available.

  7. HELLO CULVER CITY!!!

    Evlynne here, shout out to you. I am a member of the committee on Homelessness for the City of Culver City. We need your help!

    The 2013 Homeless count is coming up and we need volunteers. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, January 30, 2013 from 6:00 PM -2:00 AM. Spread the word to yourorganization, friends, family and colleagues to join in.

    If you are interested in participating please contact me by private message at Culver City Times.com and I will get back to you. I have a blog in that publication as well.

    You must be 18 years old to volunteer with the Homeless count.

    We are also looking for donations of water and snacks for our volunteers. If you are a business owner and can help in that way please message me.

    Thank you for your help in advance.

    They count. The question is: Will you?

    2013 Culver City

    Homeless Count

  8. A little after 9 pm last night brought the ecstasy and the ecstasy to a few dozen “school fans” at the regularly scheduled meeting of the CCUSD School Board. The occasion reached after a brief recess were the public comment period just before the action item to vote on support for a ballot measure to issue a tax exempt bond on this June’s ballot.

    General recognition of the need for continuing capital improvement projects and backing a bond measure led speaker after speaker to center aisle. Laura Stuart threw her support behind a measure due to her grown kids’ attachment, and hope for grandkids to similarly enjoy the schools here.

    Mayor Jeff Cooper spoke to the good conscience of the business community, who he notes look for great schools for employees who want to put down roots in a community. City Councilman Jim Clarke echoed those sentiments and added that this can only enhance the vital economic activity seen by the millenials in downtown CC and environs.

    Several parents of elementary age students advocated for
    improving the physical environment to better realize academic gains. Booster club and PTA parents out in force noted all the hard work to bring this forward. Madeline Ehrlich expressed support, remarking how happy she is to see improvements already begun at El Rincon where the meeting was held, and that she and other “senior citizens” will support the measure. Todd Johnson, father of a high schooler and Environmental Sustainability Committee member gave kudoes to the staff, administration and board for their sustained and unflagging efforts to bring the process a master plan, numbers we can count and so meaningful community support.

  9. Culver City Senior Center gym room monitor, Jim Fimiani, has been fired after 8 good years. Why? Jim Famiani is an actual trainer and a true asset to the Senior gym. Fifty to one-hundred members have shown up at various Senior Center board meetings in support of Jim but numerous attempts to reverse the decision have been ignored.

  10. May I suggest that you change the comments section so that the newest comments are on the top, and the older ones are at the bottom?

  11. Thanx for printing my Mitch Glickman/Salute to George Duke@LACMA….MY NAME IS ED HAMILTON….THERE IS NO LEWIS AS A MIDDLE NAME..THANX ED HAMILTON-JAZZTIMES..P.S. HAVE KNOWN MITH 24 YEARS SINCE THE BEGINNING ABD KNOWN GEORGE FOR 35 YEARS

  12. Excellent editorial on college counselors by Jamie Wallace! I hope her words are distributed far and wide. Parents and students need to be informed.

  13. Someone should look into Fox Nutrition Inc and do some real research about the Culture of corruption in Culver City. Oh , by the way “the shield” was filmed just a couple of blocks from the ccpd. Hummmmmmmmmmmm

  14. Culver City will discuss exclusionary zoning on June 23. See culvercity.org for details.

    Exclusionary zoning is to safeguard property value, reduce traffic congestion, limit the supply of available housing units, prohibit multi-family residential dwellings, set minimum lot sizes.

    Opponents say this raises costs, making it less likely that lower-income groups will move in.

    Blacks and other minorities have less income, opponents say, therefore exclusionary zoning is racist.

    The fallacy is that the cost of housing is primarily driven by the cost of land, permits, fees, legal, construction, and more.

    A 2017 study by HomeAdvisor found that the average construction cost per square foot is $150. The average new house in America is 2,687 square feet and costs about $400,000 to build. Add $500,000 to $750,000 for an average CC lot, homes cost $900,000 to $1,150,000 to build plus permits, fees and other costs.

    Multi-family residential costs are similar, ranging from $86 to $200 per square foot.

    So Cal costs are on the higher side due to higher cost of living and labor, not to mention the current premium on lumber due to shortages.
    In Culver City, a 1,500 square foot unit costs about $200,000 to build. The land doubles that cost.

    The rent on a unit that costs $400,000 for land and construction would be about $3,400/month.

    That’s what we see for rents on new units in Culver City.
    It’s not the zoning that’s exclusionary, it’s the cost of new buildings.

    https://www.homeadvisor.com/…/architects…/build-a-house
    https://www.aei.org/…/new-us-homes-today-are-1000…/
    https://www.multifamily.loans/…/multifamily…

  15. Dear Editor:
    My open letter to Mayor Fisch, Vice-Mayor Lee and Councilperson McMorrin in reference to the expanded drought restrictions mandated by Governor Newsom:
    Dear Mayor Fisch, Vice Mayor Lee and Councilperson McMorrin:

    As the YIMBY majority of the City Council dedicated to the hyper densification of Culver City, can you please explain where we are going to get the water to support your quest for hyper densification? How do we get and pay for the water infrastructure necessary, if not required from the developers as part of an infill plan. Are the pipes leading to our homes going to magically expand fourfold? How is our electrical grid going to be expanded and financed? How are we going to preserve our tree canopy and avoid our City becoming an urban heat trap as developers scrape lots and rip up trees and replace it with hardscape. How is more traffic delay and people driving around to find a parking space going to increase air quality?

    No one had asked these questions, and it is clear that your loyalties are to your YIMBY Big Tech and Wall Street masters. The harm you will cause to Culver City will not be forgotten.

    Sincerely,
    Ron Ostrin, resident of Culver City

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