Dear Editor,
On October 10, 2022, the state’s Housing and Community Development Department certified Culver City’s Housing Element Update (“HEU”). The council majority finally won, or did they?
Why does this matter? The next council majority will be making future decisions about zoning, regulatory, and housing matters. If Alex Fisch and Freddy Puza are elected they will control the process along with Yasmine-Imani McMorrin.
What does the state want? The state wants more housing units but this council’s plans provide 223% over what the state calls for. The State’s requirements could be easily met without changing the zoning for residential neighborhoods, and more importantly not eliminating State protections against speculation, renter protections, and owner occupancy requirements.
Which homes are most likely to disappear? Older homes, properties that have not been recently developed, and affordable rental properties. Based on economics, no affordable housing units would be built on expensive residential land. It doesn’t pencil out for the builder. Say goodbye to the original houses, the quadplexes built for studio workers, the working class homes that sprouted in Culver’s neighborhoods. State Bill 9 (SB9) allows a duplex and up to two ADUs to replace all single family homes in Culver City, but it contains significant renter protections and speculator restrictions which would be wiped out by the Council elimination of R1/single family zoning.
In multi-family neighborhoods the quaint small duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes will be targeted by real estate speculators and developers who want to turn a quick profit.
What you can do:
Vote on Nov. 8.
It’s time to vote for people who will reach out to the entire community, people who will make decisions based on facts not ideology, people whose concentration is on what Culver City and its residents need to live safely, active solutions to deal with homelessness and intelligent decisions about housing rights and regulations.
Too much time has been wasted by the council majority on planning to change residential areas when they should have been laser focused on assisting construction where the inclusion of affordable housing actually makes sense.
VOTE FOR DAN O’BRIEN AND DENICE RENTERIA
Jamie Wallace
Resident and President of Culver City Neighbors United
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”
A vote for Dan and Denice is a vote for billionaire Michael Hackman who is funding their campaign to the tune of $250k. Jamie Wallace is President of Culver City Neighbors United which has also received funding from Hackman. This is a corporate takeover of our city by a commercial developer. Hackman already tried to knock down the ‘fairy house’ on Poinsettia Court to create more parking (Alex Fisch fought this and saved the house). Ask yourselves, how will Renteria and O’Brien pay back Mr Hackman for his exceedingly generous donation to their campaigns? Vote for smart experienced candidates who will work for our city, not small-town thinkers who will work for their benefactor, a Billionaire commercial developer.
And don’t forget, if Hackman doesn’t get what he wants this time, he will be back again and again until we shut him out of our elections. Billionaires don’t get to buy our democracy. Vote for Puza and Fisch.
Polly:
Them’s mighty bold accusations. Seems as if Fisch and his minions have had current residents of CC in their sights for years. There is no reason to tear the fabric of our city apart to serve the interests of folks who clearly are not interested in serving the residents of Culver City…
For better or worse, Hackman has an economic interest in the success of Culver City. He’s already invested here. The more the place turns into a third-world dump, the worse it is for his investment, and the worse it is for the rest of us. I, for one, welcome is concern about our city… something that Fisch has proven over and over not to have, and Puza shows little chance of having. Like you, they have nothing but contempt for no less than half of the people that make CC home.
“a third world dump???” Really. How do other countries get maligned and insulted while debating our city’s future? This is the kind of language that motivates me to vote for our progressive candidates.