At the first Culver City Council meeting of the new year, on Jan. 8, 2024, the City Council approved who would be working on what, with the annual appointment and approval process of naming representation on various agencies and on City Council subcommittees.
Some of the outside agency boards require the adoption of a resolution to make Culver City appointments to their bodies, so it’s a legal requirement that the council agendize the matter. It’s a time-consuming process, but council members graciously offered their time, joked about scheduling and the temptation of snacks and refreshments being offered to get them to attend.
The appointments include: Los Angeles County City Selection Committee – Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Vice Mayor Dan O’Brien, League of California Cities/Los Angeles County Division – Council Member Goran Eriksson, O’Brien, Independent Cities Association of Los Angeles County – Eriksson, Council Member Albert Vera, Los Angeles County Sanitation District Number Five – McMorrin, O’Brien, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) – McMorrin, O’Brien
Disaster Management “Area A” Executive Board – City Manager John Nachbar, Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) – Eriksson, O’Brien, Interagency Communications Interoperability System (ICI System) – Council Member Freddy Puza, and Clean Power Alliance – McMorrin, Vera.
On the more local fabric of City Subcommittees: Baldwin Hills & Urban Watersheds Conservancy Board – Francisca Castillo, Baldwin Hills Community Standards District, Community Advisory Panel – Vera, McMorrin, Joint Finance and Judiciary Subcommittee; Treasury Investment Subcommittee; and Audit, Financial Planning and Budget Subcommittee – McMorrin, O’Brien, Standing Economic Development Subcommittee – Vera, Eriksson, Culver City Unified School District/City Council Liaison Subcommittee – McMorrin, O’Brien, Standing Sustainability Subcommittee – McMorrin, Puza, Standing Mobility, Traffic and Parking Subcommittee – Eriksson, Puza, Ad Hoc City Council Policies Subcommittee – Vera, McMorrin, City Council-West Los Angeles College Liaison, Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza, Ad Hoc Short-Term Rental Policy Subcommittee – McMorrin, O’Brien, Ad Hoc Equity Subcommittee – McMorrin, Puza, Ad Hoc 2028 Summer Olympics Preparation Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza, Ad Hoc Minimum Wage Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza
Ad Hoc Bill Botts Fields and Veterans Memorial Park Feasibility Study Subcommittee – O’Brien, Vera
Ad Hoc General Plan Subcommittee – Puza, O’Brien, Ad Hoc MLK Jr. Event Subcommittee – McMorrin, Puza, and finally the Ad Hoc Signage Subcommittee – Vera, O’Brien
The council also agreed to the recommendations for new subcommittees including: Ad Hoc Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Special Events Grant Program Subcommittee – O’Brien, Puza, Ad Hoc 2024 Legislative and Policy Platform Subcommittee – Eriksson, O’Brien, County Inglewood Oil Field (IOF) Projects Subcommittee – Vera, McMorrin, Ad Hoc 2024 Police Policies Subcommittee – Eriksson, O’Brien
The council agreed to dissolve many of the subcommittees including: Ad Hoc Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Special Events Grant Program Subcommittee, Ad Hoc 2023 Legislative and Policy Platform Subcommittee, Ad Hoc Cannabis Policy Subcommittee, Nonconforming Firearms Retailer Uses Subcommittee, Fiesta Vendor Ad Hoc Subcommittee, Ad Hoc Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Subcommittee, Ad Hoc Police Liaison Subcommittee, Ad Hoc Regional Oil Operations Subcommittee (also known as Oil Drilling Subcommittee,) Ad Hoc Street Vendors Subcommittee, Ad Hoc Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee.
While issues like cannabis policy and oil drilling seem to be well settled along the legal obligations of the city government, doing away with Police Liaison, LAX/FAA, and housing and homelessness may create a need for another municipal mechanism to fill in and facilitate the government process.
A complete list of agency boards, subcommittees, and their functions are available online at the city’s website, CulverCity.org
Judith Martin-Straw
