It’s unusual for one member of the City Council to recuse themselves from a vote, but it’s truly rare for two council members to do so. At the Nov. 11, 2024 Culver City Council meeting, both Mayor Yasmine Imani McMorrin and Council member Freddy Puza recused themselves from voting on Public Hearing 3; the multiple issues involved in approving the proposed development at 5700 Hannum in Fox Hills. Both are nearby residents, and ‘conflict of interest’ is considered disqualifying for a council member, but that distinction is also up to the member offering to recuse.
The hearing, which was framed as “pure theater” by Culver City resident Judi Sherman speaking from the podium, heard an unusual number of public comments from multiple speakers identifying as Marine Corp. veterans, dressed in orange and yellow safety vests, stating that this development was important as employment for veterans. Ralph Velador, one of those identifying as a veteran, said “good developers like Lincoln Properties [allow veterans to have] those jobs they need to provide for their families.”
Sherman noted that ‘The [Environmental Impact Report] is meaningless…we [in Fox Hills] are at a higher risk for negative impact for our health, because of the … cumulative impact of the multiple projects planned puts a wall of housing on Slauson.”
Jeff Haas, who identified as a long time resident of Fox Hills, said he was “looking forward to this as a revitalization of Fox Hills.”
The number of speakers who showed up to praise Lincoln Properties by name was heavily disproportionate, and gave support to Sherman’s claim that it was stage-managed.
The three members voting – Vice Mayor Dan O’Brien, Council member Goran Eriksson, and newly re-elected Council member Albert Vera, Jr. all approved the “mixed-use” residential and commercial development project in Fox Hills.
Designed to be six stories high, the development will be 84 feet tall at the corner of Hannum Avenue and Buckingham Parkway. With 309 residential units, 27 of which are designated to be ‘very low income’ and 5,600 square feet of commercial space. The project also includes 428 vehicle parking spaces, and 92 bicycle parking spaces.
Judith Martin-Straw
