Two lawsuits have been dismissed against Jubilo Village, and the project is now expected to break ground in January of 2026, only a year behind their originally planned starting date.
The affordable housing project was the target of two separate lawsuits, both of which have been dismissed by the courts. An individual suit brought by Gary Zeiss, and another suit brought by the political group Culver City Coalition, both alleged the Culver City Council was acting improperly by supporting the affordable housing development.
Jubilo Village is a joint project for Community Corp. of Santa Monica and Culver-Palms United Methodist that will provide housing will be for households whose incomes range from extremely low income (30% of area median income), very low income (50% of AMI) to low income (80% of AMI). AMI is determine by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department, and is determined by the AMI for the county; in this case, LA County.
The City of Culver City is one of multiple sources supporting the project. In August, CCSM announced that “our long-awaited Jubilo Village project received its final funding from [the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee.]” Community Corp. of Santa Monica has built or restored over 2,100 affordable homes in Santa Monica and more than fifty units in Los Angeles. Jubilo Village is the first project in Culver City.
Zeiss filed suit alleging that the city’s agreed upon support for the affordable housing project was in “violation against the California Constitution.” The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, disagreed.
The suit brought by the Culver City Coalition alleged the city had not acted properly in awarding the support for the project. The plaintiff offered that the housing expenditure was “an illegal use of public funds.” The suit was dismissed by the court citing that the city had “followed all applicable laws, had taken all required measures,” and “at all relevant times, the City was the duly authorized [to act on it’s own authority.]”
The Culver City Coalition’s suit was declared to be dismissed “with prejudice,” on October 15, 2025.
The groundbreaking, which had originally been set for January of 2025 is now scheduled to take place in January of 2026.
Judith Martin-Straw
