The City Council meeting scheduled for Dec. 8, 2025, has some historic changes on the agenda; both the rotation of the mayor and the installation of the new City Manager.
While there have been some instances in the past where the mayoral rotation did not proceed to the vice mayor as expected, there is no sign that will happen tonight. The current council has kept decorum to the forefront, and Vice Mayor Freddy Puza is expected to succeed Mayor Dan O’Brien.
New City Manager Odis Jones will have his employment agreement voted on by the council. Their vote to approve Jones for the position was announced as unanimous at the session on Dec. 1, 2025.
Puza will be Culver City’s first openly gay mayor, a landmark for Culver City’s ongoing efforts towards diversity. Puza has often spoken of the progress that the city has made in recent years with inclusivity, and his ‘both/and’ approach in discussing council matters has reflected a balance of social and economic concerns.
O’Brien’s “State of the City” speech at the Culver Theaters on November 6 offered his reflections on his year in the office, and a private reception was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce to celebrate O’Brien’s mayoral term on Nov. 18 at One Culver.
City manager John Nachbar is retiring after 15 years of service with the city. His term ends this month.
It is traditional for the outgoing mayor to make some closing remarks at the council meetings, and the rotation will include naming the next vice mayor as well.
Judith Martin-Straw
