The City of Culver City is launching a Community Cultural Equity Plan, a comprehensive, community-driven effort that will guide how the City supports arts, culture, and creativity over the next ten years. The plan will establish a long-term framework for equitable investment in cultural programs, public art, and creative-economy initiatives across all neighborhoods.
“Arts and culture are central to Culver City’s identity and quality of life,” said Mayor Freddy Puza. “This plan is an opportunity to listen, learn, and make thoughtful decisions about how we invest in creativity so that it benefits our entire community. I encourage residents and members of the creative economy to take part and help shape what comes next.”
Following a competitive public process, the City, upon recommendation of the Cultural Affairs Commission, has selected CVL Economics, in partnership with MIG, to serve as the consultant team for the plan. Over the coming year, the City, Commission, and consultant team will work together to engage residents, artists, cultural organizations, and creative workers in shaping a shared vision for Culver City’s cultural future.
A Community Cultural Equity Plan is a strategic roadmap that helps a city understand its cultural assets, address gaps in access and opportunity, and set clear priorities for the future. In Culver City, the plan will look closely at how cultural resources, such as funding, public art, programs, and spaces are distributed and how they can better reflect and serve the city’s diverse communities. The plan will also include a Public Art Master Plan component, outlining a long-term, equitable approach to public art across the city.
The Culver City plan is designed to align with recently adopted citywide policies, including the General Plan and Parks Master Plan, and to translate those goals into practical, actionable strategies for arts and culture. The result will be a clear set of recommendations, tools, and priorities to guide City decision-making and community partnerships over the next decade.
“This is about building a plan that reflects Culver City as it is today, and as it aspires to be,” said Ehsaan Mesghali, Chair of the Cultural Affairs Commission and a member of the Creative Economy and Cultural Plan Subcommittee. “We were looking for a team that could pair strong analytics with deep community input, and help us translate that input into clear and focused strategies applicable to our unique needs.”
Commission Vice Chair Tania Fleischer added, “At its core, this process is about people. We want artists, cultural workers, and residents to feel welcomed into the conversation and to know that their ideas will help shape the cultural life of Culver City for years to come.”
Public participation will be at the heart of the planning process. Throughout the year, the City and its partners will host surveys, workshops, focus groups, and public meetings designed to reach a broad cross-section of the community, including artists, nonprofit organizations, creative businesses, youth, seniors, and historically underrepresented voices. Engagement opportunities will be shared widely and designed to be accessible and welcoming.
“This initiative represents an important milestone for Culver City,” said Sally Unsworth, Cultural Affairs Manager. “The Cultural Affairs Division will be coordinating this work closely with the Commission and our consultant partners to ensure the process is transparent, well-organized, and responsive to community input. Our focus is on building a practical roadmap—one that City leadership, artists, and cultural organizations can actually use to guide programs, partnerships, and public art over the next decade.”
Residents and members of the creative economy are encouraged to stay tuned for announcements about upcoming engagement opportunities and ways to participate. Information will be shared through City channels and the Cultural Affairs Division’s mailing lists over the coming months.
Learn more about the Community Cultural Equity Plan on the City’s website.
