The March 6, 2023 annual pre-budget meetings on departmental work plans included a report from the City Attorney‘s Office, led by Heather Baker, Esq. The city’s legal team works on litigation and claims against the city, an annual training on the Brown Act (statewide legislation that set communication and behavior standards for elected officials) and strategic planning on the amortization of the Inglewood Oil Field. In addition, the office works on the zoning code and contracts management. Both housing and homelessness are also addressed by the attorney’s office, as is any ordinance needs to be reviewed and confirmed for legal standards.
Public Works, led by Yanni Dimitri, offered “We have a very long list of things we are wanting to do in the coming year.” A micro-power-grid for the Vets complex is looking to begin this year, a project first proposed in 2018 to make the Vets park and municipal buildings both green energy sourced and disaster resilient. A pedestrian walkway between Jackson and Farragut is slated to begin this year, as well ten businesses currently working toward a sustainability certification. “When people go to any city, one of the first things they notice is how well maintained the streets and roads are…” A surprising number of alley ways in Culver City have never been paved – 20 out of 30 alleys. A project to pave those that are currently unpaved will be presented to the council in April. A $17 million grant will allow for upgrades of streetlights, thanks to (former) Assembly member Sydney Kamlager. This is proposed to be an upgrade to more environmentally friendly LEDs, which will also save money on the municipal electric bill. Switching two older sewage pumping stations in Fox Hills to a new station will create better service through updated technology. “There are $1.2 trillion dollars in funds available from the federal government right now and we intend to get every [dollar] that we can. ”
Stepping into traffic, Dimitri noted that “We want to make our traffic signals the most efficient on the Westside; we will be looking at every traffic signal [to consider timing and setting.] ” The department will also look into upgrading traffic signals from copper to fiber optic, and to install battery back up systems.
Judith Martin-Straw
Editor’s note – This article is part of a series on the annual department work plans. More will be featured in the coming days.
