Jim B. Clarke has worn a lot of hats in Culver City; he’s a former mayor and council member, a founder of the Culver Arts Foundation, and one of the leaders at Leadership Culver City. The new class will be starting in January, and getting into civic engagement couldn’t have a more open door, and Clarke is hopeful that it will be the best session yet.
Going into it’s sixth year, the program has some notable alumni, including Mayor Freddy Puza, Culver City Sister City Co-President Lisa Saperston, and Culver City Fire Captain Bryan Sua, along with dozens of others.
Mayor Puza said “Leadership Culver City provided me with a comprehensive overview of how the city operates and highlighted the work of each of the city’s departments. It challenged me to think outside of the box when considering solutions to our city’s most pressing issues.”
Clarke noted “Over the past five years, some 80 individuals have graduated and become more active by running for City Council, serving on city boards and commissions or volunteering with non-profit organizations, all in the name of civic engagement.”
The archivist and former president of the Culver City Historical Society, Hope Parrish, enthused “ I loved taking this class. Having lived here my whole life I thought I knew how the city worked. But I really didn’t. I learned so much about our city government, and how it works. The local businesses and non-profits in Culver City, our creative economy, and also the art and culture in our city. I loved our group sessions and then our final project that each group got to pick, based on what grabbed us during the sessions was just so amazing. We had a clothing drive for west la students that was a huge success. You don’t have to want to be Mayor, but being aware of things I didn’t know about has helped me to be a better neighbor, volunteer and also a resident. I am so happy that I was in the pilot class. It made a world of difference in my knowledge and life as I proceeded with my passion for our city’s history.”
Two time city council candidate Denice Renteria reflected “Leadership Culver City gave me a greater understanding of how many different parts of the city connect the entire community.”
The idea behind Leadership is to give people a chance to look closely at how municipal government works, hear from folks who have been a part of the process, and connect with other people interested in policy making.
“Our classes are held one day a month, starting in January and run through June. We try to limit the class size to 20-24 so there can be considerable interaction between the participants and outside speakers and with each other.”
Applications for January will close next Friday, December 19, 2025
