Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 334
Dear Editor, Last week, the membership of the Culver City Democratic Club voted on a housing resolution forced by a right-wing member which called for the continued exclusion of apartments and other more diverse and affordable multi-family housing options from the wealthiest and whitest neighboorhoods in Culver City… the neighborhoods currrently zoned for detached single homes only. I’m very pleased to report that the CCDC membership overwhelmingly rejected that resolution. As a progressive mem...
Dear Culver City Democratic Club and Editors: The Hospital’s federal lawsuit against the City has cost the City $101,291.12 in legal fees as of July 31, 2021. This case has Just gotten started and could go on for years and cost many millions of dollars before it ends. This ordinance was passed by Alex Fisch and Daniel Lee with the complicity of Yasmine McMorrin for the sake of the advancement of their political careers and “pro bono favors” from the Union. This kind of malfeasance and reckl...
Dear Mr. Ostrin: This letter is a follow up to my August 30, 2021 extension letter to you and in response to your August 20, 2021 request for City records under the California Public Records Act, Government Code section 6250 et seq. The City is conducting a diligent search for disclosable responsive records that are in the possession, custody or control of the City. Below are the requests contained in your letter, and the City’s response to each. Request 1. “…[A]ll documentation that evide...
On Friday August 20th, the SMMUSD school board approved a set of Covid mandates under the SMMUSD COVID Surveillance Program. The Covid mandates requires students to wear a mask indoors & outdoors as well weekly PCR testing regardless if your child has been vaccinated. Parents were give little to no time to fully review the COVID Surveillance Program registration and make an informed decision regarding the District's COVID Mandates and the potential effect on our children. The roll out of the COV...
Dear Alex Fisch, Daniel Lee and Yasmine McMorrin, I do not support your program of gentrifying Culver City and displacing people of color and the middle class by eliminating R-1 zoning. You are advocating a program that will decrease housing for people of color, older residents on a fixed income and young families. It is trickle down Ronald Reaganomics of deregulation that will only enrich institutional investors and out of state and foreign corporate interests. The measures that you support...
The manager of Chase Bank, the manager of Footlocker, two property owners, a property manager, and I would like to meet with you today or tomorrow. Early this morning before dawn, Downtown Santa Monica was out of control. There is NO SECURITY, and no adequate response from your department from 12 midnight until 6 am, .or from DTSM, Inc. Here is what happened this morning, I have videos - - 1) My cleaning crew was again blocked from accessing the rear of my property on the 3rd Street Promenade...
Dear Editor, The only realistic way to solve our local housing shortage is to build more housing! Over the past 15 years, for each new housing unit constructed in Culver City, we’ve added 49 new jobs. It’s not surprising that home prices in Culver City have doubled in just the past eight years. Many thousands of people who work here can’t afford to live here, and so they are forced to buy homes in far-away suburbs and commute. If only we were able to provide suitable housing locally, there...
Dear Neighbors, No matter where one stands on the Jackson Gate issue, the most dangerous and sad fact is that there has been a long history of lack of transparency on this issue and egregious lack of due process, and lack of democracy exhibited by most members of this council. Instead of listening to us, instead of giving us research, studies and facts, instead of answering our questions, instead of inclusion, we have been ignored. Worse still is that supporters of opening this gate, have on...
Dear Editor, Very simply, your wellbeing & mine depend on keeping Gov Newsom in office. Although he has disappointed me on some issues, Gov Newsom’s deliverables on the whole far outweigh the negatives. Not only do we have a balanced budget, but every demographic from Big Tech to biotech to the homeless and all of us in between are benefitting from his leadership! How Gavin Newson dealt with and is dealing with the ethics & economics of the pandemic far outweighs everything else. Should a T...
Letters to the Editor They Didn't Suddenly Decide to Demolish It During the Pandemic Photo: The History building at SamoHi. People could have looked into these plans long ago, but they don't pay attention until it's too late Opinion by Rufus N. Baker As a SAMOHI alum, class of 1970, and an SMMUSD employee since 1998, I, too, wish the District could save the combined SAMOHI History/Art/Business building complex. But they didn't just suddenly decide during the pandemic. It's nothing new. We've...
To the Editor: I am surprised at my apathy towards the change to R1 zoning that is being proposed by the Culver City Council. Since I skew conservative, I thought about how I arrived at this indifferent attitude. It started in 2010 when Megan Sahli-Wells became active in city affairs. In November 2010 I wrote a letter to the editor stating my hope that she would never be on the city council. Seventeen months later she won her first term and then was reelected in 2016. This was the first step...
Dear Editor, Representative democracy crashed against the rocks of political ideology when the Culver City Council voted (3-2) to push forward with upzoning almost all R1/single-family lots. Upzoning means that the city will in the future allow developers, speculators, homeowners, and builders to build up to 4 housing units on each single-family lot. (More explanation below). In short, they directed staff to study how to eliminate single-family zoning. The council majority consisted of Mayor...
Dear Editor, I am a member of the General Plan Advisory Committee (“GPAC”), but I am writing as a 27-year resident of Culver City and a native Southern Californian. We bought our single-family home in 1994 after the Northridge earthquake when property prices tumbled. This is our starter as well as our forever home. I have watched Culver City politics regress from dealing with local issues, concentrating on infrastructure, encouraging business growth, providing health and safety, and pro...
California Should Allow Vets, Others to Use Psychedelic drugs Just like prohibition of the sale and consumption of alcohol in the 1920’s gave rise to the likes of Al Capone and American organized crime, our multi-decade war on drugs is a failure and has resulted mainly in empowering inner city gangs and turning our southern neighbor (Mexico) into a permanent war zone. We are already seeing that, with the decriminalization of cannabis, illegal-drug-related crime is disappearing, appropriate r...
The City Council of Culver City last week voted in favor of a government-mandated premium pay ordinance for health care workers in the city, and the measure is scheduled for a second vote on Monday, June 14. The so-called “hazard pay” ordinance singles out Southern California Hospital at Culver City and would require the hospital to provide an additional $5 per hour to its workers for 120 days, taking effect on July 14, should the city succeed in their unconstitutional attempt. If it pas...
A miracle just happened for the residents of Santa Monica that can save our city forever: Councilmember Kevin McKeown, who has served for decades in this role, just unexpectedly announced his resignation effective 2 weeks from now to a shocked Council and city. Why is this a miracle? Because Kevin had been leading the efforts to enrich wealthy developers by using “equity” and “anti-racism” as a BS excuse to upzone the entire city (including single family R1 zoned communities) for high density...
Dear Editor, On Monday, May 10, the Culver City Council voted 3-2 to put on the June 14 agenda a discussion to eliminate R1/single-family home zoning. This was in response to an organized group that incorrectly believes eliminating single-family zoning will create affordable housing and help alleviate racial inequity in Culver City. Their plan would allow developers and land speculators to build up to 4 units (or more?) on almost any single-family home lot. There is an affordable housing crisis,...
This petition against me is categorically false, mean-spirited, and harmful to our exemplary school district. The recall is baseless and does not serve our students or the voters of Santa Monica and Malibu. Here are a few important facts about our school district: unlike every other district in Los Angeles County, all students in SMMUSD (prek-12) will have access to five day a week, in person instruction by April 26th with teachers and staff who have been fully vaccinated. As neighboring...
This encampment is getting bigger and bigger with more trash,sewage, trash,rv’s,trucks with trailers, vans, you can’t even walk by lady in blue van has a huge dog that won’t even let you walk by something really needs to be done I feel city council and police department are just ignoring emails Jo Hu South Del Rey...
Dear editor, Nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic shutting down the United States, it's time for our leaders in Washington to put aside partisan bickering and do something to help. President Biden's American Rescue Plan to stop coronavirus and deal with the pandemic's impact on our nation does just that. And the American people agree. Real American unity is more than about politicians agreeing on a piece of legislation – it's about getting vaccines in arms, safely reopening schools for i...
Dear editor, In his first few months as Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell has given us a preview of how Republicans will behave for the next four years. They will use every tool at their disposal, like the filibuster, to cling to power and stop progress. They used it to block civil rights legislation in the 60s. They used it to block background checks for gun sales in 2013. And they'll use it to block EVERYTHING Democrats want to do in 2021. Republicans have changed the rules to entrench...
Dear editor, No one wants to be back in the classroom more than educators. Nothing would make me happier than to welcome every one of my students back to my classrooms in a way that keeps us all safe. But as California struggles to deal with constant and unpredictable changes to control the pandemic, a phased-in approach that responds to local conditions and transmission rates is the only responsible return to in-person instruction. To reopen schools the state must ensure all in person...
Dear Editor: On February 23, 2021 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of establishing "Hero Pay" for grocery and drug store employees. The pay would be $5.00 per hour in additional pay and would apply to publicly traded employers and employers who have over 300 employees nationwide and more than 10 employees per store. The additional pay would be in effect for 120 days from the date the ordinance is passed. In its current form, the ordinance would only apply to...
Dear Editor, I’m a tenant and when this started, I knew it was good for the poor, but bad for the landlords…ESPECIALLY those who have bad tenants. I’ve read some nightmare stories about those who don’t pay their rent now and certainly aren’t going to have it when the time is up and they have to pay it. Lot’s of these landlords may lose their homes unless something is done about it. I mean, how are you supposed to pay the mortgage when they aren’t paying their rent? I’ve made a point of paying...
Dear Editor; Last night Culver City Councilmember Dan Lee insultingly called all the Culver City Police RACIST! What saddens me is that no other council members called him out for his outrageous remarks because they are too timid and intimidated by this race hustler because they don't want to be attacked by the loony left and cancel culture! I'm calling on all people to demand that Culver City Councilmember Dan Lee apologize for his bigot and race hustling remarks! Robert Zirgulis President,...
