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Mayor Michael "Mehaul" O'Leary presided over his second Mayor's Luncheon last Thursday to a packed crowd at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Sponsored by the Culver City Chamber of Commerce the event has become the most attended event in the city. Unlike his speech four years ago when he finished his first term as mayor, O'Leary announced to the crowd he wouldn't' keep everyone over an hour as he did last time. The speech was filled with humor and song to the delight of the crowd. He highlighted...
Meghan Sahli-Wells, Thomas Small and Goran Eriksson were elected to three seats on the Culver City Council Tuesday night. The unofficial total as of press time were: Meghan Sahli-Wells 2,760 Thomas Small 1,769 Goran Eriksson 1,645 Daniel Lee 1,422 Scott Wyant 1,279 Marcus Tiggs 1,103 Jay Garacochea 574 The City Clerk, Martin Cole reports there are still several hundred provisional ballots to be counted....
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher In Huntington Beach there is a shopping center that was built in 1969 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., son of the famed American architect, to design the Westfair Shopping Center. The center was to include a 92-foot tower resembling an oil derrick which in the early part of the century populated the landscape in Huntington Beach. It was ugly and resembled a futuristic communications tower from Star War than an oil derrick. The residents protested and...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher George Barris, whose name was synonymous with many cars built of television shows and movies, has died at his home in Encino. George was 89. He was an avid participant in the car show named after him; "The George Barris Cruisin' Back to the 50's Culver City Car Show" George was present at 11 of the 12 shows held each year in Downtown Culver City. His car creations are legendary in the world of television and motion pictures including the likes of the origina...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Culver City Voters elected Kelly Kent with 41% of the votes and Anne Allaire Burke with almost 32% to the Culver City Unified School District Board on Tuesday. They will replace Nancy Goldberg and Laura Chardiet. Burke and McVarish ran as a team endorsed and supported by an organization called United Parents of Culver City while Kent was supported by a group called Culver City Community Coalition. Both organizations appear to be a loosely organized group of...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher When the Culver City Ice Arena closed last year residents showed up in force at city council meetings looking for a way to save a valuable recreation facility for families in Culver City and the entire Westside. City Council members wrung their hands and gnashed their teeth but in the end did nothing and took none of the suggestions to save the rink. Now with a year gone by, the original entitlements requiring the property be used for an ice rink have...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Culver City Voters elected Kelly Kent with 41% of the votes and Anne Allaire Burke with almost 32% to the Culver City Unified School District Board on Tuesday. They will replace Nancy Goldberg and Laura Chardiet. Burke and McVarish ran as a team endorsed and supported by an organization called United Parents of Culver City while Kent was supported by a group called Culver City Community Coalition. Both organizations appear to be a loosely organized group of...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Carol Layana passed away this week at the age of 80. When Albert Vera Jr. texted the message to me I wept for over an hour. Carol would not have been pleased. She wanted no fuss over her. Carol was born in Salinas on May 15, 1935 to Emmett and Louise Malloy. The family later moved to Inglewood where Carol grew up. She married and moved to Westchester and then to Culver City, the place she called home for more than half a century. True to her Irish heritage...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Exceptional Children's Foundation (ECF) of Culver City hosted a luncheon on May 19, to recognize and thank 70 business partners who understand and benefit from the value that employing people of all abilities provides to their operations. Sportscaster Jim Hill was the Master of Ceremonies for the event which was held at Killer Shrimp Restaurant in Marina Del Rey. Leo Bunnin, owner of Bunnin Chevrolet, surprised the crowd at the end of the meeting by asking H...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Longtime Culver City resident and chair of Culver City's Finance Advisory Committee Göran Eriksson has become the first candidate to announce for one of the three seats available on the 2016 Culver City Council ballot. Eriksson has a long track record as a successful businessman and community activist, so while his announcement comes earlier than usual, he said planning ahead and being prepared is part of his nature. "I have created a campaign committee...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher The graveside services were held last Sunday morning for Ken Ruben at Mt. Olive Cemetery in Commerce. Ruben, a train buff and longtime advocate for public transportation, passed away on Thursday morning, March 12. Ruben was 72. Ari Noonan of thefrontpageonline.com said it best: "He is gone. "A man who never held public office, never was prominent in commerce, never accumulated the most remote form of wealth but rose to the perch of being one of Culver...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher A group claiming to be the "Progressive Slate" Swept the caucus election to represent the 54th Assembly District at the upcoming Democratic State Convention. Seven men and seven women were elected out of a field of 39 prospective delegates. Elected were Tom Camarella, Max Kanin, Nyabingi Kuti, Fred MacFarlane, Stephen Murray, Mark Ridley-Thomas, David Mielke, Suzanne De Benedittis, Lilian Carter, Denise Collier. Mary Beth Fielder, Jacquelynn Hawthorne,...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Kevin Lachoff was installed as the 2015 Chair of the Culver City Board of Directors last week at the Chamber's annual installation along with the newly elected board members. Lachoff, a broker with the commercial real estate firm of Newmark, Grubb, Knight and Frank, is a lifelong Westside resident who graduated from Beverly Hills High School. He was accompanied at the ceremony by his wife Michele Serra Lachoff. Coming off a year that shown a major increase...
Wisdom has never been a part of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un's education or he would have known that Bad publicity is better than no publicity at all. This proved true for the movie "The Interview" which broke new ground earning over $15 million with online purchases and rentals through Saturday. Shunned by traditional theaters after threats from hackers, the comedy earned nearly $3 million in theaters and was rented or downloaded over two million times since hitting the Web on Tuesday...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Sony Pictures Entertainment has suspended tours at the iconic studio lot in Culver City in the wake of continued threats against the studio by North Korea and hackers who were protesting the movie "The Interview" where two journalist were hired to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un The tours have been suspended indefinitely, however they plan to re-evaluate the potential threats after the first of the New Year. Sony along with all Los Angeles...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher The FBI along with Sony Pictures Entertainment is investigating the source of a cyber attack that took down Sony's computer network in Culver City last week. Sources close to the investigation believe that hackers working on behalf of North Korea launched the attack because Sony Pictures plans to release "The Interview," a comedy about two journalists who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North Korean dictatorship...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Traffic was snarled throughout Downtown Culver City much of Monday afternoon as a high speed chase from Santa Clarita ended in Culver City near Van Buren Place and Lucerne Avenue. The Culver City Police Department issued an alert at 1:49 pm for motorist to avoid the area stating, "The LAPD is currently involved in police activity in the area...Police helicopters and police officers are searching for an outstanding suspect. Please avoid the area, remain in...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher While most of the country, including West Los Angeles, exciting contested elections, Culver City was no more than a big yawner. All three legislators, Congresswoman Karen Bass, State Senator Holly Mitchell and Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas easily won their reelections on Tuesday. The only really contested seat on the ballot was for the open seat on the West Basin Water District Board. Scott Houston won the seat with 11,318 votes with Jeff Ebstein with...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Rita Zide, owner of Roll 'N Rye in Culver City, has announced the restaurant will close after 51 years in business. She plans to retire. "I started here in April 1963 when my Dad opened the original restaurant. I started as a cashier." She went on to purchase the restaurant from her father 35 years ago and built the new Roll 'N Rye in 1989. Panera Bread will be moving into the Roll "N Rye location after extensive remodeling. Zide has been a major benefactor...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher New digital billboards one of the busiest stretches of freeway in the nation, due to a proposal being considered by Culver City. The proposal presented to Culver City several weeks ago calls for a full-size, double-sided digital billboard on the west side of the 405 Freeway where it crosses Sepulveda Blvd. Another full-size, single-sided digital billboard would be placed at the heavily-trafficked intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and Centinela Ave. just a...
Sony Pictures Imageworks is leaving Culver City and moving its headquarters to Vancouver, B.C. The company is moving into a new, state-of-the-art facility, capable of accommodating up to 700 employees, which will be the largest footprint for a visual effects company in Vancouver. The Vancouver team, which recently completed work on Edge of Tomorrow (Warner Bros.) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Columbia Pictures), will lead Sony Pictures Imageworks' current and future projects, including...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher After waging a courageous battle against his illnesses, noted Culver City restaurateur George Petrelli passed away on Friday, May 30, at his home with his family by his side. His daughter Marie said he died peacefully and with dignity "while I held his hand." She called to mind his favorite song by Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way." "Truly, he left this world his way," Marie added. Many Culver City residents expressed their shock and sadness at the passing of...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher While Culver City Police cannot confirm the suspect is the same man who attempted to kidnap a Culver City Middle school girl last week all the signs point to the same individual. He struck again twice this week. On Tuesday at 7:15pm, a 16 year old female was walking home from school in the area of Overland Ave. and Virginia Ave., a Male White/Hispanic Adult, short brown hair, and facial hair, driving a green four door vehicle, pulled alongside of her. The...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Throughout the evening the election was never in doubt. From the absentee ballots which were counted first to the last precinct councilmembers Jeff Cooper and Jim Clark maintained a strong lead over challengers Christopher Patrick King and Gary Abrams. Cooper, currently serving a one year term as Mayor, was seeking a second full term while Clarke had just completed a two year stint on the council finishing out Scott Maslin's term after Malsin resigned two...
Mayor Jeff Cooper delivered his address before a sellout crowd at the 34th Annual Mayor's Luncheon at the Doubletree By Hilton Hotel on Tuesday. The Annual Mayor's Luncheon is sponsored by the Culver City Chamber of Commerce. Going to the roots of Culver City he likened the movie stars to the everyday residents saying, "This is the birthplace of stars like Drew Barrymore and Jackson Browne and the workplace of motion picture stars, creative stars and business stars too numerous to mention. "It...
