Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 237
Culver Woman Survives Santa Monica Rampage Laura Sisk is lucky to be alive. From all news accounts she shouldn’t be here today. When suspected Santa Monica murderer John Zawahri killed two and burned his family’s house down last Friday he hijacked Sisk and her car and drove to Santa Monica College where he killed three more people. Sisk is 42 and lives in Culver City. According to reports Zawahri appeared in the middle of the road. He screamed at her, ordering her to get out of the car and pic...
In what can only be described as a bizarre endorsement process United Parents of Culver City (UPCC) have endorsed current CCUSD School Board President Kathy Paspalis and Steve Levin and have refused to endorse Karlo Silbiger's bid for a second term. They made no endorsement for the third seat. With months to go before either the filing or election the UPCC appeared eager to support two candidates. In an unusual move the group declared they were “neutral” toward Karlo Silbiger’s re-el...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher Ken Garff Automotive Group announced the purchase of Miller Toyota and Miller Honda from Group 1 Automotive on Monday. The dealerships were immediately renamed Culver City Honda and Culver City Toyota and new management was installed at the dealerships. The Miller Dealerships (formerly Mike Miller) were sold to Group 1 in 2002. Unlike Mike Miller, who coincidentally died two weeks ago, Group 1 Automotive was never very involved in the community. The Ken...
Assemblywoman Mitchell Eyes Senate Seat Culver City’s State Senator Curren Price was elected to the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday night, creating a vacancy which will be filled by a special election. When Price takes his seat on the council on July 1 Governor Jerry Brown will have 14 days to call a special election. Culver City Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, who is serving her second two-year term in the lower house, had been mentioned as a front runner to succeed Price. Mitchell would be sub...
Mayor Weissman Looks At A Year of Progress Mayor Andy Weissman addressed civic and business leaders last week in the 33rd annual Mayor’s Luncheon before a sellout crowd of more than 400. Introduced by the Master of Ceremonies, City Manager John Nachbar, the Mayor began by thanking all the groups and individuals who help make Culver City the place it is,” adding, “let us recognize that it is a testament to the strength and vitality of Culver City and recognize, appreciate and applaud it....
As of Monday consumers purchasing taxable goods in Culver City will pay an additional one half percent in sales tax. Voters passed the increase in November by a wide margin to help close an increasing deficit at city hall. The city expects to garner an additional $8 million for the city coffers. Culver City wasn’t alone, sales taxes in more than 20 cities and counties across California increased on Monday. Retailers are casting a wary eye at the increase because Los Angeles residents rejected a...
After last month’s failure of the City Council to seat the newly formed Financial Advisory Committee, staff appears to have miscued the seating of the newly appointed Fiesta La Ballona Committee In what should have been the first meeting of the newly appointed Fiesta La Ballona Committee Tuesday’s meeting was abruptly cancelled after staff failed to post the agenda 72 hours in advance and according one informed source had not yet notified the newly appointed members of the meeting. Under Cal...
Kiyoshiro Yamamoto from Culver City was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for conspiring to import and sell illegal whale meat, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He was working at the now-closed Hump Restaurant in Santa Monica. The indictment also named sushi chef and Susumu Ueda owners of the Hump's parent company, Typhoon Restaurant Inc The importer of the whale meat, Ginichi Ohira pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count last year. He smuggled the product into the United...
The Metropolitan Transit Authority has entered into a contract with All American Asphalt Company for improving the Culver City Expo Station Parking Lot which has deteriorated into a muddy mess since the station opened last June. The cost of the resurfacing project is estimated at $316,467. According to the MTA, the Culver City Station parking lot was designed to be a temporary parking lot which would eventually be turned over to the City of Culver City for future development. For that reason...
5 Hostages Freed after Rape and Stabbing Culver City Police assisted the Los Angeles Police Department in setting up a perimeter following last Thursday night’s brazen robbery and hostage situation at the Nordstrom Rack in the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center that was reported just after 10 p.m. An employee of the store reportedly phoned her spouse in reporting the robbery. Officers observed a man come out of the store and then run back inside when he saw the police officers. The suspects e...
In what has been determined to be a suicide a 56 year old man's body decapitated was found next to the parking structure at the Kaiser Permanente facility on West Washington Blvd. in Culver City Monday afternoon. The Los Angeles County Coroner has identified the man as Mark James Hateley of Los Angeles. Culver City Police were called just before 3 p.m. by hospital security to report the body at 12001 Washington Blvd. The head had been severed from the man's body and was found next to it. Culver...
While President Obama eked out a popular margin win over his Republican opponent Mitt Romney with 50.6 percent of the vote, Culver City went decisively for the President, taking 77 percent of the vote here. While California sent Diane Feinstein back to the United States Senate with 62 percent of the vote, she was even more popular in Culver City, garnering over 78 percent locally. Culver City voted largely with the rest of the state on the propositions except in a few key areas. Proposition 34,...
Despite the need for additional sales tax revenue sought by the city, the Committee supporting the tax increase opted to print the flyers and lawn signs with printers outside the city, thus depriving the city of badly needed sales tax revenue. The lawn signs were printed by Colby Poster Printing of Los Angeles at a cost of $1,732.31 and the printed literature was printed by Zoo Printing at a cost of $1,001.80 in the City of Commerce. Zoo Printing was formerly located in Culver City. The...
With the Presidential election topping the ballot around the nation, all eyes in Culver City are on local Measure Y, called the Essential Services Tax, which would raise the sales tax in Culver City by one-half percent. Faced with several years of deficits, the major blow to city finances came when the governor eliminated redevelopment agencies throughout the state. The city council has worked to reduce the deficit through departmental cuts, retirements, increases health care contributions by...
With jobs and salaries on the line it came as no surprise that Culver City’s municipal unions have made sizable donations to the Culver City sales tax increase known as Measure Y. The committee, known as the Committee to Save Our Services; Yes on Measure Y, had received $6,769.95 in contributions as of September 30. The largest contribution was from the Culver City Employees’ Association Political Action Committee (PAC), which donated $1000, followed by the Culver City Firefighters for Qua...
Tax Would Last For 10 Years The Culver City Democratic Club hosted a discussion on Measure Y, the proposed half cent sales tax increase for Culver City which will appear on the ballot in November’s general election. Mayor Andy Weissman and Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells appeared to argue in favor of the tax increase while Former Culver City Planning Commissioner Marcus Tiggs argued the tax failed to solve the financial crisis the city faces. Weissman told the crowd that after years of d...
Courts Allows Bids, Sale uncertain The Los Angeles Superior Court has allowed bids be taken for Ferrari Maserati Beverly Hills with the caveat that prospective buyers be informed that the dealership is not currently for sale. The dealership, ranked as the largest dealership in the world, has become the centerpiece in the bitter divorce battle between dealership president Giacomo Mattioli and his wife Alexandra Warren. According to court records, the two have spent almost $3 million in legal...
Patronal Festival at St. Mary Episcopal Church Bishop Catherine Roskam, the retired Suffragan Bishop Diocese of New York and one of the most prominent female religious leaders in the country, will officiate at next week’s Patronal Festival at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Palms. The day of celebrations, marking the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, will begin with a Mass in English and Spanish at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 9. The service will include hymns in Spanish and Eng...
Richard Kitabayashi, 79, Was Crossing Sawtelle in Wheelchair The victim of the horrific accident last Thursday between a motorist and a wheelchair bound man has been identified as Richard Hiromu Kitabayashi of Culver City, Kitabayashi, who was 79 years of age died when a struck his motorized wheelchair as he was crossing Sawtelle Blvd. at the La Ballona Creek in Sunkist Park. The vehicle was traveling south on Sawtelle and was approaching McDonald Street at 3:48 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when it...
In the television Series “Dragnet” The tag lines read, “Only the names have changed to protect the innocent.” Quite the opposite was true in Tuesday’s California Primary Election, while the names were the same all the district numbers changed due to reapportionment. The 47th State Assembly District has now become the 54th where incumbent Holly Mitchell will square off against Republican Keith Mc Cowan in the November general election. Ed Nicoletti, who had previously been an unsuccess...
Updated: Culver Doctor Murdered Chiropractor Robert Rainey Brutally Beaten to Death Los Angeles Police Department West Bureau Homicide Detectives are asking for the public’s help with providing any information that would lead to the suspect(s) responsible for the death of 54-year-old popular chiropractor Robert Rainey, 54, a resident of Culver City. Rainey was found murdered inside his offices at 9225, Venice Boulevard in Palms. On Thursday, May 31 at approximately 8:15 a.m., Pacific Area o...
By Stephen Hadland Observer Publisher After rejecting the Conditional Use Permit Modification (CUP) by a vote of 3-2 of The Help Group to add 250 students the planning commission will reconsider their action. They voted to deny the proposed Modification of the existing Conditional Use Permit to allow for the conversion of an existing two-story medical office building on The Help Group campus into school facilities and the addition of 250 students. After the commission voted on May 23 to reject...
Public School 612 will replace Fraiche Restaurant in downtown Culver City. Fraiche which was once named “one of the 10 best new restaurants in the United States,” has suffered in recent years with the loss of Chef Jason Travi and Thierry Perez, both partners in the restaurant and the ill-timed expansion into Santa Monica when the owners opened a second location. Public School is a modern craft beer pub and restaurant and is operated by Grill Concepts LLC which owns the Daily Grill. It currently...
Vintage Guitars Stolen From Tom Petty at Culver Studios Are Recovered Culver City Police recovered five guitars belonging to rock and roll legend Tom Petty on Monday. The guitars were stolen on Thursday, April 12 from a sound stage at Culver Studios where Tom Petty and his band Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were rehearsing for their upcoming concert tour. A fifth guitar was reported missing the following day. After an investigation CCPD Detectives obtained a search and arrest warrant for...
Voters Reject Malsin Bid to Return to Dias Meghan Sahli-Wells and Jim Clarke both won seats on the Culver City Council Tuesday night joining incumbents Andy Weissman and Micheal O’Leary, both of whom were re-elected to second terms. Scott Malsin lost his bid to return to the council after resigning in December in order to retain his health benefits. City hall watchers were not surprised by his loss as many expressed sympathy with Malsin on his decision to resign but were critical of his d...
