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City Manager
City Clerk’s Office
• Baldwin Hills Conservancy Board of Directors Position Announcement - The City Clerk’s Office announces the application period for the City Council’s three nominees for the Governor’s appointment of one voting member to the Baldwin Hills Conservancy (BHC) Board of Directors. The Board consists of 13 voting members and seven nonvoting members. This BHC appointment will serve a two year term, which will begin as early as September 2014. Please visit the City’s website for more information about how to apply: http://www.culvercity.org/en/Articles/BaldwinHillsConservancy.aspx
City Manager’s Office
• Culver City’s Boulevard Music Summer Festival – The free Thursday night concerts continue through August 14th from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the City Hall Courtyard.
On Thursday, July 24th Wild Surf will perform Beach Boys/Jan & Dean and Surf Classics. Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of California’s Historic Surf Group the Beach Boys. The band will perform such hits as Surfin' USA, Good Vibrations, Surfer Girl, God Only Knows, Help Me Rhonda, Fun Fun Fun, and more. A perfect show for a summer concert setting. http://boulevardmusic.com/livemusic/530.html
Thursday, July 31st will feature Bluegrass from the Grammy winning John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band. Jorgenson and Pedersen are the founders (with Chris Hillman, formerly of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers) of the formative country rock band, Desert Rose Band. Jorgenson, known for his blistering guitar and mandolin licks and mastery of a broad musical palette, has earned a reputation as a world-class musician, as evidenced by his collaborations with Brad Paisley, Earl Scruggs, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Bob Dylan and many others. http://boulevardmusic.com/livemusic/531.html
The concert series is produced by Gary Mandell of Boulevard Music and co-sponsored by the City of Culver City and the Cultural Affairs Foundation. For reserved seating information and additional information, please call Boulevard Music at (310) 398-2583 or visit: http://www.boulevardmusic.com/
Community Development
• The Studio (MDR) – A permit has been issued for a 1,375 square foot tenant improvement for a new Pilates studio at 13365 Washington Boulevard.
• Ristorante Morini – Plans have been submitted for a 6,526 square foot tenant improvement for a new restaurant at 8810 Washington Boulevard.
• Bistro Laurent – Plans have been submitted for a 1,129 square foot tenant improvement for a new retail bakery at 12459 Washington Boulevard.
Fire Department
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training – 13 members of the community completed 22 hours of CERT training on June 28th. The training included: Introduction to Disaster Response; Disaster Medical Operations; Fire Suppression; Light Search and Rescue; Disaster Psychology; Hazardous Materials; Terrorism Awareness; and Incident Command. The course culminated in a final “hands on” drill that replicated some of the challenges one would face in a disaster and gave participants the opportunity to put their newly learned skills to the test. Anyone interested in obtaining additional information about the CERT program is encouraged to visit the City’s website at https://www.culvercity.org/Government/PublicSafety/Cert.aspx. The next CERT Training Class will be held over the following four days: September 30th, October 4th, 11th and 18th.
• Public Education –The Fire Department was invited to participate in Temple Akiba School’s “Superheroes Week.” On July 11th, Fire Department members visited the school to present fire safety tips and general information about the Fire Department. The children seemed very excited about the presentation and enthusiastically asked staff many follow-up questions about Fire Service and Fire Safety. During the visit, the children were given fire safety handouts and toy fire helmets.
• Safety and Health Week – the Fire Department participated in the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Safety and Health Week June 15 - 21. The aim of this annual event is to improve firefighter safety and health to give all a better chance of survival during emergencies and in the long-term. With heart attacks as the leading cause of on-duty firefighter fatalities, around 81,000 firefighter injuries each year, and a number of safety and health concerns facing first responders every day, it is especially important that each firefighter is prepared in every way. All members conducted various drills and training exercises that specifically focused on firefighter safety, fire crew situational awareness and overall health and safety with the goal of helping to prevent line-of-duty deaths and injuries.
• Cocos Fire Thank You – The Fire Department recently received San Marcos Fire Chief Brett Van Wey’s letter of thanks for the Department’s response to May’s Cocos Fire.
On May 14, 2014, at approximately 3:30 p.m., a fire that originated near Cocos Drive in San Marcos quickly became a significant event. Driven by strong northeasterly winds, hot temperatures and very low relative humidity, the fire immediately threatened the surrounding communities and required emergency resources from throughout the region and beyond. Mitigation efforts extended over the next 8 days where the Cocos incident consumed 1,995 acres through multiple jurisdictions. Cooperation and excellent working relationships between our Unified Command partners and the California mutual aid system proved to be extremely valuable in overcoming the many challenges presented.
On behalf of the San Marcos Fire Department, I want to thank you and the Culver City Fire Department for sending critical resources to help assist us in protecting life, property, and the environment. Without the cooperation of your agency, the impact and magnitude of this incident would have been significantly different. Please express my humble appreciation to all of your personnel for their hard work and dedication to minimizing structure loss and protecting life within our community and beyond.
Our success as a region in overcoming challenges has grown tremendously over the years. I look forward to building upon the successes learned from this incident and strengthening our working relationship in the future.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department
• Veterans Memorial Building (VMB) and Rental Operations – Culver City Historical Society’s Archives Resource Center will be open at VMB following the Society’s annual picnic on July 27th. The picnic will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Veterans Park. More information is available by calling (310) 253-6941; emailing info@culvercityhistoricalsociety.org; by or visiting http://www.culvercityhistoricalsociety.org.
• Fiesta La Ballona – Culver City’s “Party in The Park” will be held August 22 – 24, 2014 at Veterans Park. This popular event features live music, food trucks and a variety of food concessions, a beer and wine garden, carnival rides, artisan wares, and many family-oriented attractions for all ages. Admission is free. A variety of local sponsors also help fund and support Fiesta. Information on unique and tailored sponsorship opportunities is available by contacting fiesta.laballona@culvercity.org or calling (310) 253-6667. To learn more about Fiesta La Ballona, to sign up to be a volunteer, and to find out more by “liking” the event on Facebook, following it on Twitter, or viewing it on YouTube and Instagram, visit the website at http://www.fiestalaballona.org.
• Culver City Senior Center Senior Prom – The first-ever Senior Prom was held on Saturday, June 28th at the Culver City Senior Center. The “most-senior” attendees were chosen as King and Queen – Ann Levin, who is 102 and Eddie Grosse, who is 92. They waltzed together to “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” a great way to celebrate healthy aging.
• Mental Health Program at the Senior Center – The Senior Center partnership with Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Older Adults Program continues and is now in its 3rd year. Staff from the County are at the Senior Center every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. and have the capability to do home visits, overall mental and physical health evaluations, ongoing therapy, case management and other services.
• Senior Center Diabetes Nutrition Class – “My Diabetes Nutrition Class” meets with registered dietician Joya Melissa the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. If you or a family member has diabetes, your doctor has told you your blood sugars are a little elevated, or if you or a friend are struggling with pre-diabetes, we invite you to participate.
• Affordable Living for the Aging Information at the Senior Center – Affordable Living for the Aging staff is at the Senior Center every Thursday to assist seniors seeking shared and affordable housing arrangements, as well as non-seniors who have a room in their house and are seeking a housemate. For appointments, please call (323) 650-7988.
• Senior Center Health Care Counseling – Each Monday our free Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) counselor provides impartial and bias-free information, assistance and counseling on Medicare and related health coverage. This service is provided by the Center for Health Care Rights and is available by appointment only by calling (310) 253-6700.
• Recreation Youth Mentoring Program – We are proud to have 12 new youth mentees this summer. The Public Works Department will have two; one will be in Administration, and one will be in the field, learning multiple trades. Other assignments include positions in Human Resources, the Veterans Memorial Complex and the Day Camp Program. This program runs from July 14th – August 24th.
Police Department
• Blair Hills Neighborhood Watch - On July 15th, the Blair Hills Neighborhood Watch met with Lieutenant Jason Sims, who discussed current crime trends and reminded the community about National Night Out at Lindberg Park on August 5th.
• Chamber of Commerce Breakfast - On July 16th, Interim Police Chief Scott Bixby, the Command Staff, and Lieutenant Sims had the opportunity to meet with members of the Chamber to discuss current issues related to the business community and to share ideas regarding crime prevention and the use of the Department's social media resources.
Public Works
• Bike, Walk & Scoot Festival: Saturday, July 26, 2014 – On Saturday, July 26 Culver City Walk & Rollers is hosting a Bike, Walk & Scoot Festival at Culver City Middle School to teach kids essential bicycle and pedestrian safety lessons in a fun, engaging event. This free event for all ages is part of the Culver City Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program designed to encourage walking and biking to school more often and more safely. The Program is coordinated with the Culver City Unified School District and underscores the value of healthy, active living and fun of non-motorized transportation, while reducing traffic and pollution.
FREE Fun for the Whole Family!
• Bike and Scooter Skills Stations
• Obstacle Course
• Bicycle Tune-ups (by Chubby's Bikes)
• On-street Group Rides
• Group Walks - by Walk with a Doc, Culver City
• Workshops (for Adults) - by Sustainable Streets
• Bike Crafts: Make your own spoke card, race plate and custom button!
When: Saturday, July 26, 2014
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where: Culver City Middle School-14601 Elenda Street
RSVP/Questions: http://www.ccwalkandroll.com
All bicycle activities will be led by trained instructors. Helmets required for all riders under 18, strongly encouraged for everyone else.
• Culver City Receives Metro Grant to Host Culver City CicLAvia in 2015 – The City of Culver City received notification from Metro for an award of $453,600 to host Culver City CicLAvia. Metro has set aside funding for Open Street events to promote bicycle and pedestrian use of major roads primarily utilized by vehicles. Currently the proposed route will travel from the Culver City Expo Station westward on Washington Boulevard to downtown Culver City through downtown Culver City on Washington/Culver and then continuing west on Washington Boulevard to Washington Place near Tellefson Park. From there the route will continue west on Washington Place to Centinela Avenue where it will turn north to Venice and then continue westward on Venice to Venice Beach. During the event, the street segments used for the event will be closed to motor vehicle traffic.
Culver City CicLAvia is a joint effort with the City of Los Angeles and CicLAvia, a non-profit organization. All three partners received funding through the grant, with each partner contributing a 20% match through in-kind support or monetary contribution. The event is tentatively scheduled for July 2015 and will take place on a Sunday during the day.
• Safe Routes to School Completion at Linwood Howe Elementary School – Construction at the intersections surrounding Linwood Howe Elementary School has been completed. The intersection improvements are the result of a $450,000 State Safe Routes to School Competitive Grant. The funds are designated for street improvements to ensure safe routes to schools for students. The intersection improvement project included several intersections surrounding the school with bulb-outs/curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalks, and perpendicular curb ramps.
• Rubberized Sidewalk Panels Meet Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Specifications - On Tuesday July 8, representatives from the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services visited a location in Culver City, where the Public Works Department had recently installed rubberized sidewalk panels, to conduct a coefficient of friction test on the panels. The goal of the test was to determine how much skid resistance the panels provide from spinning vehicle tires under various conditions (wet, dry, slippery). The results of the tests showed that the panels meet or exceed OSHA specifications.
The City of Los Angeles requested access to Culver City sidewalks to conduct this test, since it has the desire to begin utilizing rubberized sidewalk panels and Culver City has a number of locations where the panels have already been installed and in use. Culver City’s Public Works Department uses these panels for sidewalk repairs in areas where tree roots have uplifted the sidewalk, and the panels can be utilized to help preserve the trees and minimize future sidewalk uplift. The panels are placed adjacent to the tree trunk and have channels on the bottom that allow tree roots to grow laterally so that they do not lift the panels as readily as they do concrete sidewalk. When the rubberized panels do get displaced by tree roots, crews will only need to reset the lifted panels and cut roots directly beneath the effected panels rather than have to break up huge portions of concrete. This will reduce the time and cost of future sidewalk repairs.
• Expo Update: – As part of the Expo Light Rail Line Phase 2 construction, crews will continue with street and roadway improvements along Venice Boulevard. The work is being managed and performed by the Expo Phase 2 design-build contractor Skanska-Rados, Joint Venture.
What: Venice Boulevard Street Widening and Roadway Improvements
When: Late-July through Mid-September 2014
Hours: 24–Hour Work Shifts, Monday - Sunday
Where: South side of Venice Boulevard, between Culver Boulevard and
National Boulevard
Work Description:
As part of the street widening and roadway improvements, work crews will conduct sidewalk/roadway reconstruction, installation of storm drains, catch basins, traffic signals and street lighting, and the realignment and restriping of traffic lanes. Additional street improvements on the north side of Venice Boulevard will follow. Expo will provide supplemental notices with more specific planned start and completion dates.
Traffic Impacts:
- Starting in late-July 2014, temporary lane closures will be implemented on Eastbound Venice Boulevard during nighttime hours for the relocation of K-Rail and restriping of traffic lanes to delineate the new work areas along the south side of the street.
- Due to the K-Rail placement near the Expo Line Culver City Station, the station entrance off Venice Boulevard will be temporarily closed for approximately four (4) weeks.
- The sidewalk on the south side of Venice Boulevard, between Culver Boulevard and Robertson Boulevard, will be temporarily closed, along with the crosswalk on the south side of Venice Boulevard at Robertson Boulevard.
- The sidewalk at the southwesterly corner of the Venice/National Boulevards intersection will be closed for approximately two weeks.
- Eastbound Venice Boulevard will remain two lanes of through traffic between Bagley Avenue and Robertson Boulevard. Between Robertson Boulevard and National Boulevard, the eastbound roadway will be increased to three lanes of through traffic.
- Southbound National Boulevard will be reduced to one lane of traffic through the Venice Boulevard intersection, and the crosswalk on the west side of National Boulevard will remain closed during this period. Due to the in traffic lane width south of Venice Boulevard, commercial trucks will be detoured to La Cienega/Jefferson/National Boulevards.
Advisories:
- Directional signage and/or flaggers will be used to safely direct vehicles and pedestrians around the construction zone.
- Temporary parking restrictions will be required and strictly enforced at all times. Signage with specific restrictions will be in place in all construction areas.
- Local access to businesses and residences will be maintained throughout all construction activities.
- Please obey all posted construction signs and do not enter the construction work zone.
- Construction schedules are subject to change for various reasons including but not limited to: weather conditions, unforeseen emergencies and other acts of nature.)
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