City Manager's Update

City Manager’s Office

• Downtown Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony – On Thursday, December 1 at 6 pm join the City Council and the Culver City Downtown Business Association at the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. See Santa Claus as he makes a special visit, in honor of Culver City’s Centennial and 100th holiday season at this annual event. Downtown Culver City businesses will provide hot cider, hot cocoa, cookies and other festive treats. Enjoy performances by folk dancing groups and local choirs, as well as appearances by the City Council. Culver City makes this free holiday celebration “green” and energy efficient, lighting a beautiful 22-foot Rocky Mountain pine tree with over 7,500 LED lights. Stay afterward for dinner at one of Downtown Culver City’s many restaurants or take a stroll down the boulevards. The festivities will take place in Town Plaza - at the intersection of Culver Boulevard and Van Buren Place (next to the Culver Hotel and ArcLight Cinemas). Please click here for more information about downtown parking and visit the Culver CityBus website for options to make your way over to the event!

• International Visitor Leadership Program Participants Visit Culver City! – City Council Member Göran Eriksson met with six members of a delegation from Indonesia to discuss community organizing and campaigns. This delegation was chosen by the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia to participate in the U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program.

Fire Department

• Thanksgiving Fire Safety – Did you know Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires? The number of home fires double on Thanksgiving. The Culver City Fire Department encourages you to be safe when preparing your holiday meal. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

 The leading cause of fire in the kitchen is unattended cooking. Stand by your pan when you are cooking on the stovetop. If you leave the kitchen for even a short time turn off the stove.

 Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently. Set a timer so you will not forget about the bird as you watch the parade or football.

 If you are frying your turkey, use a fryer with thermostat controls to ensure the oil does not become over heated. Thaw your turkey completely; ice on the bird will cause oil to splatter. Don’t overfill the pot with oil. Always use the fryer outdoors.

 Make sure children stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns. Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

 Keep the floor clear so you do not trip over anything while carrying hot food items.

 Be sure electric cords from appliances do not dangle off the counter within easy reach of a child.

 Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — preferably, up high in a locked cabinet.

 Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

 For more information visit http://www.culvercity.org/fire. The Culver City Fire Department wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

• Culver City Senior Citizens Association Annual Holiday Food Certificate Program – It’s that time of year. The public has an opportunity to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Culver City Senior Citizens Association Annual Holiday Food Certificate Program. Each donated dollar goes directly toward buying supermarket certificates for our less fortunate Culver City friends and neighbors to help them experience the joy, sharing and caring of the Holiday Season. The Holiday Food Certificate Program is sponsored by the Culver City Senior Citizens Association, a 501(c)(3) organization, and the Senior and Social Services Division. The program relies solely on community donations for funding. Please make your donation payable to the Culver City Senior Citizens Association and send to: Culver City Senior Citizens Association, Attn: Holiday Certificate Program, 4095 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232.

• Culver City Senior & Social Services Training and Information – 15 staff members from the Culver City Senior & Social Services Division recently participated in an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid course offered by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. The class was designed to help front line employees understand risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns, their impact, common treatments, as well as strategies and techniques to offer assistance to Center participants who may be in need of help. For Social Service inquiries and resources please contact Darren Uhl at 310-253-6729 or by email at darren.uhl@culvercity.org.

• Senior & Social Services Staff Member Presents Webinar – Senior & Social Services Specialist Jill Thomsen presented a webinar to more than 100 National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP) members around the country. Ms. Thomsen was asked to give the presentation after speaking at the national Aging in America conference in Washington, D.C. this summer. The webinar focused on evolving volunteer trends and different types of recruitment efforts.

• Culver City After School Recreation Program (CCARP) – After School program sites are looking forward to celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. Prior to the school recess, students will create arts and crafts projects that reflect the spirit of Thanksgiving. CCARP and the Culver City Teen Center will be closed from Wednesday, November 23 through Friday, November 25 in observance of the holiday.

• Culver City Teen Center – The Teen Center’s annual Thanksgiving feast will take place on Tuesday, November 22. Staff will serve a light Thanksgiving meal for all Teen Center members. In addition to food, there will be activities and games at this annual Holiday tradition.

• Tower Lighting Ceremony – Culver City’s Annual Tower Lighting Ceremony will take place on Friday, December 2 at 6:30 pm at Veterans Memorial Park, 4117 Overland Avenue. This popular event is free to the public.

• Veterans Memorial Complex Rental Operation – Inquiries for Veterans Memorial Complex Rental Office may be made via vmc.booking@culvercity.org or by calling 310-253-6625. The Rental Office hours will be temporarily adjusted during the upcoming few months. The Rental Office will be closed on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25tfor the Thanksgiving holiday; Monday, December 25 and Monday, January 2, 2017. The Rental Office will be closed on Tuesday evenings and will be open on Wednesday evenings until 7:30 pm from now through January 2017.

• The Culver City Historical Society – The Culver City Historical Society invites the public to visit the Archives and Resource Center on Sunday, December 4 from 1 pm to 3 pm for holiday shopping. Julie Lugo Cerra, author of her newly published Culver City, California: The First Hundred Years, will be signing copies of her book. The organization has also produced two limited-edition products celebrating the Centennial. The Archives and Resource Center will be open again on Sunday, December 18 from 1 pm to 3 pm. More information is available at http://www.culvercityhistoricalsociety.org/shop.

• Parks, Recreation and Community Service Commission Highlights from the November 1 Meeting – The Commission heard an informational item regarding Youth and Family Programs, presented by staff from the Recreation Division. Topics included Parks and Playground Programs, the Culver City After School Recreation Program, Day Camp, the Teen Center and annual special events. The Commission held another in a series of planning discussions regarding Community Conversations – Topic #7, which has the working title: “Growing Up In, or Attending School in Culver City: A Continuing Conversation on Culture and Race”, which is tentatively scheduled for the February 7, 2017 Commission meeting. The Commission heard updates from the Commission’s Ad Hoc Subcommittees and representative appointees to various outside Associations and City Committees.

Police Department

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Los Angeles Police Department Leadership Program - After four intense months of studying and attending classes for over 160 hours, Lieutenant Randy Vickrey (center) graduated from the LAPD Leadership Program, formerly known as the West Point Leadership Program. The four month program is designed for law enforcement management personnel to utilize contemporary behavioral science theories and approaches to identify and account for what is currently happening within police organizations and with the public.

Public Works Department

• Park Your Tree Program offers Easy Drop-Off for Old Holiday Trees – The City is providing Culver City residents with a new program to compost their Holiday Tree. The Park Your Tree Program offers residents the opportunity to drop-off their old Holiday trees at any one of the following four local parks: Veterans Park, Fox Hills Park, Culver West Park, and Syd Kronenthal Park. Refuse and Recycling staff will deliver large bins at each park site and regularly collect all trees placed in containers beginning on December 26, 2016 through the end of January 2017. Residents can continue to place chopped-up trees in their green organics container on scheduled collection days. All decorations, lighting, and tree stands must be removed prior to disposal. Distribution of flyers and additional advertising will begin in December 2016.

PARK your TREE

Sunday Refuse & Recycling Collection Service Implemented for Select Culver City Businesses - The City began implementing daily collection services for commercial businesses in downtown Culver City, the Fox Hills Mall, and Costco on Sunday, November 13, 2016. Prior to Sunday the 13th, crews only collected trash and recyclable materials from Monday through Saturday. Recently, an analysis of waste collection services determined that businesses generating large volumes of trash and recycling would greatly benefit from daily collection. A Sunday collection service would expedite refuse and recycling collection the following Monday and would ensure cleaner trash enclosure areas for commercial businesses.

Transportation Department

Public Transit is for Everyone - In partnership with Metro, Transportation staff hosted a Field Trip on Wednesday, November 9 as part of the series “Public Transit is for Everyone.” The session provided an overview of “How to Ride the Bus” with useful transit tips and information. 17 senior citizens joined Culver CityBus and Metro to learn how local transit and the Metro rail work together. The group met Culver CityBus staff at the Senior Center and walked to the nearest stop for Culver CityBus Line 7. Once on board, the participants took the 10 minute ride to the Culver City Expo station. At the station, Metro staff joined the group and provided information including, how to use and load their TAP cards, safety features at Metro stations and on Trains, and how to follow directional and informational signage.

The program was designed to accommodate 20 senior citizens. Of the 17 participants,10 had never been on the train, five had never been to the Expo station, and one person had never used public transit. All participants took the Expo train to Santa Monica where many stayed and enjoyed an afternoon on the Santa Monica Pier. High marks were received from all participants. Staff is looking forward to more events to get residents on transit!

Culver City High Loves TAP! – On November 16 and November 17 Culver CityBus partnered with Metro and CCUSD for an event to get CCHS students on TAP (Transit Access Pass)! Metro staff brought out their brand new Mobile Customer Service Center and over 120 students were able to sign up for new student TAP cards, check balances, and load their cards on the spot! Metro and Culver CityBus staff were on hand to answer questions and provide information about routes and service.

Culver City High is the first school to participate as Metro rolls out this new program to local area High schools! Staff would like to thank Dr. Carlos Valverde and the students of his ASB program who provided public relations, set up, entertainment, and support for the event. #CULVERPRIDE!

Limited Edition Centennial TAP Cards – While Supplies last! - Centennial TAP (Transit Access Pass) cards now available for $2 at either of our two physical sales locations. Come Visit us in person at our City Hall or Transportation offices. Cards only available while supplies last. Get yours today!