Enhance Public Safety Through Services, Amenities, and a Care-Centered Budget

To create a more inclusive Culver City, we understand that our approach to public safety must encompass so much more than law enforcement. But for too long, our police department has received the bulk of the city’s funding and focus. In fact, the Culver City Police Department consumes nearly a third of our General Fund, far beyond any other department or category. It is time for a modern, holistic vision of public safety in Culver CIty. By prioritizing preventative care, investing in vital services like child care and senior programming, and encouraging community involvement through increased participation in city governance, we can create a city where all residents feel secure, supported, and empowered. By adopting proven strategies already in use across the country, we can build a city that not only responds effectively to challenges, but also proactively invests in the health, happiness, and resilience of its residents.

Prioritize preventative care

As part of Culver City's commitment to enhancing public safety through services, our Housing, Homeless and Human Services Department plays a pivotal role. Charged with providing outreach to unhoused populations, spearheading new housing initiatives like Project Homekey and safe sleep sites, and offering essential services for tenants, adults, seniors, and disabled residents, this department serves as a lifeline for many in our community. However, chronic understaffing and underfunding have hampered its ability to deliver projects on time and left residents in need waiting indefinitely for shelter and support. To ensure the well-being of all Culver City residents, it's imperative that we adequately fund and prioritize the work of this department to provide necessary care and assistance.

  • Fund and expand the mobile crisis unit so it is operational 24/7, rather than just on weekdays from 10am-6pm. 

  • Create a safety ambassador program similar to West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and the Metro system to add security professionals to our streets, especially at night.

  • Institute a regular audit of the dedicated crisis and care teams for residents of the city's permanent and interim housing sites to evaluate efficacy. 

  • Explore funding opportunities for a guaranteed income pilot to keep vulnerable tenants from becoming homelessness

  • Transition some services from Culver City Police Department traffic enforcement to the Department of Transportation such as parking enforcement, other non-moving violations, and school crossing guard management, so that these functions are more appropriately integrated with the city’s other transportation work.

  • End the racially-biased practice of pretextual stops and remove police from interactions which all too often escalate unnecessarily to arrests and incarceration.

  • Create a community police review body with subpoena power to help ensure accountability and transparency for the city’s police department

  • Adopt the Public Safety draft element which outlined a modern, holistic vision of public safety but was discarded by three councilmembers last year.

Invest in child care, senior programming, open space, and amenities

Investing in our neighborhood amenities is not just about improving physical spaces; it's about fostering vibrant communities where every resident feels supported and valued. It's disheartening to see outdated buildings and equipment, pools and playgrounds with limited accessibility, and a lack of gathering and recreational spaces in several neighborhoods. By investing in amenities that cater to diverse needs and abilities, we can lay the groundwork for a safer, healthier, and more inclusive Culver City for generations to come.

  • Expand the Parks, Recreation & Community Services (PRCS) popular afterschool and Summer Camp offerings and aquatics programs for all ages

  • Support the creation of a Parks Master Plan that equitably allocates resources to the city’s parks and recreational facilities for badly needed repairs and modernizations

  • Renovate older playgrounds like Culver West, and create inclusive playgrounds so all children in Culver City can play without barriers.

  • Provide more park space in the West Culver and Fox Hills areas and a community meeting space in Fox Hills.

  • Support the creation of a second pool that offers a shallow end for small children and easy walk-in access for those with mobility challenges.

  • Ensure maintenance of walkways and paths so that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy the parks.

  • Make parks more accessible for seniors and neighbors of all abilities by investing in safe routes to parks which include transit, cycling, and pedestrian routes and safe drop-off zones for vehicles.

  • Support the creation of regular open streets events (i.e. CicLAvia) to provide open space, recreation, and continue the needed culture shift towards sustainable transportation.

  • Create an e-bike voucher program as Santa Monica has done to provide e-bike subsidies to low-income residents.

Increase participation in city government & pass a people’s budget

Council meetings that last until two in the morning, a budget process designed to be opaque and difficult to influence, and high barriers to run and serve in public office make it difficult for most people to participate in our city’s decision-making process. To cultivate a more engaged Culver City, we must find new ways to empower our residents and stakeholders. Through initiatives such as participatory budgeting and increasing the accessibility of city meetings, we can amplify the voices of our community in shaping policies and priorities. By promoting transparency, diverse leadership, and expanded voting eligibility, we can create a city where every voice is valued and every member of our community has a meaningful role in shaping its future.

  • Create and pass a people’s budget focused on housing, transit, supporting small businesses, and public safety through services and preventative care

  • Institute participatory budgeting practices to give residents a voice in their city's budget.

  • Utilize a matching stipend and/or democracy vouchers with public funds to supplement candidate funds and unlock opportunities for a more diverse pool of candidates running for local elected office.

  • Create a plan to appropriately compensate future Councilmembers to enable more diverse leadership

  • Support the Vote16 initiative to expand voting eligibility in local elections which is shown to create habitual voters

  • Increase accessibility of city meetings which often last until 1 or 2 in the morning when very few members of the public are able to attend, by working with city staff and the community to establish standard hours for public meetings and, if needed, increase the frequency of meetings to fit city business within those hours.

  • Publish e-comments in the public record to increase transparency and accountability in Council decision-making.