City Council Meeting Summary, June 24, 2024

Published on June 27, 2024

Photo of City Council with residents posing for photo for gun safety awareness month

City Council Promotes Gun Safety, Receives Update on City’s Homeless Efforts, and Approves Test of Childcare at Meetings

City Council to Test Childcare at Meetings

Would you attend a public meeting in person if childcare was offered? Childcare could be offered to residents to help them attend public meetings. On Monday, the City Council approved the development of a six-month test program of offering childcare at some City-held meetings, with the goal of enhancing public participation. While the public can currently virtually attend and participate in all of Culver City’s Council, Committee, Board, and Commission meetings,  some community members with childcare responsibilities may prefer to attend in person. The City will distribute more information on the availability of the program and requirements to participate in the coming weeks.

Staff Provides Homelessness Emergency Update, City Council Approves Agreement Amendment with Urban Alchemy

The City Council received another update from Tevis Barnes, Housing and Human Services Director, on Culver City’s homelessness emergency. Barnes began the update by introducing a new member of the Mobile Crisis Team. Theodore Brown, or better known as Teddie, is a therapy dog as part of the team's wellness program. He will join and assist on calls when appropriate. You can watch the video of Teddie on the City's YouTube page.

Barnes also provided a snapshot of the care the City offers to the unhoused population in Culver City. As of May 1st, the permanent supportive housing located at Project Homekey is at full capacity of 38 residents in 36 units, including nine emotional support animals. On the interim housing side of Project Homekey, 23 residents occupy 22 rooms. Current occupancy is at 76 percent. At the Wellness Village, formerly known as Safe Sleep, there are 19 people. A total of 57 people have participated since the start of the program in summer 2023. Thirty guests have moved to Project Homekey and other resources. The Motel Master Leasing currently has 38 people residing at the location. A total of 69 people have utilized the location since it opened in January 2023. The snapshot also included an update of the Mobile Crisis Team that officially launched at the beginning of March. The team has helped provide placement for 28 unhoused individuals and responded to 356 calls for service, engaging with 279 people with a total, including 71 mental health assessments. Healthcare in Action, the mobile medical unit contracted with the City, has contacted 87 patients with 77 of them receiving treatment. Currently the City staff is working on creating a dashboard on the City’s website that will track data regarding the unhoused situation in Culver City.

Meanwhile, the City Council later approved an amendment to the existing services agreement with Urban Alchemy for $4.43 million in the next fiscal year. Urban Alchemy will continue as lead operator and service provider for the Wellness Village, as well as provide supportive service and care to residents at the City’s leased motels. Urban Alchemy is a nonprofit organization with the mission of healing communities challenged by the intersection of extreme poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and addiction through the act of respect, compassion, and love. It will expand its evening and weekend homeless outreach services through the Community, Engagement and Outreach (CEO) Team. Since July 1, 2023, the Housing and Human Services (HHS) Department has received and responded to 555 homeless outreach requests via email, the homeless hotline, City staff and Council requests and the City Citizen Relation Management (CRM) system. The CEO Team will provide an expansion of outreach service hours from 3 PM to 11:30 PM, seven days a week. The Mobile Crisis team will continue to provide homeless outreach from 10 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday with crisis intervention services to the general community.

Culver City Police Provide Gun Safety Presentation

The Culver City Police Department provided a presentation on Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO). A GVRO is a civil court order requested by law-enforcement officers and select civilians, such as immediate family members, employers, or co-worker, when a person poses a danger to themselves or others. It prohibits controlling, possessing, purchasing, or receiving firearms, ammunition, and magazines. When used properly, a GVRO is one of many tools to temporarily remove firearms. A GVRO can last up to 21 days. Others can be extended by a judge and last between one and five years.  

Since January 2023, CCPD has seized approximately 115 firearms, with 17 being turned in by community members. CCPD also received 35 guns during buy-backs. Sixty-three seizures have come from detentions and radio calls. The presentation also showed a drop in gun violence in Culver City during the previous twelve months, compared to the prior twelve months. In the last year, Culver City saw a 42 percent reduction in gun violence.

Gun locks are available at the CCPD front desk and are free. If any community member has a firearm they no longer want, they can call the police department or turn it in at the CCPD front desk. Guns should be left in vehicle trunks until retrieved by CCPD staff. The firearm will be collected and destroyed accordingly. CCPD’s next gun buyback event is scheduled to take place in September.

City Council Proclaims June as Gun Safety Awareness Month

The City Council began its meeting on Monday proclaiming June 2024 as Gun Violence Awareness Month. Gun violence impacts every segment of our society and the lives of people of various age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, education, national origin, or any other distinguishing characteristic or trait. An average of 327 people are shot in the United States each day, with 117 being killed by firearms, according to nonprofit Brady United. Gun Violence Awareness Month honors the many lives that have been cut short by gun violence in our country and supports efforts to reduce gun-related crimes in the United States. The City of Culver City is committed to protecting its community from gun violence and exploring additional ways to do so through firearm safety regulations and safe gun storage.

City Council Recognizes Blackbird Collective

City Council also provided a recognition award to Bridgid Coulter Cheadle, owner of Blackbird Collective on its fifth anniversary as a Culver City business. Blackbird is a private work and wellbeing collective for women of color and allies to create positive change by providing a safe space for collaboration both virtually and in-person.

Finance Advisory Committee Presents Awards to City Staff

The Finance Advisory Committee presented the 3rd Annual Innovation and Performance Awards. It recognized nine Culver City staff members for their efforts in making life better in the City.  For Best Innovation, the Transportation Department was awarded for its GoPass Program Passport. Dia Turner accepted the award. For the Sustainability Award, Public Works won for Sanitation Bin Welding Project. Moises Aldana accepted the award. For the Efficiency Award, Public Works won for the On-Call Task Order Requisition. Thomas Check accepted the award. In an Honorable Mention, Public Works was recognized for the Mesmer Low-Flow Diversion Stormwater Project. Sean Singletary, Jesse MacGregor, and Hong Wang accepted the recognition.

Additional Council Decisions 

Additional items approved by the City Council include:

Additional information about each of the topics heard at the City Council meeting can be found in the staff reports and backup attachments for the items, which are posted along with the agenda to the City’s website. The video of the City Council meeting will be made available on the City’s website for viewing.

The City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 8th.

 

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