Smaller Is Sometimes Better

I think it is fair to say that most of the buyers I run into in the course of my work are already familiar with the main attractions Culver City has to offer, such as its school district and direct control over its police and fire departments, to name just a few.

When I tell them, however, that if they are even remotely interested in local politics, within five years of becoming a resident they will most likely know all five sitting City Council members, not only by sight but by name, and in all probability the council members will know their name too, they look at me quizzically.

This is, in my opinion, one of the secrets of Culver City’s success. If we compare ourselves to one of our nearest neighbors, the city of Los Angeles, which has a population of approximately 3,790,000, versus about 40,000 for Culver City, the number of people who live in our town is one of its biggest advantages.

It is simply not possible to have the same level of intimacy, the same local resident involvement and concern when the population is in the millions and not the thousands.

This is why local residents get involved: They feel like they can actually effect change, and this in turn creates a motivation to be more involved. It is truly a win-win. Is there anyone out there who doubts that if they divided Los Angeles into say, four smaller cities, the overall result would be far more positive than what the residenets have now?

Case in point: I wandered into the beer garden at this past weekend. I ran into two of our esteemed councilmen right away, one of whom introduced me to a gentleman who was proud of the fact that he attended every single council meeting so that—in his own words—he can "keep them honest." Seems to me this is what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they talked about government of the people, by the people and for the people.

It also seems to me that if Thomas Jefferson were alive today, I might just be able to sell him a house in Culver City, which is a living, breathing example of his vision. Little did the founders know that their blueprints would be great for home values too.