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Politics & Government

Culver City Council Candidates Meet Up at League of Women Voters Forum

Issues covered by the six candidates Wednesday included budget cuts and the closure of the Culver City Redevelopment Agency.

 

The six candidates running for Culver City Council met last night at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

The candidates answered questions that were primarily submitted online and chosen “to cover the widest possible range of relevant subject matter,” said Frances Talbott-White, co-chair of the Culver City Unit of the League of Women Voters.

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City Council candidates Jim Clarke, Scott Malsin, Stephen Murray, Culver City Mayor Micheál O’Leary, Andrew Weissman and Meghan Sahli-Wells weighed in on the issues after presenting their own opening statements.

There were concerns expressed regarding how Culver City should respond to the demise of the city’s Redevelopment Agency. Both Malsin and Weissman pointed out how losing the agency has greatly impacted the city and its budget.

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“It’s been a real loss to the community,” Weissman said. “We’re no longer in a position where we can be all things to all people.”

Malsin suggested finding other sources of funding to replace the money that was lost. Clarke said redevelopment should be structured in a way that benefits the city. Both Sahli-Wells and O’Leary stressed the importance of protecting Culver City's assets.

“Redevelopment is a two-headed snake,” Murray said. “So what I have to say to redevelopment is good riddance. I mean, it’s a shame we didn’t take advantage of it and fuel the affordable housing that we should have done.”

All of the candidates except for Murray stated their answers as “yes” when asked to respond “yes or no” to their positions on Measure X, the increase in the transient occupancy tax, also known as the “hotel tax.”

Some questions were initially asked to three candidates at a time, including what city programs would be off the table when it comes to budget cuts. Weissman and Sahli-Wells said public safety should remain a top priority. Sahli-Wells pointed out how the Culver City Fire Department, in particular, helped her grandmother when she was alive.

“On several occasions, the fire department came to save her and having those incredible response times really made the difference between life and death,” Sahli-Wells said.

O’Leary suggested it would be "unwise" for him to claim there would be one program he would not consider but said "there will be programs that I will fight for."

Some of the candidates also spoke of concerns about helping the Culver City School District when asked to describe an “ideal relationship” between the city and the school district.

Referring to having a child in Culver City schools, Malsin said the relationship is of great importance to him.

“I think the Culver City Council and the city best serve our schools by helping to support them as best they can whether it’s through services or traffic improvement,” Malsin said.

“I believe there is a direct correlation between our property values and our schools,” O’Leary said.

Both Clarke and Murray agreed that schools are a big draw in attracting families to Culver City.

All of the candidates were in agreement as to whether Culver City should maintain its animal control officer.

“I’ve been walking the precincts, and I can tell you there are more animals than there are voters in Culver City,” Clarke said.

The League of Women Voters has made more information about the candidates available on smartvoter.org.

The six candidates are vying for four council seats in the April 10 Culver City Council elections.

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