Elected Official? Create newsletters in minutes, not hours.
Transparent, authentic, comprehensive newsletters to maximize constituent representation and civic engagement.
Councilmember Dan O'Brien Newsletter — March 15, 2026
📬 Councilmember Dan O'Brien | Culver City | March 16, 2026
Hello Culver City neighbors,
I spent Sunday afternoon at the Culver Steps, taking in the blue skies and watching people move through the city doing exactly what a city should do on a day off. It was a good reminder of what we're working to protect and build on every week.
This week has some real stakes in it. Tonight's Council meeting is the first since a full March 9 session with several significant decisions. Tomorrow is the most pivotal Sepulveda workshop yet. And there's a Book Festival on the horizon worth knowing about. Let's get into it.
🏛️ City Council Tonight, Monday March 16 at 7 PM
🔹 The Council meets tonight at 7 PM, landing this month on the third Monday to align with CCUSD's spring break. Agendas are live now. Whatever's on your mind, tonight is the time to say it.
→ 🎯 My take: Public comment is not a formality. It's one of the most direct levers residents have on how we deliberate. Five minutes of preparation before tonight is worth it.
👉 View tonight's agenda and meeting details
👉 How to watch or attend virtually
🚦 Transportation: Tomorrow Is the One
🔹 Sepulveda Connects Design Workshop #3 is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, at 6 PM at the Veterans Memorial Building (Rotunda Room, 4117 Overland Ave). This is the third and most pivotal design session for the corridor. Lane configuration, parking, bike infrastructure, pedestrian access. The choices being shaped right now will define how Sepulveda functions for the next decade. More than 100 small businesses count on that corridor. So do thousands of daily commuters, cyclists, and pedestrians.
→ 🎯 My take: I've been consistent: I will not support a design that strips parking or lane capacity in ways that cut businesses off from their customers. If there's a path to a safer, more functional Sepulveda that doesn't do that, I'm fully on board. But your voice has to be in that room for this to go the right direction.
👉 Learn more about Sepulveda Connects
🚨 March 9 Council Recap: Public Safety and Homelessness
🔹 The latest homelessness update brought some real progress. Culver City's January Point-in-Time count showed decreases across every tracked category: individuals, vehicles, tents, and makeshift shelters. Final numbers will be released in the coming months, but the direction is clear.
→ 📊 By the numbers: From November 2025 through February 2026, the Mobile Crisis Team responded to 385 calls and directly engaged 240 people. In February alone, the Motel Master Lease and Nutrition Program housed 43 individuals and provided 1,948 meals.
→ 🎯 My take: The Mobile Crisis Team embodies the approach I've believed in since Culver City's first Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness: ask how everyone's needs can be best met and coordinate from there. These numbers show what that looks like in practice.
🔹 The Council directed staff to explore Municipal Code amendments related to Sober Living Homes, responding to concerns from South Clarkdale residents about a concentration of facilities in the Culver City/Los Angeles border area. No formal action was taken, but staff was asked to evaluate licensing or permit options, review regulatory approaches from other cities, and pull three years of service call data.
→ 💡 What this means: State and federal housing law sets real limits on what cities can regulate when it comes to recovery housing. It's not simple terrain. Staff will return with options. The goal is better oversight and accountability, and I want to hear from South Clarkdale residents as that work develops.
🏗️ Development and Environment
🔹 The Council unanimously approved an appeal of the proposed Costco fueling station relocation in West Culver City. The Planning Commission had found the project exempt from environmental review under CEQA. The Council reversed that, requiring a full environmental analysis before the project can move forward, in part because the proposed site sits approximately 213 feet from a daycare and 186 feet from a preschool.
→ 💡 What this means: This is not a project denial. It's a requirement to do the environmental work first. When fuel infrastructure is sited near facilities serving young children, CEQA review is the right standard. Full stop.
🔹 The Council approved updated green bicycle lane markings, shifting to a brighter, more visible shade replacing the "deep green" used citywide since 2017. The intent is to more clearly alert drivers when they're entering a bike conflict zone at driveways and intersections. I voted against. My concern: the existing standard was developed in direct coordination with the film industry, one of our largest local employers. I wanted a thorough conversation with that industry before changing course. I respect my colleagues' position and the safety goal behind it. I just wanted us to get there together.
🌸 Women's History Month
🔹 At the March 9 meeting, the Council proclaimed March 2026 as National Women's History Month, honoring this year's theme: "Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future." And the Chamber's 10th Annual Women in Business Leadership Awards Luncheon at The Shay was exactly the kind of event that makes that proclamation feel real.
→ 🎯 My take: Ten years of honoring the women who build this city's economy, in healthcare, production, education, food, and maker culture. Five honorees this year: Dr. Michelle Catanzarite, Sharon Angel, Wendy Hamill, Leilani Terris, and Denise Ambrosi. That milestone deserves more than a proclamation. It deserves a room full of people who showed up for it.
🚌 Ride Free: Dates to Know
🔹 The Council approved several free-fare days on Culver CityBus for 2026. Mark these: Earth Day and Transit Equity Day on Wednesday, April 22; Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 14 (free if you're bringing a bike or helmet aboard); Clean Air Day on Wednesday, October 7; and New Year's Eve, all riders from 9 PM to 1 AM.
→ 🎯 My take: Get someone on the bus once and a habit can change. I like any policy that lowers the barrier to trying transit on a day people are already thinking about how they get around.
📅 Dates and What's Ahead
🔹 4th Annual Culver City Book Festival, Sunday, March 29, 11 AM–5 PM at the garden of the Wende Museum. Free. Local authors, small presses, literary nonprofits, panel discussions, family activities, live music. The Wende has been a community anchor for years. This festival is one of the best things that happens there all year.
🔹 Drive-Through E-Waste and Household Hazardous Waste Collection, Saturday, March 28, 9 AM–3 PM. Dock 52 Parking Lot, Fiji Way, Marina del Rey. Electronics, batteries, household chemicals. Secure items in your trunk before arrival.
🔹 Compost Hub at Syd Kronenthal Park, Wednesday, March 25, 10 AM–noon. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, in partnership with LA Compost. Bring your food scraps. Ten minutes. Real impact.
🔹 Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee Special Meeting, Wednesday, March 25, 4 PM, Patio Room, 3rd Floor, City Hall.
🔹 CCFD Girls Camp, April 18–19. Registration is open now. A weekend with our fire department for young women. Details at culvercity.gov.
🔹 Every Tuesday, 2–7 PM. Downtown Farmers Market. Main Street. Grab produce, support local growers, and say hello to neighbors.
👉 Visit the Farmers Market page
🔹 How to watch and participate in meetings. Agendas post Wednesdays before Monday meetings. You can attend in person or virtually.
🙏 Closing Thought
Two things worth showing up for this week: tonight's Council meeting if you have something to say, and tomorrow's Sepulveda workshop if that corridor is part of your daily life. These aren't abstract moments. They're where the actual work gets shaped.
And March 29 is worth putting on the calendar. The Book Festival at the Wende is free, thoughtfully put together, and the kind of afternoon that reminds you this community has real creative depth.
I'm grateful for the engagement this newsletter generates every week. Keep the emails and replies coming. They genuinely inform how I show up at the dais.
Together, we can build a stronger, more connected Culver City. Thank you for being part of our community.
