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Dan O'Brien Newsletter — August 17, 2026
Dan O'Brien | Culver City Council Update | August 17, 2026
Hello Culver City neighbors,
Last Monday I bagged the Mt. Baldy summit again, this time with my friend's son and his friend along for the climb. That mountain humbles everyone who tries it, and the reward is an immense feeling of accomplishment, awe-inspiring views, and in my case, sore knees. It is the same peak I used to squint at through the smog from our street in Ontario when I was a kid, so standing on top never gets old. The climb got me thinking about what sustained effort can accomplish, because this week Culver City saw exactly that: 60 of your neighbors just wrapped up more than 1,500 hours of work on how you get a bigger voice in our city budget. Let's dig in.
📊 Your Voice, Your Budget: Civic Assembly Report Delivered
🔹 42 resident-built recommendations are in: On Friday, the City released the report from our first-ever Civic Assembly. Sixty residents, selected through a civic lottery to broadly reflect our whole community, spent months learning, deliberating, and answering one question: how might Culver City increase public participation in the budget process? Their work was presented to the City Council on August 10, and it produced 42 recommendations, including meeting people where they already gather and clearly documenting how your feedback actually shapes the budget.
→ 💡 What happens next: City staff are reviewing every recommendation and will return to Council on September 28 with a public response: what is already underway, what can be expanded, and where something cannot happen yet, an honest explanation of why.
→ 🗣️ My take: I have believed for a long time that anybody can be empowered to make a difference in their community. Sixty neighbors just proved it at scale, and participants said they left feeling heard and more connected to this town. That is civic engagement working the way it should, and I will be watching closely to make sure the September response honors their effort.
👉 Read the Civic Assembly announcement
👉 Download the Participant Report (PDF)
🎭 Performing Arts Grants Are Open
🔹 Funding for 2027 performances: Applications are now open for the City's Performing Arts Grant Program, which supports theatre, dance, and music performances, proposed between March and December 2027. Eligible applicants are performance-focused nonprofits based in Los Angeles County, and the program is backed by the City's Cultural Trust Fund along with Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Culver City Arts Foundation. These grants are a big part of why the Heart of Screenland punches above its weight culturally, and I want every eligible local arts group to take a swing at one.
→ 📅 Workshops: Virtual on Tuesday, August 25 at 11 AM, and in person on Wednesday, August 26 at 2 PM. First-time applicants are required to attend one.
👉 Explore the grant guidelines and application
🎉 Fiesta La Ballona Turns 75
🔹 Party at the Park, August 28-30: Fiesta La Ballona celebrates its 75th anniversary at Veterans Memorial Park with live entertainment, food, carnival rides, and, for the first time, two entertainment stages. Entry is free, and ride wristbands are on sale now. Hours: Friday 4:30 to 10 PM, Saturday 12 to 10 PM, Sunday 12 to 8 PM. Fiesta holds a soft spot in my heart: our scout troop volunteered at citywide events like Fiesta for years, and watching young people serve their community never gets old.
→ 📦 Got Fiesta history? The City is collecting photos, posters, programs, trophies, and vintage Fiesta keepsakes from the past 75 years for possible anniversary display. Email Fiesta.LaBallona@culvercity.org if you have treasures to share.
👉 Buy ride wristbands for Fiesta
♻️ E-Waste Collection & Paper Shredding This Saturday
🔹 Clear out that junk drawer: Saturday, August 22 at Syd Kronenthal Park (3459 McManus Ave), you can drive up, drop off old electronics, and drive away, with staff on hand to help unload. Paper shredding is limited to six boxes, and rain cancels the shredding only. Keeping electronics out of the landfill is one of the easiest wins we get all year, so load up the trunk.
🗓️ Mark Your Calendar
🔹 Tuesday, August 18: Cultural Affairs Commission regular meeting, 7 PM, Mike Balkman Council Chambers.
🔹 Thursday, August 20: Final Summer Sunset Concert of the season, 7 PM, Town Plaza at the Culver Steps. Free and family friendly, and a perfect send-off to summer.
🔹 Friday, August 21: City Hall is closed (alternating Friday).
🔹 Saturday, August 22: The Actors' Gang presents Shakespeare in the Park, "Two Gentlebots of Verona," at Media Park, with additional dates to follow.
🔹 Monday, August 24: Next regular City Council meeting. The agenda posts Wednesday, and I hope you will take a look and weigh in.
👉 View the public meetings calendar
🛒 Weekly Markets
🔹 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 & Participate in Meetings
🔹 How to watch and participate in meetings. Agendas post Wednesdays before Monday meetings. You can attend in person or virtually.
🙏 Before You Go
Whether it is 1,500 hours in a Civic Assembly, a Saturday trunk full of old electronics, or one Tuesday afternoon saying hello at the Farmers Market, showing up is how this town works. Thank you for every way you do it. Hit reply anytime and tell me what you want to see covered here, and I hope to see you around town as we count down to 75 years of Fiesta.
