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Dan O'Brien Newsletter — August 2, 2026
Dan O'Brien | Culver City Update | August 3, 2026
Hello, Culver City!
Here's a number worth sitting with: 74. That's this year's raw homeless count total for our city, down from 105 last year and 240 in 2021. The City released the data from January's Point-in-Time Count on Friday, and the trend is moving in the right direction. There's more on that below, plus National Night Out tomorrow at The Culver Steps, a big call for artists as we gear up for 2028, and a milestone birthday for Fiesta La Ballona.
🏠 Homelessness: The 2026 Count Shows Real Progress
🔹 2026 Homeless Count results, released Friday: The City published the raw data from January's Point-in-Time Count, conducted in coordination with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. The raw total counts people outdoors plus vehicles, tents, and makeshift shelters, and nearly every category moved in the right direction.
→ 📊 By the numbers: The raw count total fell from 105 in 2025 to 74 this year, a 30 percent reduction, and is down 69 percent from 240 in 2021. Individuals counted outdoors dropped from 51 to 38. Vehicles, tents, and makeshift shelters fell from 54 to 36. No families and no unaccompanied minors were counted. At the time of the count, City housing programs were sheltering 164 people.
→ 💭 My take: Long before I joined the Council, I served on Culver City's first Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, work that started with neighbors organizing around the Veterans Park playground. What I learned then still guides me now: real progress comes when we ask how everyone's needs can be met. Wellness Village, Project Homekey, and the Mobile Crisis Team are doing that work every day, and the City continues to explore a safe parking program for people living in vehicles. We are not done, but this is what steady, compassionate effort looks like.
👉 Read the full 2026 count results
👉 Submit a homeless outreach request
🚨 Public Safety: National Night Out Is Tomorrow
🔹 Join CCPD at The Culver Steps on Tuesday, August 4: National Night Out is a family-friendly evening that brings neighbors and our police department together at 9300 Culver Blvd. I believe safety is built on relationships, and this is the easiest way I know to build them: show up, shake a hand, meet the officers who serve our town. Bonus: the Farmers Market runs 2-7 PM on Main Street that same afternoon, so you can make a full downtown day of it.
👉 Get National Night Out details
🎬 Economic Development & Arts: The Heart of Screenland Gets Ready for 2028
🔹 Calling all creatives, the 2028 Cultural Program is live: With the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to the region, the City announced three Requests for Proposals this week: a Cultural Producer to coordinate with LA28 and regional partners, a Dance & Choreography program, and a Music Performance program with a focus on jazz and our city's film score heritage. This is a once-in-a-generation stage for local artists, and I want Culver City talent front and center on it. The deadline for all submissions is August 30, 2026.
👉 Download the RFP guidelines and apply
🔹 A record vote of confidence in our city: The Culver City Observer reported this week that Access Culver City, the mixed-use complex at 8770 Washington Blvd, sold for $106 million, described as the largest multifamily real estate transaction in our city's history. When investors commit at that level, it tells you our downtown corridor has real momentum. My job is to make sure that momentum keeps delivering homes, jobs, and foot traffic for local businesses.
👉 Read the Culver City Observer story
🚌 Transportation: A Better Way to Ride Culver CityBus
🔹 Culver CityBus teams up with the Transit app: Riders now have a recommended app with real-time departures, multi-modal trip planning, and direct service alerts from Culver CityBus, all in one place. Reliable transit starts with reliable information, and this upgrade puts it in your pocket for free. If you ride, give it a try this week and see if it changes your commute.
👉 Learn about the Transit app partnership
🎉 Parks & Community: Mark Your Calendar
🔹 Summer Sunset Music Series: The free Thursday concerts continue this week on Thursday, August 6 at 7 PM in Town Plaza at The Culver Steps, running weekly through August 20. Bring a friend and stay for dinner downtown.
👉 See the concert series lineup
🔹 Sensory Saturday: On Saturday, August 8 from 10 AM to 12 PM, PRCS staff host sensory play for kids, with water tables, bubbles, chalk art, and finger painting. The event rotates to a different park each month, so check the page for this month's location.
👉 Find this month's Sensory Saturday park
🔹 Waterwheel Celebration: Also on Saturday, August 8, the Culver City Sister City Committee celebrates the new waterwheel in the Kaizuka Meditation Garden at the Julian Dixon Library, 4975 Overland Ave. It's a lovely nod to our international friendships.
👉 View the Waterwheel Celebration details
🔹 Shakespeare in Media Park: The Actors' Gang brings its annual free summer tradition to Media Park with Two Gentlebots of Verona, a playful spin on The Two Gentlemen of Verona, with a performance Saturday, August 8 and more dates to follow.
👉 See Actors' Gang performance dates
🔹 Fiesta La Ballona turns 75: Our Party at the Park returns to Veterans Memorial Park August 28-30, and ride wristbands went on sale this week. Entry is free, and for the first time the Fiesta will feature two entertainment stages. The City is also collecting 75 years of Fiesta memorabilia, so if you have old photos, posters, or vintage Fiesta attire, email Fiesta.LaBallona@culvercity.org and help tell our story.
👉 Read the 75th anniversary announcement
🥕 Downtown Farmers Market
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. The next regular City Council meeting is Monday, August 10 at 7 PM in the Mike Balkman Council Chambers, with the agenda posting Wednesday, August 5.
🙏 Before You Go
If this week proves anything, it's that steady community effort adds up: fewer neighbors on the street, more artists stepping up for 2028, and a 75-year-old tradition still going strong. Anybody can make a difference in this town, and Culver City is full of people proving it. If you have a question, an idea, or a favorite Fiesta memory from the last 75 years, hit reply and tell me. I read every note.
