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Dan O'Brien Newsletter — August 31, 2026
Dan O'Brien | Culver City Council Member | Weekly Update | August 31, 2026
Hello, Culver City,
Fiesta La Ballona has been bringing our community together for 75 years, and this past weekend Veterans Memorial Park showed exactly why the tradition endures. Between the music, the carnival rides, and 45 food vendors, our city celebrated a milestone birthday in style. I came home to it all fresh off a whirlwind sports diplomacy tour of the Netherlands, and I can tell you this: the community spirit we sometimes take for granted here is something people around the world are working hard to build. More on that below.
🚔 Public Safety
🔹 Public Safety Subcommittee meets Tuesday: The Council's Standing Public Safety Subcommittee holds a special meeting this Tuesday, September 1, at 4 PM. Safety is the foundation everything else in our city rests on, and these subcommittee sessions are where a lot of the detailed work happens. If you have thoughts on public safety in Culver City, this is a great place to share them.
🔹 Staying safe in the heat: We have been in a hot stretch, and the Culver City Senior Center is a designated cooling zone during normal operating hours. Please drink plenty of water, avoid the sun during peak hours, check on older neighbors, and never leave children or pets in a vehicle, even for a few minutes. Look out for each other. That is what we do here.
👉 Visit the Senior Center page
💼 Economic Development
🔹 Celebrating Black Business Month: This week the City marked National Black Business Month by bringing together roughly two dozen Black-owned businesses for an evening of conversation, connection, and learning. The room held longtime anchors like Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken and Industry Café and Jazz alongside newer arrivals like Crowns and Hops and Skyzone. It was the first in a planned series of smaller, targeted conversations, and I think that format is exactly right. Listening in smaller rooms surfaces perspectives that get lost in big ones, and our small businesses are the backbone of this town.
🌏 The Road to LA28
🔹 Lessons from the Netherlands: I just wrapped up a whirlwind sports diplomacy mission to the Netherlands with a heavy lean into LA28. Here is a stat that stuck with me: the Netherlands has roughly the same population as LA County, and they took sixth in the national medal count in Paris. What I saw was a nation absolutely committed to sport as a catalyst for health, community, innovation, inclusion, and humanity.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: The 2028 Games are coming to our region, and Culver City has a real opportunity to be part of that story. I want us ready to capture the benefits for our residents and businesses. There is far more to share than fits in one newsletter, so stay tuned.
🏗️ Shape the Future of the Hayden Tract
🔹 Draft Specific Plan open for comment: The Draft Hayden Tract Specific Plan is now available for public review, with a 30-day comment period running through September 27. Building on General Plan 2045, the plan creates a framework for new housing, businesses, creative uses, public spaces, and transportation improvements in one of our city's most distinctive districts.
→ 💬 My take: Plans like this are only as good as the community input behind them. You do not need to attend a meeting to weigh in. The Virtual Open House is available around the clock, and I genuinely want to hear what you think.
👉 Explore the Hayden Tract plan
👉 Visit the Virtual Open House
🎪 75 Years of Fiesta La Ballona
🔹 A milestone weekend at Veterans Memorial Park: From Friday through Sunday, our community celebrated Fiesta La Ballona's 75th anniversary with live entertainment on two stages for the first time ever, the Fiesta Aquacade, carnival fun, and the Beer and Wine Garden hosted by the Exchange Club. Fiesta has held a special place in my heart for years. The Scout troop I led volunteered at Fiesta, and Veterans Park is where Beverly and I took our kids from the time they could walk. A huge thank you to our Parks, Recreation and Community Services staff, the volunteers, vendors, and performers who made 75 years look easy. Here is to 75 more.
🔋 Sustainability Spotlight
🔹 Batteries in, generators out: With $164,000 from the Clean Power Alliance Innovation Fund, the City has launched a Portable Battery Program replacing gas generators at community events, from the weekly farmers market to Movies in the Park and the Art Walk and Roll Festival. From March through July, 219 batteries were deployed across 33 events, cutting 13,000 pounds of carbon emissions in five months. The units are free for vendors during the pilot.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Quieter events, cleaner air, and sustainability you can actually see working. This is the kind of practical climate action I love to see our city lead on.
🗓️ Dates & Community Events
🔹 Downtown Farmers Market: Every Tuesday, 2-7 PM. Main Street. Grab produce, support local growers, and say hello to neighbors.
👉 Visit the Farmers Market page
🔹 Oceanaires Summer Sing: Adults who love to sing can join this free community singing experience Mondays at 7 PM at Grace Lutheran Church on Overland Avenue, running through mid-September. No audition required, and participants perform at the Oceanaires Ice Cream Social on September 19.
🔹 City Hall closures: City Hall will be closed Friday, September 4 (alternating Friday schedule) and Monday, September 7 for Labor Day. As we head into the holiday, a sincere thank you to the workers who keep this city and this country running.
🔹 Meetings ahead: The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission meets Tuesday, September 1 at 7 PM, the Planning Commission meets Wednesday, September 9, and the next regular City Council meeting is Monday, September 14.
🖥️ How to Watch & Participate in Meetings
🔹 Your voice matters: Agendas post Wednesdays before Monday meetings. You can attend in person or virtually.
Thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who made this 75th Fiesta weekend one for the books. If the Hayden Tract plan, public safety, or anything else in this update sparks a thought, reply and let me know. Your input genuinely shapes how I show up for you, and I will see you at the September 14 Council meeting, if not at the farmers market first.
