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Dan O'Brien Newsletter — July 26, 2026
Dan O'Brien | Culver City Council Update | July 27, 2026
Hey neighbors,
Last Thursday I got my Culver City fix the best way I know how: half of it on a morning run, the other half just staying busy around town. Between the concert crowds at the Culver Steps, movie screens popping up in our parks, and the Farmers Market humming along on Main Street, this city is in full summer mode, and I love seeing it.
Here's what you need to know this week.
🏛️ Tonight at City Hall
🔹 City Council meets tonight: Our regular consolidated City Council meeting is tonight, Monday, July 27, at 7 PM in the Mike Balkman Council Chambers. The agenda posted last Wednesday, and you can weigh in by emailing public.comment@culvercity.org before 4 PM on meeting day. Your voice genuinely shapes these discussions, and I read every comment that comes in.
How to watch and participate in meetings. Agendas post Wednesdays before Monday meetings. You can attend in person or virtually.
🚨 Public Safety: Beat the Heat
🔹 Summer heat is no joke: CCPD has published smart, practical tips for staying safe in extreme heat: drink water every hour, stay out of the sun between 10 AM and 3 PM, and never, ever leave kids or pets in a parked car. The Senior Center on Overland is a designated cooling zone during normal operating hours.
→ ⚡ Why this matters: Heat hits our older neighbors, young kids, and people with health conditions hardest. Please check in on the folks around you this week. A knock on the door takes thirty seconds and can make all the difference.
🔹 National Night Out is coming: Mark your calendar for Tuesday, August 4 at the Culver Steps. CCPD's family-friendly community night is one of my favorite traditions, because public safety starts with neighbors who actually know each other.
👉 Get National Night Out details
💼 Downtown: Summer Sunset Music Series
🔹 Thursday nights belong to Town Plaza: Last Thursday, July 23, Tawanda and Gengis Don brought the energy to the Culver Steps, and this Thursday, July 30 at 7 PM, Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles takes the stage. The free series runs every Thursday through August 20.
→ 💡 My take: This is economic development that feels like a party. Make a night of it: grab dinner at one of our Downtown restaurants, bring a low-back chair, and support the local businesses that make this city hum.
🚌 Transportation: A Smarter Way to Ride
🔹 Culver CityBus teams up with Transit: The City announced a new partnership that makes Transit the recommended app for Culver CityBus riders, with real-time departures, trip planning, and service alerts pushed straight to your phone. Riders also get premium features unlocked at no cost. Coming on the heels of this month's expanded service, it has never been easier to leave the car at home. I want riding the bus in Culver City to be the obvious choice, and tools like this get us closer.
👉 Read the Transit app announcement
🗳️ Your City, Your Voice
🔹 Thinking about serving? The door is open: The nomination period for City Council candidates is underway now through Thursday, August 6 at 5:30 PM. Two seats are on the ballot in the November 3 General Municipal Election, and qualifying takes 20 to 30 signatures from registered Culver City voters. I got my start as a parent petitioning about a playground, so believe me when I say ordinary neighbors are exactly who this city needs. If you have ever thought about stepping up, this is your moment.
👉 Learn how to run for City Council
🔹 Her City, Her Story: The Women and Girls Advisory survey closed Friday, July 24. Thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to share ideas for shaping the future for women and girls in Culver City. Input like this is how good policy starts.
🌳 Parks & Rec: Parks Make Life Better Month
🔹 Movie magic in our parks: Saturday morning, families filled Culver West Alexander Park for a donuts-and-coloring screening of Goat, and the fun keeps rolling. This is exactly what July's Parks Make Life Better Month celebration should look like: our parks full of kids, blankets, and laughter.
🔹 Two more chances this week: Catch How to Train Your Dragon at Fox Hills Park on Tuesday, July 28 at 6 PM, then float into a Dive-In screening of Jaws at the Municipal Plunge on Friday, July 31 starting at 5 PM. After 25+ years in edit bays, I can confirm: Jaws absolutely holds up, and watching it from the water is a bold choice.
👉 See the Movies in the Park schedule
🎭 Arts & Culture Around Town
🔹 Free theatre, final weekend: Culver City Public Theatre wraps its free summer season at Carlson Park this Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2, with The Wizard's Workshop at 12 PM and Agatha Christie's Black Coffee at 2:30 PM. And the Actors' Gang opens its Shakespeare-in-the-Park tradition at Media Park on Saturday with Two Gentlebots of Verona. Free live theatre in our parks is a gift; take the family.
👉 Plan your Carlson Park matinee
🔹 Create with our Artist Laureate: Victoria Marks is inviting community members to co-create a movement-based live performance on August 6. No dance experience needed, just curiosity. Reach out to artist.laureate@culvercity.org if you want in.
👉 Learn about the Artist Laureate project
📅 Mark Your Calendar
🔹 Saturday, August 1: Opening reception for "Belonging: Senior Centers as Spaces of Connection," a photography exhibition at the Culver City Senior Center running through September 30.
🔹 Starting August 2: The Oceanaires Barbershop Chorus kicks off a free seven-week community singing experience at Grace Lutheran Church. No audition required, just show up and sing.
🛒 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
🙏 Before You Go
Thank you for reading, and thank you for showing up for each other, whether that's at a concert, a movie night, or a council meeting. If something in this newsletter sparked a question or an idea, reach out. I mean it: hearing from you is the best part of this job.
➡️ Looking ahead: National Night Out on August 4, the candidate filing deadline on August 6, and plenty more summer left to enjoy. See you around town, maybe on a morning run.
