Elected Official? Create newsletters in minutes, not hours.
Transparent, authentic, comprehensive newsletters to maximize constituent representation and civic engagement.
Dan O'Brien Newsletter — September 7, 2026
Dan O'Brien | Culver City Council Newsletter | September 7, 2026
Hello, Culver City,
This week gave our family a memory we will carry forever. Hayden and Garrett got married, and watching the two of them surrounded by so much love was, simply put, a happy day for all of us. Beverly and I are wishing the beautiful couple a lifetime of joy, and I am grateful to everyone who shared in the celebration.
And today, on Labor Day, I am thinking about a different kind of devotion: the people whose work keeps this city running. Our teachers, first responders, city crews, small business owners, and everyone who clocks in so Culver City can thrive. City Hall is closed today in observance of the holiday, and I hope you get a real day of rest. You have earned it.
Now, here is what is happening around town.
🚨 Public Safety
🔹 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony this Friday: Our Police and Fire Departments will hold a remembrance ceremony on Friday, September 11 at Fire Station 1, 9600 Culver Boulevard. Crews assemble at the flag at 6:55 AM, with a minute of complete silence at 7:00 AM before the flag is lowered to half-staff. Twenty-five years later, we still pause together to honor those we lost, including the first responders who ran toward danger. It is a short ceremony, but a meaningful one, and I encourage you to stand with our public safety family that morning.
🚗 Transportation & Infrastructure
🔹 Autonomous vehicle rules are headed to a public hearing: On September 2, the City released a proposed policy framework for regulating Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Services, meaning facilities that charge, clean, store, and service fleets of three or more self-driving cars.
→ What this means: The proposed zoning rules would keep these facilities out of residential zones, Downtown, and areas near hospitals and public safety buildings, while setting standards on queuing, idling, nighttime operations, lighting, noise, on-site staffing, and a posted 24-hour emergency contact.
→ My take: This technology is already on our streets, so the real question is whether we shape it or it shapes us. I want rules that protect neighborhoods and emergency access first. The City Council is expected to hold a public hearing on Monday, September 14, and comments submitted online before 3 PM that day will be part of the record. Please weigh in; your voice genuinely moves these decisions.
🏗️ Community & Economic Development
🔹 Draft Hayden Tract Specific Plan is open for review: Yes, it has been quite a week for the name Hayden in my world. The draft plan for the Hayden Tract, one of the most creative and architecturally distinctive districts anywhere in Los Angeles County, is now available for public review, with the 30-day comment period running through Sunday, September 27. Building on General Plan 2045, it lays out a framework for new housing, businesses, creative uses, public spaces, and transportation improvements. This neighborhood helped define Culver City's economy, and its next chapter should be written with your input.
👉 Explore the virtual open house
🌱 Environment
🔹 Portable batteries are replacing gas generators at our events: With $164,000 from Clean Power Alliance's Innovation Fund, the City has launched a pilot program putting clean, quiet portable battery systems to work at the farmers market, Movies in the Park, Art Walk & Roll, and other community gatherings. Zero emissions, less noise, cleaner air where our families gather. This is sustainability you can actually see working, and it is exactly the kind of practical progress I love to share.
👉 Read about the battery program
🎉 Dates & Community Events
🔹 Sensory Saturdays, Saturday, September 12, 10 AM to noon: Parks, Recreation and Community Services staff host sensory play for kids, think water tables and bubbles, at a different park each month on the second Saturday. Bring the little ones.
👉 See Sensory Saturdays details
🔹 Park to Playa 10K Walk/Run, Sunday, September 13: Starting at Culver City Park, 9910 Jefferson Boulevard, this run and walk follows the Park to Playa Trail toward the Pacific. Our parks and trails are the front porch of this community, and events like this show them off at their best.
🥕 Weekly Markets
Every Tuesday, 2-7 PM: Downtown Farmers Market. Main Street. Grab produce, support local growers, and say hello to neighbors. The market is back tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8.
👉 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. The next regular City Council meeting is Monday, September 14, which includes the autonomous vehicle public hearing, so look for that agenda this Wednesday, September 9.
💙 Closing Thought
Between a wedding, a holiday, and two big planning conversations opening up, this week reminded me why I love this work: the future is not something that happens to Culver City, it is something we build together. Mark September 14 on your calendar, send in your comments on the Hayden Tract and autonomous vehicles, and as always, reply to this newsletter anytime. I read every message.
With gratitude,
Dan O'Brien
Culver City Councilmember
