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Mayor Dan O'Brien Newsletter — January 26, 2026
📬 Councilmember Dan O'Brien — Culver City — January 26, 2026
Hello Culver City friends,
Some weeks feel like a highlight reel — and some weeks feel like the behind-the-scenes work that makes the highlight reel possible. As I’m writing this, City Council is either in session or just wrapping up — and a few of the items on the agenda are the kind that quietly shape day-to-day life in Culver City for months (and years) to come.
Here’s what I’m tracking, what I’m excited about, and how you can plug in.
🏛️ City Council This Evening
🔹 City Council is meeting this evening (Monday) — and depending on when you’re reading this, we may be in the middle of it or already adjourned. If you’re catching this before we wrap, you can still tune in and comment live. If you’re reading after, the agenda is the best “table of contents” for what we discussed (and the replay is worth a look when it posts).
👉 View meeting details
👉 Download the agenda (PDF)
🚦 Transportation & Street Safety
🔹 Better Overland is one of the big items on this evening’s agenda — choosing a design direction for Overland Ave (Culver Blvd to the Ballona Creek bridge). This corridor matters because it’s a real “daily-life street”: kids, commuters, bikes, deliveries, buses, and neighbors all sharing space. I’m focused on solutions that reduce conflict points and make it easier to get around safely, no matter how you travel.
🔹 Also on the agenda this evening: accepting major transit grant funding tied to bus service and regional connectivity. These are the “infrastructure wins” that aren’t flashy in the moment, but they can translate into better frequency, reliability, and real options for people who don’t want every trip to require a car.
🏠 Housing & Community Development
🔹 We’re taking up next steps for a redevelopment proposal at 11029 Washington Blvd focused on affordable housing. Housing decisions can feel abstract until they show up as real homes for real people — teachers, service workers, seniors, young families — who make Culver City what it is. I want us to keep moving with urgency and care: quality design, good neighbors, and outcomes that actually pencil out for affordability.
🚓 Public Safety & Prevention
🔹 On this evening’s agenda is an item to apply for/accept traffic-safety grant funding through the California Office of Traffic Safety. I’m a believer in prevention: fewer collisions, fewer injuries, and fewer families getting the worst phone call imaginable. If there’s an intersection you think we should be focusing on, keep sending it my way; those on-the-ground patterns really help guide the work.
🏪 Local Economy & Small Business
🔹 A personal note: I’m honored to step into the role of President & CEO of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce. I care deeply about a thriving Culver City. For me, that always includes our local businesses: the places we celebrate birthdays, grab coffee, meet friends, and employ neighbors. I’ll continue to hold myself to the highest transparency standards in my public role, and I’m excited to help strengthen the bridge between our City, businesses, and community.
👉 View the Instagram post
👉 View the Facebook post
🔹 Related: this evening’s agenda includes a City/Chamber cooperation item focused on joint events and economic development work. My hope is simple. Let’s make it easier for local businesses to succeed, and make it easier for residents to discover (and support) what makes Culver City special.
🧑🤝🧑 City Leadership & Community Listening
🔹 If you haven’t already, meet our new City Manager, Odis Jones — and a new round of Community Conversations is getting underway. I love this format because it’s not about perfect speeches; it’s about what you’re seeing on your block, what’s working, and what you want to feel different a year from now. If you’ve been wanting a real “talk to a human” moment with City leadership, this is built for that.
👉 See the Community Conversations details
🔹 I also shared a quick intro video — because it’s always good to put faces to names. New leadership moments are when we set tone, and I’m rooting for a culture of responsiveness, clarity, and follow-through.
👉 Watch the video (Facebook)
🎭 Arts, Culture & Community
🔹 Culver City just awarded Performing Arts Grants to 26 organizations. I’m proud of this because arts aren’t “extra” — they’re part of how a city feels alive, connected, and welcoming (and they’re a real economic driver, too).
👉 Read the City announcement
🔹 There’s also a February community workshop series tied to our Artist Laureate program at Culver West Alexander Park. If you’re looking for a low-pressure way to meet neighbors and do something creative together, take a look.
👉 See the workshop details
📅 Around Town
🔹 If you’re hunting for something fun and local — classes, workshops, community events, and more — the City’s events directory is a great “one stop” place to browse what’s coming up.
👉 View the events directory
🥕 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 and Participate
🔹 How to watch and participate in meetings. Agendas post Wednesdays before Monday meetings. You can attend in person or virtually.
👉 How to watch meetings
👉 View Meetings Agendas
🙏 Closing Thought
If you tuned in live this evening — thank you. And if you’re reading this after the meeting, I still appreciate you being the kind of neighbor who stays engaged (even when local government isn’t exactly binge-watchable).
Either way, if there’s an issue you want me tracking, hit reply and tell me what you’re seeing — those details make a real difference.
