Culver City Mayor Albert Vera delivered his annual State of the City address on Thursday, November 2 from the lobby of Sony Pictures on Culver Boulevard.
The event began with the Pledge of Allegiance and then, during these tumultuous times, invocations from Rabbi Zach Shapiro of Temple Akiba, Director Arif Sayed of the King Fahad Mosque, and Father Esteban Marquez of the St. Augustine Catholic Church.
As reported by Culver City Crossroads, Vera brought L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to give her flowers, and speak of their shared vision for tackling homelessness.
Unsurprisingly, the subject of homelessness was a focus, given the fact that Vera has overseen the opening of Project Homekey and the Safe-Sleep camping this year.
Following a video about a resident at Safe-Sleep, Vera said, “In this inspiring story of hope, it is clear that our work has been worthwhile. With help from the County and the State, we purchased two hotels, and have turned them into Project Homekey [along with Safe Sleep] adding 157 beds [for the unhoused] to our community this past year.”
Vera also spoke of the City’s purchase of the Martin B. Retting gun shop, ceasing the ability of future building owners to sell guns from that location. Vera also spoke of revamping two city parks.
“We have been gathering community input on the future of the Vets Building and Bill Botts Park; if you have not yet weighed in, there are more meetings scheduled for the future.”
“We applaud the resilience of Culver City as it evolves, Vera said. “We show what can be achieved when the city comes together.”
Commenting online, a member of the public called Cedric Jonins said, “Bravo! Mayor Vera’s State of the City Address was informative, encouraging, and heartfelt. The overriding theme of unity that was eloquently expressed by faith leaders from the local Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities was a welcome respite from the hateful rhetoric we seem to be immersed in lately. Culver City exemplifies how great things can happen when we work together.”