Dear Culver City: Vote Wisnosky Stehlin and Griffin to Put Culver City First

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By Francine Graff

Culver City can't afford four more years of Small and Puza’s costly and questionable decisions. Taxpayers deserve leaders who put residents first, not special interests.

Let’s start with Freddy Puza, who voted to approve $20 million in taxpayer funding for Jubilo Village, even though the city manager and staff advised against this because of budget deficits. Jubilo is a nearly $75-79 million affordable housing project built by a private developer on church property. 

Puza’s 2022 campaign manager, Disa Lindgren, also held a leadership role at the church and publicly advocated for city funding. Affordable housing matters, but it doesn't justify spending millions without strong oversight. 

Taxpayers deserve to know what they get in return. 

Perhaps spending $79 million dollars on 93 apartments at a cost of about $850,000 each is not the best way to achieve affordable housing. Maybe it’s just another way for developers to game the system by using taxpayer dollars to get wealthy.   

In addition, Puza's Culver City council has spent close to $50 million of our tax dollars in the last several years on homeless services. Despite the myriad of hotel rooms, tents, three meals a day, showers, laundry, security and mental health services, there are plenty of people wandering the streets, camping out, living in their cars and standing on street corners yelling. 

We all know how difficult drug addiction and mental illness can be. Throwing more money at the problem may not be the best solution.

Thomas Small’s campaign funding also deserves scrutiny. Campaign finance records show that Small received contributions from individuals with ties to Streets For All, a Political Action Committee (PAC) that pushes for protected bike lanes. The Streets For All PAC helped pass AB 1976 which prohibits local residents from asking questions or giving comments about new bike lane projects after a certain amount of time.

Public participation should not come with an expiration date. Residents should have the right to ask questions, and challenge decisions about bike lanes and other major infrastructure projects for as long as those projects affect their communities. Elected officials should be accountable to the people they represent not insulated from public scrutiny by procedural deadlines.

These connections raise questions about Small and Puza’s commitment to transparency. Whose interests are being represented when decisions are made? Residents deserve clear answers about campaign contributions and which donors will benefit. These bike lanes, which will cost taxpayers between $4 and $6 million may have a place, but changes to heavily congested roads like Overland and Sepulveda will be a disaster. Idling traffic rarely helps to reduce pollution.

It is time for a change! That is why I’m supporting Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin and Kim Griffin. Our city needs leaders who will listen to residents and protect taxpayer dollars, not those who are in the pocket of special interests, PACs or private developers.

Culver City’s future is too important. It’s time to insist on accountability, and put residents first. If your priorities are responsible spending, greater transparency at City Hall, meaningful public comment, safer streets, and better accountability for homeless programs, Vote Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin and Kim Griffin for a better Culver City.

Francine Graff has lived in Culver City for 21 years