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PHOTOS: Dan O'Brien launches 2026 Reelection Campaign

The 2026 California Elections, where the fate of two Culver City council seats will be decided, are set for November 3

PHOTOS: Dan O'Brien launches 2026 Reelection Campaign
Current Culver City Councilmember Dan O’Brien held a short weekend gathering to celebrate and kick off his campaign to be reelected to the City Council of Culver City on Sunday, April 19. O’Brien and more than 50 people gathered at a Culver City home to celebrate O’Brien’s decision to seek a second four-year term on the City Council, where he has used his position to influence Culver City in a number of ways, most notably through his involvement in international outreach that will bring several nations to Culver City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 L.A. Olympics. || Photos by Christian May-Suzuki
Dan O’Brien currently serves as the President and CEO of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, and has lived in Culver City since 2000. He has been involved in local public service since before he began his council term, having served as a member of the city’s first Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness, a trustee of the Culver City Education Foundation, and scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 108 in the past.
Among those in attendance at Dan O’Brien’s 2026 Campaign Kickoff Celebration on Sunday, April 19, was fellow council member Albert Vera (left), who gave remarks to the crowd of supporters Sunday afternoon. Vera lamented being on the minority side of many controversial issues discussed at City Council meetings, given the council’s current configuration, but said O’Brien’s presence has made his job easier and has led to Culver City's betterment. “[O’Brien] and I don’t agree on every item,” Vera told the crowd, “but he is willing to discuss it, willing to listen, and willing to compromise and accept other ideas and thoughts.”
Dan O’Brien thanked supporters who had come to show their faith in him as a political leader at his 2026 Campaign Kickoff Celebration on Sunday, April 19. He acknowledged some policy disagreements with colleagues on the city council, but said he hopes to continue his work to help broker compromises between the two sides of political issues that emerge when tensions run high. “I will work with them,” O’Brien said of his fellow Culver City council members. “I will work behind the scenes with staff, try to find places where we can find compromise, and make a lot of the things that we see in the community softer and easier to digest.”
As part of the celebration, attendees made several signs to show their support for O’Brien and his campaign. While these signs carried generic messages, many of O’Brien’s followers had specific reasons behind their support. One attendee called him a “man of action” and cited O’Brien’s focus on the Culver City community as a reason for their support. “He takes the commitment of being responsible for people living here seriously,” Culver City resident Amy Held told Culver Crescent.
Inspired by a similar move he saw at a recent Greater Los Angeles YMCA Gala, O’Brien brought out a jumpsuit for supporters to write messages on, for him to literally wear on his sleeves. He said he could not find a white jumpsuit on 24-hour notice, but was able to bring a navy jumpsuit and invited supporters to scribble on it using silver Sharpie markers.
Dan O'Brien is one of two Culver City council members whose terms are set to expire at the end of this year. The other council member whose current term expires in 2026 is Culver City Mayor Freddy Puza, who has yet to announce whether he will run in the 2026 Elections.
Several members of the Culver City Unified School District community, including Culver City Federation of Teachers President Ray Long (right) were in attendance at Dan O'Brien's 2026 Campaign Kickoff Celebration on Sunday, April 19, to gather signatures for a citizens’ initiative parcel tax to attempt to get it placed on the 2026 election. O’Brien’s wife, Beverly, is a math teacher at Farragut Elementary School, and O’Brien expressed his support for the parcel tax initiative Sunday afternoon.

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