Several Culver City Subcommittees reorganized

In the wake of advice from California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) related to councilmember Dan O’Brien’s appointment as President and CEO of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, several Culver City subcommittees were rearranged to eliminate potential conflicts of interest.

The Ad Hoc Minimum Wage Subcommittee will be rolled into a new committee, the Affordability Subcommittee, while the results of the Ad Hoc Digital Kiosk Program Subcommittee’s work will be brought before the council on May 11, with the subcommittee itself being disbanded Monday night.

O’Brien, who recused himself from this item Monday night, was a member of each of these subcommittees, but the FPPC determined his employment with the Chamber created a conflict of interest under California’s Political Reform Act (Government Code Sections 81000 - 91014). The council also directed the City Attorney’s office to reexamine and publish the resources the city uses to determine conflicts of interest for public consumption.

The motion also included a direction to city staff to send a request for advice to the FPPC related to O’Brien’s other subcommittee appointments. After Monday night's motion, he currently serves on the following city subcommittees:

• CCUSD / City Council Liaison Subcommittee
• City Council / West Los Angeles College Liaison Subcommittee
• Ad Hoc 2026-27 Special Events Grant Program Subcommittee
• Ad Hoc 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics Preparation Subcommittee
• Ad Hoc Signage Subcommittee
• Ad Hoc Film and Media Policy Subcommittee

Concerns about O’Brien’s involvement with the Culver City Chamber of Commerce have been raised by residents since his appointment was announced in late January, and a complaint letter was sent to the FPPC alleging that leading the work of a councilmember was intrinsically connected to the health of Culver City businesses, making his participation in both the Culver City Council and Chamber a conflict of interest by default.

The argument stems from an FPPC advice letter regarding Santa Monica Councilmember Jesse Zwick’s employment with the Housing Action Coalition. In a December 8, 2025, letter, the FPPC advised that Zwick should recuse himself from matters related to housing development because of his employment with the Coalition.

While the traditional definition of a conflict of interest simply requires an entity to be involved with multiple organizations where one of those positions may impact decision-making motivations for others, a legal conflict of interest requires meeting a much higher standard. To be considered a legal conflict of interest under state law, a decision must have a “reasonably foreseeable…material financial impact on the public official’s financial interest.”

Councilmember Yasmine-Imani McMorrin brought the matter of O’Brien’s employment with the Chamber directly to her colleagues on the council, citing the concerns she has heard from community members since O’Brien was appointed as the President and CEO of the Chamber.

Originally, McMorrin focused on the Ad Hoc 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics Preparation Subcommittee in her item, which was brought before the council at the February 9 City Council meeting. However, her colleagues on the council were hesitant to act before the FPPC issued any rulings on the topic, citing a lack of material grounds to support the move.

O’Brien’s advice letter focused on his roles with the Digital Kiosk Subcommittee and the Minimum Wage Subcommittee, and the FPPC advised that O’Brien recuse himself from discussions related to both. He also sought advice about working on the Short-Term Rental Ordinance, but this was deemed not to be a conflict of interest.

“It is reasonably foreseeable that the decisions will have a material financial effect on the Chamber because the decisions will achieve, defeat, aid, or hinder a purpose or goal of the Chamber,” the April 17 FPPC advice letter reads, “and Council Member O’Brien receives or is promised income as the President and CEO of the Chamber for achieving the purpose or goal.”

McMorrin noted that O’Brien was allowed to participate in the February discussion related to his World Cup and Olympic Subcommittee role and to vote on a Consent Calendar Monday night that included an item on the issuance of subsidies for film permit application fees, which she argued O’Brien should have recused himself from.

“It definitely enriches large members of the Chamber,” McMorrin said of that item.

Having presented examples of potential conflicts of interest that were not recognized, she argued that a rubric was needed to help detect and assess them when reviewing meeting agendas. City Attorney Heather Baker explained that the City Attorney’s office has a set of questions it uses to help council members determine whether or not there is a conflict.

Baker said her office was surprised by the FPPC’s advice to Zwick, which she says has “broadened over the years” of her experience with the Commission. She also noted that different commission members can review different issues, which can affect the advice given.

“The challenge that we are having as an office is predicting how the FPPC is going to look at an issue,” Baker said.

Vice Mayor Bubba Fish agreed that the film industry had strong ties to the Chamber of Commerce. He noted that no one raised any concerns in other council discussions, citing his own example where he recalled a potential conflict.

“When we had our conversations about the color of the bike lane and whether that was going to appease the film industry or not,” Fish said, “that was another issue where no one pulled the flag and said, ‘These are Chamber members that we're talking about.’”

He also supported McMorrin’s proposal regarding conflict-of-interest materials and proposed making them public, saying it was a matter of instilling public confidence that conflicts of interest were being taken seriously.

“The public is not aligned on what a conflict of interest is, and obviously, we're not going to get [to a consensus] with everybody,” Fish said. “I think it would help the public to be able to see how to evaluate that.”

The motion to modify the subcommittees, direct the City Attorney’s office to refine, organize, and publish resources and questions related to determining conflicts of interest, and send a request for advice to the FPPC related to O’Brien’s remaining subcommittees, passed 4-0, with O’Brien recusing himself from the item.