Accomplishments

By Gary Silbiger

Vice-Mayor Gary Silbiger's 1st Term Accomplishments

- Gary Silbiger, Vice-Mayor, Culver City

Safety and Security
- I have been a steadfast supporter of our Police and Fire Departments and have continued to give them the personnel, equipment, and resources that they need to keep our city safe.
- I have worked with the Police Chief to develop more open communication with the community and to involve the residents and business owners in a "community policing" system.
- I fought to keep the Crossing Guards from being cut from the budget so that our kids can get to and from school safely.
- I was the only member of the council to support the hiring of a local animal control officer to help protect the residents and our pets from vicious and diseased animals.
- I rejected the calls to turn off street lights in order to save the city money, repeatedly insisting that it would increase crime in our residential neighborhoods.
- I was instrumental in the creation of Culver City's Homeless Committee and have been an active participant in the process to develop solutions to deal with our homeless population.

Community Services for All Culver City Residents
- I supported the construction and opening of our new Senior Center that is now able to offer better programs and services to the over 3000 members.
- I have been a consistent supporter of building new parks and improving the ones that we already have in order to provide safe and fun recreational activities for our kids, pets, and adults. During my term, we remodeled Blair Hills Park, Tellefson Park and Carlson Park, are almost done constructing the new Dog Park, and have started work on a permanent Skateboard Park.
- I have supported the Teen Center remodeling, ensuring that it is built quickly and in an environmentally-friendly way, so that more teens will have a safe place to go after school.
- I was the only member of the council to support giving money to the Domestic Violence Clinic that provides services to Culver City residents in need of their assistance.
- I have worked to improve our services for the disabled through additional Curb Cuts, the funding of a Disability Services Coordinator, and support of the Disability Advisory Committee's wonderful work.
- I have made education a top priority on the City Council doing everything I can to support our award winning school district. This has included: voting to authorize their use of the former County Assessors Building, supporting the Adult Literacy Program, and voting to continue providing free After-School Programs at all of our elementary schools.
- I have worked to attract and retain better recreation employees by providing them with salaries that competitive with our neighbor cities. These young men and women are taking care of our kids, and we need to find the best employees available.

Transportation and the Environment
- I have worked as Culver City's representative on the Exposition Construction Authority to bring light rail to Culver City. This will decrease traffic congestion and air pollution while bringing more consumers to Culver City's many business districts and creating jobs. I have worked with our representatives at the state and federal levels to get additional funding and to make sure that the project is built with only minimal impacts on Culver City's residential communities.
- I have supported our Transportation Department in their quest to exclusively use buses that run on natural gas. This saves the city money and saves the quality of our air.
- I led the way towards the passage of an ordinance decreasing the levels of pollutants in the ballona creek that runs through our city to the ocean.
- I continue to work with our Building and Safety department to initiate a Green Building program in Culver City. While this program is still under review, it would put Culver City in the forefront in building sustainable developments which will save us money in maintenance, heating, and much more.
- I have been steadfast in my support for projects like the Ballona Creek renovation and the Baldwin Hills Conservancy that promise to add open space and recreational opportunities for our city. I have meanwhile opposed developments such as Playa Vista Phase II and the LAX Expansion that will add unnecessary traffic and damage to the environment.
- I have increased the number of Recycling locations in our city including City Hall.
- I have encouraged the planning of Mixed Use and Live/Work developments that decrease traffic and increase affordable housing.

Making Culver City a Destination
- I have worked hard to make sure that Culver City's Summer Sunset Concert Series continues to grow into one of the premiere free concerts in Southern California, often attracting over 500 attendees. I have been a supporter of our producer, Gary Mandel, and am a regular attendee at these concerts.
- I have worked to bring the 2 premiere theater companies in the region, Center Theater Group and the Actors Gang, to Culver City and have attended every one of their performances.
- I have been a supporter of finishing the Town Plaza development by beginning the construction of Parcel B and opening up all of the vacant businesses so that our downtown can continue to prosper.
- I have worked with City staff to identify potential new businesses and make conditions in the city attractive enough so that they will come. New commercial enterprises have included art galleries, restaurants, and the improved Fox Hills Mall.
- One of our premiere events every year is the Fiesta La Ballona. However, when I got on the council it was floundering. I made the motion to revitalize the Fiesta by adding new organizers and activities. I have been an active member of the committee and have worked to make it the successful event that it is today.

Opening Up City Government
- I have started a Community E-mail List with over 500 members who receive regular updates on important agenda items, events, city council decisions, and ways that they can get involved.
- I worked with City staff to ensure that all attachments for council meetings are available to the public online so that everyone can be informed and participate fully.
- I have been a member of the Budget Committee, working to involve the public in the budget process. Through this committee we have sent out a budget survey and added more community meetings.
- I have held regular Office Hours at City Hall where any constituent can come and talk to me about the issues of their choosing.
- I have held three successful Community Dialogues in 3 different parts of Culver City. At these events, I and other guest speakers have talked about our ideas for improving Culver City and have then opened the discussion to the residents who could have a dialogue with their elected representative.
- I have worked to involve more residents and business owners in the decision-making process by creating the Advisory Committee On Redevelopment and the Homeless Committee, adding residents to the Traffic Committee, and working to create a Youth Advisory Committee.