One of the things I have learned while running for Culver City City Council is that there is no substitute for candidates actually sitting in front of residents and answering questions.
Websites are useful. Mailers are useful. Social media is useful. Endorsements may tell voters something.
But none of them are the same as a candidate forum.
And that has led me to a simple idea:
Every Culver City neighborhood should consider holding its own candidate forum.
Why Neighborhood Forums Matter
Culver City is geographically small, but that does not mean every neighborhood experiences the city in the same way.
A resident concerned about speeding on a residential street may look at city government very differently from someone worried about development near a major corridor.
One neighborhood may be talking about parking.
Another may be talking about traffic.
Another may be worried about crime, homelessness, housing, trees, sidewalks, schools, noise, development, rent, taxes, or the condition of a nearby park.
That is exactly why neighborhood forums can be so valuable.
Instead of candidates giving the same prepared speech over and over again, residents can ask:
What are you going to do about the problems we actually see outside our doors?
Bring the Election to the Voters
Local democracy should not require residents to become political insiders.
You should not have to belong to a political club.
You should not have to know which organization is holding which endorsement meeting.
You should not have to follow local politics every day.
And you certainly should not have to donate money to a campaign to have an opportunity to hear from the people asking for your vote.
Bring the candidates to the neighborhoods.
Imagine candidate forums throughout Culver City—in Fox Hills, Carlson Park, Blair Hills, Culver West, Sunkist Park, the Hayden Tract and other parts of our community.
The questions would probably be different at every meeting.
That is the point.
Candidates Would Learn Something Too
Candidate forums are not only for voters.
They are good for candidates.
When you are running for office, it can become very easy to spend your time talking to political organizations, campaign volunteers, donors, activists and people who regularly attend government meetings.
Those voices matter.
But they are not the entire city.
A neighborhood forum can put a candidate in front of the resident who has never attended a City Council meeting but knows that cars fly down the street every morning.
It can introduce candidates to the renter worried about affordability.
The homeowner worried about property taxes.
The parent worried about schools.
The business owner worried about surviving another year.
The senior worried about walking safely across the street.
Those conversations can teach someone seeking office what spreadsheets and staff reports cannot.
Make the Rules Simple and Fair
These forums do not need to be elaborate political productions.
A neighborhood association, apartment community or group of residents could organize one.
Invite all qualified City Council candidates under the same rules.
Give everyone the same amount of time.
Allow residents to submit questions.
Use a neutral moderator.
Ask neighborhood-specific questions along with broader questions about the city.
Record or livestream the forum when practical so residents who cannot attend can still watch.
And most importantly:
Do not decide for voters which candidates they should be allowed to hear.
Let the voters decide.
Ask the Questions That Matter to You
I would love to see residents asking candidates very specific questions.
What would you do about speeding on our street?
Should this area become more dense?
Where should new housing go?
How much money should Culver City keep in reserve?
Should the City financially support CCUSD?
What should happen with bike infrastructure?
How should Culver City deal with homelessness?
Are our sidewalks, streets and trees being maintained adequately?
Are we spending taxpayer money wisely?
What would you change during your first year on the Council?
Then comes one of my favorite questions:
Why?
It is easy for politicians to say yes or no.
It is much more informative when voters ask them to explain how they reached their conclusion.
No Endorsement Required
A neighborhood does not even have to endorse anyone.
The purpose can simply be education.
Invite the candidates.
Ask the questions.
Record the answers.
Put the video online.
Then let residents make up their own minds.
That may actually be one of the healthiest forms of local political participation.
My Challenge to Culver City
So here is my challenge for the 2026 election:
Neighborhoods of Culver City: hold your own candidate forums.
They can be in community rooms, parks, schools, apartment complexes, businesses or online.
Twenty residents?
Great.
Fifty?
Great.
Two hundred?
Even better.
The size of the audience is not what makes the conversation important.
The important part is creating another opportunity for voters and candidates to meet each other directly.
I will show up.
Ask me the easy questions.
Ask me the difficult questions.
Challenge my ideas.
Tell me where you think I am wrong.
And give the other candidates exactly the same opportunity.
Because City Council members ultimately represent the entire city—not a political club, an organization, a donor, an interest group or one particular neighborhood.
The more neighborhoods that participate in choosing those representatives, the healthier our local democracy becomes.
And perhaps that is another lesson from The Strange World of Politics:
Sometimes improving democracy does not require another law, another commission or another expensive government program.
Sometimes it requires some chairs, a microphone, a room full of neighbors—
and candidates willing to answer the questions.
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