Our Culver endorses Freddy Puza for re-election to the Culver City Council!
Our Culver endorses Freddy Puza for re-election to the Culver City Council!
When Mayor Freddy Puza was sworn in on December 8, 2025, the City Council Chambers were packed so full with well-wishers that an overflow room had to be opened for supporters. Freddy Puza is the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor in Culver City's history. Our Culver appreciates Freddy's leadership from the dais, in the community, and throughout the region, and we are glad to announce that Our Culver is endorsing Freddy Puza for a second term on the Culver City Council.
Dedicated to public service
Years before he was first elected in 2022, Freddy was dedicated to public service. Having volunteered on Skid Row in downtown LA providing direct service for three years, Freddy understands that compassionate, respectful and effective responses to homelessness must address the structural nature of the issues that cause people to become unhoused. He was a founding member of Protect Culver City Renters, which helped bring rent stabilization and tenant protections to Culver City in 2020. In 2021, he co-organized the first LGBTQ+ Pride event in Culver City, which has taken place annually ever since.
Housing as a top priority
As Vice Mayor, Freddy proposed the creation of a local Affordable Housing Trust Fund, so that Culver City can proactively invest in affordable housing, preserve existing units, and support residents at risk of displacement. More than once he cast a key vote to ensure that Culver City provided the financial support necessary for Jubilo Village, a new 93-unit affordable housing community that began construction in March 2026. As mayor, he joined a unanimous Council in approving a proposal to redevelop the former Martin B. Retting gun store into a 67-unit, all-affordable housing community with homes for teachers, artist lofts, resident services, and a ground-floor community art center — an opportunity Freddy described as one of his proudest moments serving on the Council. His vote also helped make Culver City the only city in California to adopt a single-stair ordinance prior to a six-year state moratorium on building code changes, giving residents more housing options and contributing to a more walkable city.
Standing up for our Immigrant and LGBTQ+ neighbors
In his first action as Vice Mayor, Freddy called on the City Council to revisit our Sanctuary City policy to make it more robust, and to include protections for peoples' reproductive rights and the dignity and well-being of LGBTQ+ persons, especially youth. As the Trump Administration doubles down on vilifying immigrants, Freddy has spoken out against the cruel abductions of community members by ICE in Culver City. He stood up for Ambrocio "Enrique" Lozano by organizing a press conference and contacting our U.S. Congresswoman, after this local paletero of more than 20 years was grabbed from little Culver Blvd. in broad daylight.
Strengthening the city's financial position
While opponents tried to vilify our then Vice Mayor by calling Measure CL the "Puza Tax," Freddy was vindicated when voters overwhelmingly approved this sales tax, which will generate millions for the city each year and help to reduce the city's structural deficit. He championed a thoughtful and transparent budget process, resulting in four months of workshops, and he worked with his colleagues on the dais and the City Manager to lift the fiscal emergency declaration and to rebuild our reserves to 27%, helping strengthen the City's long-term financial position. He was also joined by his council colleagues in approving a one-time $2.5 million contribution to the Culver City Unified School District, which has been dealing with a significant fiscal crisis.
Addressing affordability
Freddy has spoken repeatedly about how addressing the needs of our public spaces and infrastructure alone is not enough. This is because many residents are struggling with affordability. Even middle-income households are feeling the pressure of rising rents, child care costs, groceries, and fuel prices. This year's budget funds the new Jumpstart Program, which will provide micro-grants, fee waivers, and technical assistance to entrepreneurs and small business owners. He successfully advocated to increase the capacity of the Culver City Mobile Crisis Team so that mental health emergencies are attended by well-trained professionals who don't carry firearms. His leadership tripled sidewalk repairs and doubled road maintenance, because Freddy believes that basic infrastructure shouldn't be ignored until it becomes a crisis.
Why we're endorsing Freddy Puza
Hallmarks of Mayor Puza's leadership are a steady and calm presence on the dais, listening to people with different perspectives, building bridges across differences, raising important questions, working collaboratively with colleagues to create solutions, and centering both respect and care for the entire community in the decision-making process.
Our Culver joins with many community members in appreciation for all the ways that Freddy Puza has contributed to making Culver City a more forward-looking and progressive town. That record is exactly why we need him for the next four years, and we are excited about what Freddy's re-election to our city council will mean for Culver City's future.
