CULVBER CITY, Calif. /CALIFORNIA NEWSWIRE/ — This week, Culver City marked aa historic moment as the City Council selected new leadership in front of a large crowd within the Mike Balkman Council Chambers. Council Member Freddy Puza was unanimously voted to become Culver City’s Mayor for 2026, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ Mayor in Culver City’s 108-year history. Mayor Puza was first elected in 2022 as a City Council Member. He will serve as Mayor for a 12-month term.
The City Council also unanimously approved Odis Jones as Culver City’s next City Manager. He will succeed John Nachbar, who served the community with distinction for 15 years. Jones brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience across complex local and state governments.
“This is a new day in Culver City and I’m honored to work with the new City Manager to create new opportunities and way of operating in the city,” said Mayor Puza. “The past, the present, and the future, they’re all right here, right now. Every decision made before us created the city we love today. We honor that. But we also remember what we were. We were a sundown town. That’s our history.
“We don’t get to forget it. We don’t get to pretend it didn’t happen. We’re not responsible for the sins of the past. But we are absolutely responsible for the future we build. And the decisions we make this year will echo for decades. That’s not hyperbole. That’s the job. And I promise you, I will treat it with the seriousness it deserves. To everyone who has ever lived here, worked here, invested in this city: you’re part of Culver City’s story. You matter.”
You can watch Monday’s City Council meeting in its entirety on the City YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbJsjaBV_Ro
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This version of news first appeared on CaliforniaNewswire.com and was edited by Christopher Simmons.
