'Rewarding and Challenging' Year, Mayor Says at State of City Address

Culver City Manager John Nachbar may have been overstating the situation when he welcomed city officials, business leaders and others to the 31 st Annual Mayor's Luncheon on Thursday at the Radisson Hotel.

"Welcome to not only the political event of the day, but also of the year," Nachbar said, wryly referring to President Obama's stop at Sony Studios later in the day.

also mentioned the visit in the opening of his talk by remarking about the president, "I'm afraid he might be a slightly larger draw than I am."

Armenta went on to outline some of the highlights of the past year, including the hirings of , Chief Financial Officer Jeff Muir,  and, most recently, Daniel Hernandez as director of Parks and Recreation.

"Serving as mayor has been both rewarding and challenging," Armenta said, noting that in spite of some very long City Council meetings, he still enjoys interacting with the residents who come to the meetings.

Armenta's talk was not all upbeat.

"Culver City isn't immune to the economy," Armenta said. "A funding gap still remains. We are bracing ourselves for the state's $20 billion deficit."

Armenta noted that tax revenues this year are up slightly since they nosedived in fiscal year 2009.

He pointed out that 80 percent of the city's budget goes toward salaries. Although he did not specifically say that there would be layoffs among city personnel, he did say that Nachbar has an "action plan" and that they were actively working with labor groups in the city.

"It is undisputed that Culver City provides outstanding services," Armenta went on to say, offering up the excellent records of the police and fire departments, as well as touting the city's bus service and the new , expected to officially arrive in Culver City in April 2012.

He also congratulated the Redevelopment Agency by pointing out the recent approvals of the and the , then commended the Senior Center, many of the arts programs and festivals in the city, as well as the .

"The Culver City I grew up in is no longer a sleepy little town," he said as he ended his talk. "Now we have a diverse and vibrant downtown as well. I am so proud to be a resident of this city."