A voter recently left me a very direct comment:
“Well, will you vote with Fish and McMorrin who continue, along with Puza to ruin Culver City, give away the City's money, waste money on bike lanes, take away money from our police force???? Do you think we do not need police, like Fish and McMorrin?? Worst City Council we have ever had. The 3 of them voting together to ruin the City. You need to set yourself apart from their views or you do not stand a chance!”
I appreciate comments like this because they force candidates to answer an important question:
What do you actually believe?
So let me explain how I think about the police.
I See the Police as Our Security Guards
This may sound unusual, but I think of the police as our community's security guards.
Imagine Culver City as a large neighborhood shared by roughly 40,000 people. We have homes, businesses, parks, schools, streets, public buildings, and public spaces.
We need people whose job is to protect all of that—and, most importantly, to protect us.
That is what we hire the police to do.
But there is one enormous difference between an ordinary security guard and a police officer.
We, through our laws and democratic institutions, give police officers extraordinary governmental authority.
They can detain someone.
They can arrest someone.
They can issue citations.
Under legally defined circumstances, they can search people and property.
And in the most extreme circumstances permitted by law, they can use force.
Those are tremendous powers.
That is why I believe two things simultaneously:
We need the police.
And:
The police must be accountable to the public.
Those ideas are not contradictory.
They belong together.
The Authority Ultimately Comes From the People
Sometimes discussions about policing become divided into two camps.
One side sounds as though supporting the police means never questioning anything the police department does.
The other side can sound as though questioning police practices means believing we don't need police at all.
I reject that choice.
In a democracy, government authority ultimately comes from the people.
We elect representatives. Those representatives establish laws, budgets, policies, and oversight within the limits imposed by state and federal law. Police officers exercise governmental authority under those laws.
That means the police department does not exist above the community.
It exists to serve the community.
That is why I use the security-guard analogy.
If you hired security guards to protect your building, you wouldn't want them powerless. You hired them because you want them capable of protecting you.
But you also wouldn't tell them:
“Here is the money. Here is the authority. Do whatever you want, and never explain anything to us.”
Of course not.
You would want to know whether the building was safe.
You would want to know whether calls were answered.
You would want to know whether residents were being treated properly.
You would want to know how the money was being spent.
And if something went wrong, you would expect an explanation.
That is accountability.
Accountability is not anti-police.
Accountability is part of responsible government.
I Do Not Support Defunding Police Simply Because It Is Politically Popular
My approach to the police budget is the same approach I believe we should take with every major City expenditure:
Show me the numbers. Show me the need. Show me the results.
I would not vote to cut police simply because reducing police spending is politically fashionable.
But I also would not automatically approve every dollar requested simply because questioning a police expenditure might be politically uncomfortable.
If the police need additional officers, equipment, training, technology, or resources to keep Culver City safe, I want to understand why—and I am willing to fund what is reasonably necessary.
If something isn't working, I want to know that too.
The same standard should apply to transportation projects, consultants, housing programs, parks, administrative spending, and everything else City Hall funds.
Public money belongs to the public.
Public Safety Is One of the Fundamental Responsibilities of Local Government
I have repeatedly said that I want Culver City to be:
Safe. Clean. Quiet. Beautiful. Accountable.
“Safe” comes first for a reason.
People should be able to walk through their neighborhoods without being afraid.
Businesses should be protected.
Children should be safe traveling to school.
Residents should be able to call the police when something serious happens and reasonably expect someone to respond.
And our police officers should have the staffing, training, equipment, and support necessary to do their jobs effectively and lawfully.
At the same time, residents should know how their police department operates and how their money is being spent.
I Am Not Running to Join a Voting Bloc
The voter who wrote to me essentially asked whether I will vote with particular members of the current City Council.
My answer is simple:
I am not running to become anybody's automatic fourth vote.
I am also not running to become somebody else's automatic opposition vote.
If another councilmember proposes something that I believe is good for Culver City, I will vote for it.
If that same councilmember proposes something the following week that I believe is bad for Culver City, I will vote against it.
I don't care whether the proposal comes from the political left, the political right, a homeowners' group, a renters' organization, a business organization, a police association, a bicycle organization, or any other interest group.
My responsibility would be to approximately 40,000 Culver City residents.
Not to a political team.
So, Do I Think Culver City Needs Police?
Absolutely.
But I think the more important question is:
What kind of police department should Culver City have?
My answer is a professional, properly staffed, properly trained, adequately funded and accountable police department that understands something fundamental:
The extraordinary authority carried by a police badge ultimately exists because our democratic system grants that authority for a purpose—to protect and serve the public.
That is the relationship I want between City Hall, our police officers, and our residents.
Not hostility toward police.
Not unquestioning obedience to police.
Partnership, resources, transparency, accountability, and respect.
That is how I see public safety.
And that is how I would approach decisions about the Culver City Police Department if the voters give me the privilege of serving on the City Council.
Dr. Franklin Carvajal
Candidate for Culver City Council 2026
Safe. Clean. Quiet. Beautiful. Accountable.
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