On Monday, April 13, 2009 I visited the Culver City City Council meeting and discovered that they operate using a council form of government -administrator. For a town of about 38,000 people, this type of government structure is fairly common, and I wasn't surprised to see it in action in a community where the median household income is about $56,000 per year . Culver City is also a culturally rich community with a population that is 60% white and a quarter of residents are of African American or Asian descent. The mayor, D. Scott Malsin, is one of five members of the council and his term as mayor is rotating. Having attended a Hermosa Beach City Council meeting with a similar council-manager structure, I knew what to expect. Hermosa Beach and Culver City were awfully similar in structure, and the topics covered were tedious and difficult to fully understand without prior knowledge. Additionally, at both meetings, people came before the council and aired their grievances regarding what some people considered to be unfair ordinances. At this particular meeting, a few men in their sixties, unhappy with an ordinance relating to rose bushes, informed the mayor that he could put this article of the municipal code "in the recesses of the mind of the Mayor Malsin. . The mayor, having probably already heard his disgust, simply nodded and thanked the upset man. His friend clapped and an older man sitting in the back row snickered. After seeing the older man give his opinion to the mayor, I hoped more residents would stand up and demand action from their local government. I wanted people to step up and tell local government that part of... middle of paper ...... and try to understand the ins and outs of creating budget contracts with consultants. Sometimes I noticed that the mayor probably would have been more attentive to hearing from angry citizens than listening to Armenta trying to get clarification on C-5. As unexciting as the council meeting agenda items may have been, it was nonetheless fascinating to see local government working in such an orderly and proper manner. We may disagree on particular ordinances or agenda items, but we will do so in an appropriate manner that does not disrupt the city as a whole, and even if the topics of discussion are mostly mundane , students should still, at one point or another, witness their local situation. governments at work. This provides a better understanding of the impact of daily city improvements and the importance of speaking up and being a leader in your community..