Meet Bryan 'Bubba' Fish, Candidate For City Council Of Culver City

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Family: I have been married to my husband Aaron for six years. We were married in 2018 by each of our hometown Rabbis. We have a 2-year-old pup named Walter.

Age: 33

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

I served as the vice chair of Culver City’s Advisory Committee on Housing & Homelessness for over two years. I worked to support unhoused residents and passed resolutions recommending new state laws the council could leverage to increase affordable housing production.

What do you think are the top three issues for Culver City voters in this election, and how do you plan to address them?

It’s up to us to make sure that Culver City remains a vibrant place where people of all ages, races, and backgrounds can thrive. That’s why I’m stepping up to lead — to foster a Culver City where housing is abundant, our streets are safe, and our budget is rooted in services and care.

Our housing crisis impacts all of us. Addressing the rising cost of housing and the regional increase in homelessness must be our most urgent priority. Culver City has become a place where jobs can be found aplenty, but there is not enough housing for workers who work those jobs to actually live nearby. We currently have four jobs for every one unit of housing in Culver City, and in the past several decades, the city has built very little multi-family housing. As a result, we are quickly losing our diversity, our young people, our seniors, and our workers who contribute to our community.

As a city councilmember, I am eager to expand housing options for all income levels — from permanent supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness, to income-restricted and market rate apartments and condos. Recently, the City Council even jeopardized the grant application for a 100% income-restricted apartment building with 95 units, citing that the development would cast a shadow on a nearby home. Our housing crisis requires urgent action, not kicking the can down the road year after year. As a result of the lack of housing and decades-long stagnant wage growth, more and more workers continue to fall into homelessness every day as they find themselves unable to afford the most basic shelter.

Once people do fall into homelessness, they find a complete dearth of resources available to them. While serving as vice chair of Culver City’s Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness, I supported the creation of 73 units of interim and permanent supportive housing and our new safe camping site, which currently hosts 20 families. I also suggested new state laws the Council could leverage to expedite affordable housing production.

We need to invest in more care-oriented services that help people, instead of criminalizing homelessness across the city as the council majority did at the beginning of last year. I plan to invest in Culver City’s unarmed mental health crisis team to operate 24/7, as it currently only operates on weekdays during business hours.

I also plan to initiate an Ambassador program similar to those found in West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and on the Metro system.

Lastly, climate resiliency must be at the center of all our policies, especially boosting transit ridership and creating safe routes for cycling and scooter use.. There is a significant connection between income level and public transit ridership in Culver City, with buses being predominantly used by low income riders. But our current City Council majority has no interest in listening to the riders who work in Culver City and live elsewhere, even though they are the backbone of our city and power our local economy.

I plan to invest in our transportation infrastructure to help shorten commutes for public transit riders, expand our micromobility network to give people alternatives to driving and the burdens of car ownership, and make our streets safer for everyone. Car crashes are currently the number one killer of children in our county and I hope to change that through fast, frequent transit and climate-resilient safe streets.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you’d succeed on the
council?

I co-created and organized Culver City’s first and only official pride celebration, which is now an annual event approaching its fourth year, bringing joy to neighbors near and far. Culver City Pride Ride & Rally features the largest Pride Ride in the region, and culminates in Downtown Culver City with a rally celebrating diversity, sustainability, and inclusivity. The festival attracts hundreds of participants with attendance increasing every year.

In my role as vice chair of Culver City’s Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness, I supported the creation of supportive housing and safe sleep projects now providing housing and shelter for dozens of unhoused residents. As a result of these efforts, our unhoused population has dropped from over 250 just two years ago to just 115 today. I also helped conduct Culver City’s annual Homeless Count for several years, helping the city understand the needs of our city’s unhoused population. I also passed resolutions recommending new state laws the city can leverage to accelerate affordable housing production.

In my former role as co-director of state policy at the safe streets advocacy group, Streets for All, several bills I sponsored are now law and already making California streets more safe and accessible, including requiring cities to calm traffic on deadly streets, preventing apartments from banning e-bikes, and requiring head starts for pedestrians at intersections.

What’s the best advice anyone gave you?

A mentor once told me that when it comes to leadership, get used to discomfort, stay focused on the work, and don’t let yourself get distracted– just keep going. Another mentor told me to follow my heart, because it’s the only compass you have when it comes to navigating politics and leadership. That may sound trite, but in leadership, there are plenty of traps to fall into, hence why it’s extremely important to stay focused on the work you are doing and why.

Is there anything else you’d like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I would be only the second LGBTQ+ person ever elected, the youngest person on the Council, and I’m the only renter in this race.

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