Exposing the True Nature of 'Our Culver': A Political Tool for SEIU-UHW

Exposing the True Nature of 'Our Culver': A Political Tool for SEIU-UHW

Let’s set the record straight—the newly sprouted advocacy group, "Our Culver", is not a grassroots movement rising from the people of Culver City. It’s a front for SEIU-UHW, orchestrated by a small group of individuals intent on manipulating local politics. Greg Maron, a high-level executive for SEIU, Stephen Jones, a sitting Planning Commissioner for Culver City, and Alex Fisch, a former Councilmember -- run off after just one term -- are the key players leading this effort, whose donations to "Our Culver" account for half of their funding.

These individuals, along with their well-known friends from within Culver City Democratic Club (CCDC) and SEIU, are currently driving a campaign to control the city. SEIU-UHW has directly donated over $25,000 in the last four years through individuals and a PAC to Fisch, Fish, Lee, McMorrin, Puza, and CCDC, essentially funding the leftist slate. In 2022 alone, SEIU-UHW spent almost $500,000 here in Culver City to fund a signature harvest campaign to put a measure on our local ballot.



All one has to do is read publicly available campaign finance documents to see all of this information. There is an unusually high concentration of “Our Culver” donors who work for SEIU: Cass Gualvez, Organizer; Triana Silton, Organizer; Jonathan Barton, Organizer; and, of course, Greg Maron, who works at the SEIU executive level.

If anyone has been fooled into thinking that "Our Culver" is a broad, community-driven initiative, they need to understand the truth: this is a calculated effort by SEIU-UHW to push its agenda in Culver City and exact revenge against Councilmember Albert Vera for his December 2022 vote against granting their members working at one hospital in Culver City a special $25/hr minimum wage.

Notably, SEIU-UHW did not call for an increase in wages for Culver City's municipal workers, many of whom make less than $25/hr, nor for all healthcare workers in Culver City. Regardless, the state legislature ultimately passed a law giving SEIU what they wanted. However, their vendetta against Vera persists two years later, leading them to try to influence the current council election to oust Vera and those they perceive as his allies. It’s quite likely that Maron, Jones, and Fisch are also behind the negative website about the upstanding community member and Councilmember, Albert Vera.

It should also be noted that the so-called leaders of the “Our Culver” group—Greg Maron, Stephen Jones, and Alex Fisch—are three privileged white lawyers, far from the diverse grassroots group they claim to represent.

This isn’t about the people; it’s about power.

SEIU’s History of Political Manipulation in Culver City

This isn’t SEIU’s first rodeo when it comes to political coercion. Going back four years, SEIU-UHW was deeply involved in pushing around former councilmembers Alex Fisch, Daniel Lee, and current member Yasmine-Imani McMorrin. The 2021 "hero pay" ordinance was a political maneuver by SEIU-UHW, disguised as a worker-support measure. The real goal was to secure political favors from Fisch, Lee, and McMorrin, ensuring their loyalty to the union’s agenda. This led to a lawsuit filed by the hospital against Culver City.

Further evidence of SEIU-UHW's coercive tactics emerged during a group text message exchange that took place during a council meeting. In this exchange, SEIU Regional Political Director Maky Peters, another recurring character in this saga, explicitly promised to "have your back in the event of a legal challenge to the Ordinance." This statement, pulled directly from the lawsuit document, shows the depth of collusion and how SEIU-UHW was actively trying to influence council decisions behind the scenes. Their meddling extended to every level, ensuring that political players felt both pressure and support to follow the union line. 

The 2022 Election and Failed Ballot Measure

During the 2022 election, SEIU-UHW funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into door-knocking campaigns, attempting to force voters to support a ballot measure after their efforts to coerce the city council failed. Ultimately, they failed to get the ballot measure on the ticket, marking yet another example of SEIU-UHW's underhanded tactics to manipulate local governance. It’s a movement of the few, funded and backed by SEIU-UHW, using massive resources to skew public perception and control the local narrative.

Ultimately, Culver City was successful in defeating the lawsuit filed by the hospital and urged along by the union, but, of course, tax paying residents foot the bill.

The 2024 Collusion Continues

Fast forward to 2024, and we see the same collusion in play. "Our Culver", SEIU, and this small group of political insiders are back at it—trying to manipulate the democratic process.  

More recently, SEIU, through its proxy Maky Peters, attempted to derail Albert Vera's endorsement by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP). Working alongside Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Bryan "Bubba" Fish, and Nancy Barba, they fabricated lies about Vera’s record in an attempt to manipulate the endorsement process. Fortunately, their corrupt scheme failed, and Vera was endorsed, receiving support from Mayor Karen Bass and Supervisor Holly Mitchell.

Their efforts through their Machiavellian go-to proxy, Maky Peters, are filled with lies and disturbing to read (see below). Not a single person has been arrested for being homeless. Culver City has led the way in helping the unhoused. Because of Albert Vera, Göran Eriksson, and Dan O’Brien, we now have housed many people with wraparound services.

The Scheme at the LACDP

During the September 9, 2024 LACDP Committee Meeting, SEIU-UHW’s influence was on full display. Maky Peters, along with Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Bryan "Bubba" Fish, and Nancy Barba, conspired to undermine Vera’s candidacy by planting misinformation and orchestrating a chaotic endorsement process. (Text message, email, and video below.) Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas further deepened the controversy by sending her alternate, Sherri Bell, who posed as the senator. Bell violated multiple rules: she was not credentialed to vote, failed to turn her camera on, and even attempted to make a motion without being officially recognized. The entire scheme was an orchestrated attempt to sway the outcome in favor of their preferred candidates, revealing a blatant disregard for fair democratic processes and community representation. This episode has cast a long shadow on the credibility of all involved, particularly Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas.

What’s Next?

This particular union, SEIU-UHW, has been laser-focused on exerting undue influence in Culver City. Their previous attempts have failed, so their latest strategy involves disguising their influence by embedding themselves within what they claim is a "people-powered movement" called "Our Culver." This is a deceptive effort, but the truth is clear to those who look closely at the source documents.

"Our Culver" and SEIU-UHW are not interested in genuine grassroots community involvement. They want to shape Culver City politics to their advantage. With Greg Maron, Alex Fisch, and Stephen Jones at the helm, their intentions are far from representing the interests of the community. The question now: will the people of Culver City continue to fall for this, or will they see "Our Culver" for what it really is—an SEIU-UHW political machine? 

Sources:

  • https://www.culvercity.org/City-Hall/Election-Information
  • https://www.culvercity.org/Services/Housing-Homeless-Human-Services/Homeless-Reporting-Dashboard
  • https://unicourt.com/case/pc-db5-southern-california-healthcare-system-inc-a-california-corporation-dba-southern-california-hospital-at-culver-city-et-al-v-city-of-culver-city-a-charter-municipality-et-al-938396
  • Texts and Emails received by LACDP members
  • LACDP 09/09/24 Meeting