Culver City, A Crime Haven? Bondi's Jab Falls Flat With Locals

Conversations astir Culver City — nan vibrant enclave connected Los Angeles’ Westside often called “the Heart of Screenland” — usually see phrases specified arsenic “walkable” and “green spaces” and “Erewhon.”

So erstwhile U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi insinuated nan metropolis of 39,000 residents is simply a crime haven during a heated speech pinch Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles) Wednesday, section officials and personalities responded pinch statistics, memes and wry mockery.

Bondi slipped successful nan jab adjacent nan extremity of an arduous House hearing mostly focused connected nan Department of Justice’s handling of nan Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Kamlager-Dove, whose territory includes Culver City, hammered Bondi complete deleted Department of Justice information linking far-right ideology pinch governmental killings, asserting that “there are violent, vulnerable group retired location pinch existent threats.”

“There are — successful your district,” Bondi responded. “Her territory includes Culver City, and she’s not talking astir immoderate crime successful her district. Nothing astir helping crime successful her district. She’s not moreover worthy getting into nan details.”

Hometown names stepped up to take sides nan metropolis by posting photos of cleanable streets, manicured parks and humming organization events.

Political commentator and Angeleno Brian Taylor Cohen called nan metropolis “one of nan astir non-controversially safe” places successful L.A., while Culver City-based comedian Heather Gardner said: “The worst crime of nan period is that this female had made a insult of our justness system. Release nan un-redacted files. Prosecute nan REAL crimes.”

Kamlager-Dove shrugged disconnected Bondi’s comment, saying Culver City was known for “breakfast burritos — not crime.”

A spokesperson for nan Justice Department could not supply examples of governmental unit aliases home coercion successful Culver City, and alternatively accused Kamlager-Dove of “having nary liking successful discussing nationalist information successful and astir her district.”

Crime successful Culver City declined 9.7% successful 2024 and was down an further 6.1% successful nan 3rd 4th of 2025 compared pinch nan aforesaid play of 2024, according to nan Culver City Police Department. Violent crime declined 3.9% successful 2024 — nan past afloat twelvemonth of disposable information — but appears to beryllium trending toward a flimsy summation successful 2025.

From 2023 to 2024, murders dropped to zero while aggravated assault, kidnapping and robbery besides fell. There were 26 cases of intersexual battle successful nan metropolis successful 2024, compared pinch 25 successful 2023. The only convulsive crime that saw a important summation were elemental assaults, which roseate 8.1%.

The California Department of Justice and nan FBI reported successful 2024 that crime successful nan authorities had fallen to “among nan lowest levels ever recorded.”

Mayor Freddy Puza, successful an question and reply Thursday, described Culver City arsenic a “strong and vibrant community” of group pinch nary shortage of occupation opportunities astatine mini businesses and corporations alike, including TikTok, Pinterest and intermezo giants Apple, Amazon and Sony.

He said nan section authorities has been capable to little crime rates done community-based policing and by providing lodging and societal services to its unsheltered population. The politician characterized Bondi’s retort arsenic a “knee-jerk reaction” from an lawyer wide faced pinch damaging nationalist spot concerns astatine her department.

“My publication of it is that she’s trying to deflect,” he said. “I deliberation she could really walk her clip prosecuting nan group successful nan Epstein files and making judge that accusation from nan national authorities is transparent.”

The metropolis had seen nary ideological violence, he said, adding, “but nan imaginable for it is correct astir nan corner. There’s nary uncertainty that it is connected nan emergence and nan president is stoking it. People are becoming further and further polarized.”

At nan hearing, Bondi faced crisp disapproval complete nan Justice Department’s Epstein investigation — specifically complete redaction errors successful nan release of millions of lawsuit files past month. In 1 instance, nan lawyer wide refused to apologize to Epstein victims successful nan room, saying she would not “get into nan gutter” pinch partisan requests from Democrats.

Her capacity has already prompted a volley of bipartisan demands for her resignation, including from blimpish pundits including Megyn Kelly, Nick Fuentes and Kyle Rittenhouse.

Culver City was not Bondi’s only target Wednesday. She called Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) a “washed-up loser lawyer,” accused Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome,” and branded erstwhile CNN anchor Don Lemon a “blogger.”

Since nan hearing, however, she has stayed silent arsenic locals proceed to mobility her intel and chuckle complete images of nan pylon-protected warfare area of Culver City.

“The worst crime successful Culver City,” Gardener joked again connected TikTok, “is that they complaint $24 for a smoothie astatine Erewhon.”