Let’s make Culver City the first “Property‑Tax‑Optional” city in California—powered by Bitcoin, clean energy, and smart civic design. 🚀

Below is a concrete, Culver‑specific playbook that (1) keeps us fully compliant with California law, (2) uses Bitcoin where it actually helps, and (3) builds enough new revenue and savings to offset the City’s property‑tax line item over time—so we can run the city without relying on property taxes.

🎯 The Bold Goal (and the Reality Check)

• Target to replace/offset: Culver City’s General Fund property‑tax revenue is about $16.6M (≈10% of GF revenues) in FY 2024‑25. That’s the line we aim to replace with new revenue + savings so the City can operate without relying on property taxes.  
• Legal reality: Under Proposition 13, cities don’t set or “abolish” the 1% property‑tax rate; counties collect and allocate shares. So the right move is zero‑reliance (offset property‑tax revenue), not “abolish” it.  
• Treasury guardrails: California Government Code §53601 strictly limits what local agencies can invest in; cryptocurrency isn’t on the list. Conclusion: the City shouldn’t hold BTC on its balance sheet; any crypto accepted should be auto‑converted to USD via a processor.  
• Green‑power advantage: Culver City’s default electricity product is 100% Green Power via Clean Power Alliance—perfect for any small, quiet, sustainably powered municipal computing pilot.  
• Local context: The City is phasing out oil operations within its borders (Inglewood Oil Field), with a settlement‑driven closure schedule in place—so any “Bitcoin + energy” concept must be clean, quiet, and community‑friendly.  

💡 The “Powered by Bitcoin” Revenue Stack (Culver‑specific)

Think of this as five coordinated pillars. Conservative versions keep risk low; ambitious versions push the upside.

1) 

Accept Bitcoin (and stablecoins) for City payments—with instant USD conversion

What: Let residents and businesses pay permits, parking, utility user tax, TOT, business tax, fines, rec fees, etc. in BTC/crypto; processor instantly converts to USD, so the City takes no price risk and stays within §53601.

Why now: Major U.S. cities have already moved (e.g., Detroit via PayPal‑managed rails). California is also moving toward crypto payments for state fees (AB 1180), which signals a regulatory path and best practices. 

How in Culver City (60–120 days):

• Issue a short RFP for a crypto payment processor that (a) auto‑converts to USD, (b) carries AML/KYC, (c) indemnifies the City, (d) supports chargeback/chargeforward rules akin to cards.
• Start with non‑controversial items (e.g., parking citations, business tax renewals, permits), then expand.
  Budget impact: Primarily inclusion + convenience at first (cover fees with a pass‑through “e‑payment” convenience fee). The real impact is downstream: improved collections, tech‑friendly brand, and more transactions online.

2) 

Micro‑scale, ultra‑quiet Bitcoin mining with waste‑heat reuse at City facilities

What: Deploy a small, immersion‑cooled Bitcoin mining rack inside mechanical rooms where the waste heat can offset facility heating (e.g., Culver City Pool & Aquatics, select buildings). This converts electricity → two products: heat (primary) and hash (secondary).

Why Culver City: We have 100% renewable default power and electrification roadmaps (e.g., Culver CityBus depot electrification plans include structures designed to add future solar PV). Using miners as controllable thermal loads makes the heat “pay” for itself while modestly producing BTC that the processor can auto‑convert to USD. 

Proof points: Cities and businesses are already heating pools and facilities with mining waste heat (immersion systems can recapture a very high share of heat). 

How (120–180 days pilot):

• Choose a single pilot site (e.g., municipal pool mechanical room) and size the rack to the heat demand (aim small/quiet first). Require immersion cooling and sound‑abated enclosures.
• Run miners only when marginal electricity is cheapest/cleanest (midday solar surplus) to maximize economics and alignment with CPA programs.  
• Hash revenue is a bonus; the heat bill savings is the anchor.
  Budget impact: Begins as utility savings that grow over time; hash revenue is variable but can be auto‑converted to USD. (Fort Worth’s tiny pilot netted ~$1k over six months—so keep expectations grounded and design for heat savings first.)  

3) 

“Flexible Compute” at the Culver CityBus yard (grid‑friendly, midday‑solar soaking)

What: As the City electrifies transit, add a modest, modular compute pod (mining + AI‑adjacent compute) colocated at the bus depot, designed to throttle up during midday solar (when CA has excess renewables) and throttle down in peaks—making the site a controllable load that earns energy incentives and sometimes mines.

Why here: The BEB (battery‑electric bus) transition plan includes heavy electrical upgrades and canopies designed for future PV—perfect to pair with flexible compute that uses surplus clean power without noise or air pollution. 

Budget impact: Demand‑response credits + occasional hash revenue + potential O&M optimizations. Keep it small and inside existing sound/visual envelopes.

4) 

Leverage Culver Connect (municipal fiber) to attract Bitcoin/Lightning/AI firms—grow business‑tax & TOT

What: Use the City’s municipal fiber as a carrot for blockchain/Lightning startups, crypto payment companies, and green compute firms to locate in Culver City (offices, meetups, hackathons). More employers → business‑tax, sales‑tax, TOT (hotels) growth—without touching property tax. 

Tactics (ongoing):

• Create a “Culver City Crypto‑Ready” program with expedited permits for low‑impact office uses (not industrial mining) + curated space in existing commercial buildings.
• Annual “Bitcoin x Hollywood” week (panels, filming tech, creator payments, Lightning micropayments for tickets/parking).
  Budget impact: Indirect but real—CFO slides show sales tax ($41.2M), UUT ($17.1M), business tax ($32.7M), and TOT ($12.8M) already dwarf property tax; we’re leaning into the categories that actually move the GF.  

5) 

Civic Sats Fund (donations & sponsorships), not speculation

What: Create a philanthropic conduit (City‑affiliated foundation or fiscal sponsor) that accepts BTC/crypto donations and auto‑converts to USD for City priorities (parks, arts, homelessness response, youth programs). This captures upside from supporters without putting City cash at crypto risk or violating §53601.

Guardrail: Avoid “city coin” schemes as core revenue—Miami’s CityCoins moment delivered one‑off funds but then collapsed in value; that’s not a dependable base for a general fund. Use donations and sponsorships as icing, not cake. 

🧱 Compliance, Risk & Communications (make it boring—in a good way)

• No custody, no speculation: All crypto inflows pass through a processor and land as USD in City accounts. (Aligns with Government Code §53601 limits.)  
• Noise, air, neighborhood: Any compute is immersion‑cooled indoors with measured sound levels below building MEP equipment. (LA‑area cases show complaints when mining is fan‑cooled outdoors—avoid that.)  
• Environment: Pair miners with renewables and heat reuse; schedule runtime to align with midday solar; publish a quarterly climate and cost dashboard.  
• Legal envelope: Note California’s evolving AB 1180 progress for state payments and keep a clean record that Culver City follows the same convert‑to‑USD standard.  

⏱️ 24‑Month Action Plan (fast, focused, fun)

Phase 0 (0–30 days): Set the goal

1. Council resolution: “Zero Property‑Tax Reliance by FY 2029—Powered by Bitcoin‑enabled payments, heat‑reuse compute, and innovation‑led growth.”
2. Authorize staff to issue mini‑RFPs for crypto payment processing and immersion‑cooled micro‑compute pilot.

Phase 1 (30–120 days): Turn it on

1. Payments: Launch crypto checkout for 2–3 fee types (citations, permits, rec fees) with instant USD settlement. Track usage and fees.  
2. Pilot site selection: Choose one facility for a 50–150 kW heat‑reuse pilot (e.g., pool or a building needing steady hot‑water/space heat). Require immersion cooling & noise certification.  
3. Culver Connect incentive: Announce move‑in credits (permit concierge + fiber onboarding) for Lightning/crypto payment startups that sign commercial leases in Culver City.  

Phase 2 (4–12 months): Measure & scale what works

1. Expand payment types (business tax renewals, licensing).
2. Heat‑reuse results: Publish M&V (energy saved, noise data, uptime, net $). If successful, replicate in 1–2 more locations.
3. Bus depot compute pod: Scope flexible‑load pod aligned with midday solar; coordinate with CPA/SCE programs.  

Phase 3 (12–24 months): Lock in the offset

1. Bundle the wins: Savings from heat reuse + incremental tax growth from tech tenants + modest hash revenue + sponsorships → dedicate to a “Property‑Tax Offset Fund.”
2. Public dividend: As offsets grow, fund visible resident benefits (e.g., rec scholarships, transit passes) to show “innovation pays for people.”

📊 What Success Looks Like (KPIs you can celebrate)

• Crypto payment adoption: # transactions, $ volume, % auto‑reconciled, CX scores.
• Energy & heat‑reuse: kWh saved, therms displaced, dB(A) readings, runtime during green hours.
• Net financials: Avoided utility cost + demand‑response incentives + net hash revenue (USD) + new business‑tax/TOT from tech tenants.
• Community: Event attendance for “Bitcoin x Hollywood,” # of Culver Connect crypto/Lightning firms, resident satisfaction.

⚠️ What 

Not

 to do

• Don’t park City treasury in BTC (restricted by §53601; volatility risk).  
• Don’t run loud, fan‑cooled outdoor mining (learn from Texas noise conflicts; Culver is dense).  
• Don’t bet core revenue on a “city coin.” Miami’s experience was a one‑time pop + volatility—great PR, poor foundation.  

🧭 Why this fits Culver City 

perfectly

• We’re already a 100% Green Power default community. Pairing flexible, indoor, heat‑reusing compute with that grid is chef’s kiss.  
• We’re wrapping oil‑era land use and stepping into a clean‑tech future—this plan makes that transition tangible and beneficial.  
• Our revenue profile already leans on sales tax, UUT, business tax, and TOT. A crypto‑friendly, innovation‑magnet strategy grows those lines and frees us from property‑tax dependence.  

Quick reference sources

• CFO slides (FY24‑25) with revenue mix (Property tax ≈ $16.6M, 10%).  
• Clean Power Alliance: Culver City default is 100% Green Power.  
• Inglewood Oil Field phase‑out & settlement timeline (local ordinance and settlement).  
• AB 1180 (2025) analysis: path for state crypto payments (useful benchmarks).  
• Gov Code §53601: Authorized investments—crypto not included.  
• Detroit crypto‑payments announcement (processor‑managed).  
• Fort Worth municipal mining pilot results (keep expectations realistic).  

Ready, Culver City? 🌴🎬⚡

This is our moment. We can run a gorgeous, creative, world‑class city without leaning on property taxes—by embracing Bitcoin where it actually helps, capturing clean‑energy synergies, and turning innovation into public good. If you want, I’ll turn this into a 1‑page Council motion + a 90‑day execution checklist next.