Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent characterization of Culver City as a hotbed of crime and domestic terrorism has been met with statistical evidence to the contrary and pushback from local officials.
During a contentious House hearing on Wednesday focused primarily on the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, Bondi made an unexpected jab at Culver City during an exchange with Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles).
When Kamlager-Dove pressed Bondi about deleted Department of Justice data linking far-right ideology with political killings, Bondi responded: “There are [violent, dangerous people] in your district. Her district includes Culver City, and she’s not talking about any crime in her district. Nothing about helping crime in her district.”
The claim about the Los Angeles County city of 39,000 residents prompted immediate pushback from local officials and residents, who shared statistics showing crime has actually decreased in recent years.
According to data from the Culver City Police Department, crime declined 9.7% in 2024 and dropped an additional 6.1% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Violent crime specifically fell 3.9% in 2024, with murders dropping to zero and reductions in aggravated assault, kidnapping, and robbery.
Culver City Mayor Freddy Puza described the community as “strong and vibrant” in an interview Thursday, attributing the crime reduction to community-based policing and social services for unsheltered residents. He characterized Bondi’s comment as a “knee-jerk reaction” from an attorney general facing scrutiny over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein case.
“My read of it is that she’s trying to deflect,” Puza said. “I think she could really spend her time prosecuting the people in the Epstein files and making sure that information from the federal government is transparent.”
When asked for evidence supporting Bondi’s claim, a Justice Department spokesperson could not provide examples of political violence or domestic terrorism in Culver City.
The exchange was part of a hearing where Bondi faced criticism over redaction errors in the release of millions of Epstein case files. Her performance has prompted bipartisan calls for her resignation, including from conservative commentators.
Rep. Kamlager-Dove dismissed Bondi’s characterization of her district, posting on social media that Culver City was known for “breakfast burritos — not crime.”
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