The Beverly Hills City Council reviewed and finalized the city’s legislative agenda for the new year at its Jan. 3 Study Session. The agenda foreshadowed a year focused on curbing multiple pandemic-related crises–both public health and economic–and addressing the existing housing crisis in California. On the local level, many on the Council expressed concerns with the direction of newly elected District Attorney George Gascón. The council also weighed the unique proposition of hiring a public relations firm to combat the negative image of Beverly Hills as “the bad guys” in the housing space and defending the idea of the single-family home.
Each year, the city establishes a legislative platform that outlines its legislative priorities. When legislation comes before state and federal lawmakers, the city’s advocates turn to the platform for direction on the city’s position. The platform exists as an “evolving document” that changes from year to year. The staff report compiled for the Jan. 3 Study Session identified 11 changes to the platform.
