Mayor Sharona Nazarian presided over her first City Council Study Session and Regular Meeting on April 22. In a brief speech, she expressed her gratitude and hope for the year to come.
“It’s an incredible honor to sit here tonight for my very first City Council meeting as mayor, and I want to take a moment to thank my colleagues, our city staff, and our incredible community for the warm welcome and continued support,” she said. “As we begin the next chapter together, I’m filled with hope and determination for a stronger, safer and more united Beverly Hills.”
Her remarks were followed by the inaugural Moment of Unity, a project Nazarian championed as part of her plans for her mayoral term. To kick it off, remarks were delivered by Fr. Edward Benioff, Pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Speaking about the recent death of Pope Francis, Benioff emphasized the late Roman Catholic Church leader’s emphasis on unity.
“In a deep way, he said we need to not just listen to each other, but we need to learn from each other … that was his gift to the church and to the world, and that’s really the heart of unity,” Benioff said.
At the Regular Meeting, the council voted to approve the city’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). At the Study Session, the council supported a request from the Rodeo Drive Committee regarding the annual Father’s Day Concourse d’Elegance car show and voiced support for a new Traffic and Parking Commissioner.
The CAAP, which was approved by the Beverly Hills City Council Liaison/Public Works Commission Committee on March 26, details proposed actions designed to reduce the city’s carbon footprint and help the community adapt to predicted climate-related changes.
Over the next several decades, the Beverly Hills area is expected to see more frequent extreme heat days, higher temperatures and increased variability in precipitation.
Among the strategies proposed in the CAAP to decrease greenhouse emissions are amplifying the use of renewable energy, expanding electric vehicle infrastructure and decreasing water use. Proposed tactics to adapt to weather variations include upgrades to infrastructure, sharpening emergency preparedness and increasing community participation.
The plan is an effort to get the city to carbon neutrality by 2045, however in its current iteration, it would not accomplish that goal.
In their comments, councilmembers stressed that the goal is ambitious.
“I appreciate the thinking on it and setting these foundational strategies for how we can move closer to having a net zero in 2045,” said Wells, but “they are aspirational in many ways.”
The council voted 4-1 to adopt the plan, with Vice Mayor John Mirisch voting no. Citing the works of ecological economist Herman Daly and others, Mirisch argued that one of the most pressing issues facing the climate is growthism, and said that the CAAP, while good, is “just not enough.”
In other business, the council unanimously supported the appointment of Negar Kamara to the Traffic and Parking Commission (TPC). Kamara submitted her application for the position in May 2024 to fill the vacancy left by former Commissioner Ron Shalowitz. She was interviewed with four other applicants on Feb. 20 by a panel including Nazarian, Mirisch, TPC Chair Karen Afra-Maghen and Vice Chair Hadar Geller.
According to her application, Kamara is an attorney and realtor who has lived in the city for approximately 26 years. She has worked as a traffic judge pro tem in the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica courts.
The council formally approved Kamara’s appointment to a term that will begin May 1 and conclude on June 30, 2027. She will be eligible for reappointment to a second, four-year term.
In response to a recommendation made by city staff and City Council liaisons, the council during its Study Session supported a request for funding, street closures, event elements and banner conceptual designs for the annual Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance Father’s Day Car Show.
The event will be held on June 15, with the theme “Luxury in Motion.” Last year’s event brought out 44,000 attendees and was featured in both automotive and mainstream media outlets.
The recommendation to support the requests was initially made on March 17 by the City Council Liaison/Rodeo Drive/Special Events/Holiday Program Committee, which included as liaisons Wells and then-Mayor Lester Friedman.
“It is a great family tradition to come to Rodeo Drive for Father’s Day,” said Kay Monica Rose, the Rodeo Drive Committee president, during a presentation. “It’s a multigenerational, family-oriented event … cars bring people together.”
Street closures for the event will go into effect on June 14 at 9 p.m. and remain in place until June 15 at 11 p.m. They will include Rodeo Drive from Wilshire Boulevard to S. Santa Monica Boulevard, Dayton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleyways east and west and Brighton Way from Rodeo Drive to the alleyways east and west.
Event organizers requested funding in the amount of $312,254, an increase from last year’s city contribution of $298,450. All requests for the event were supported by the council unanimously.
Other actions taken by the council included a vote to adopt the 2025 Legislative Platform. A draft of the Platform was presented at the March 18 City Council Study Session, and the changes requested by the council at that meeting were incorporated in the final draft. Those changes included language regarding public health, legislative sponsorship and public safety.
The council also approved a partnership between the city and Paramount Pictures to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the movie “Clueless,” along with a waiver of related permit fees of approximately $4,930. A series of month-long events for the commemoration may include a screening of the movie in La Cienega Park, a mother-daughter movie night at Greystone Mansion and a 90s-themed cover band as part of Concerts on Cañon.
The council approved July 20 as the date for the third annual Festival Beverly Hills, which will take place at Beverly Gardens Park, and an appropriation vrequest of $18,000.
