The Beverly Hills Human Relations Commission at its Sept. 18 meeting discussed two recent community events, Beverly Hills Reads! and Day of Wellness.
Commissioners recapped the event’s success and discussed areas for improvement for the third annual Beverly Hills Day of Wellness, which took place at Roxbury Park & Community Center. The event aims to provide residents with a day of fitness and self-care practices in a green space.
“The vendors provided a diverse representation of what wellness means,” said Community Services Manager Joana Torres. Commissioner Pam Kraushaar agreed, recognizing the greater variety of vendors compared to previous Day of Wellness events.
The event had five sessions in total, with the most popular being Inner Bloom Collective’s sound bath.
Torres provided some statistics and performance metrics on media outreach. Ahead of the event, organizers were able to advertise Day of Wellness in several publication listings. Commissioner Noelle Batista encouraged reaching out to the city’s social media team to obtain more engagement, acknowledging the limited outreach the Community Life BH account has in comparison.
The Beverly Hills Unified School District community recently came together for another installment of Beverly Hills Reads! on Aug. 24 for a conversation with Allegra Goodman on her book, “Isola,” the summer reading selection for Beverly Hills High School English students.
Some commissioners expressed wanting a bit of a “lighter” read for the summer.
Recreation Services Manager Michael Muse described some of the marketing reach that went into promoting the event, which saw 353 attendees. Commissioners helped launch a social media campaign featuring photos of residents reading Goodman’s book, while event organizers complemented this approach with a professional promotional video, e-newsletter features and an Eventbrite listing. Batista advocated for developing standardized promotional plans to ensure consistent marketing for similar types of events.
At the beginning of the meeting, public safety concerns dominated the report by the Beverly Hills Police Department as they outlined enhanced security measures implemented across Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) schools amidst recent political events and recaps from Enforcement Day.
Beverly Hills Police Captain Max Subin explained that the department has stepped up security measures in BHUSD schools, especially following the assassination of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk. The police department has increased special watch and surveillance over the schools with its “Hawkeye” drone. Additionally, virtual police officers (VPOs) monitor cameras in and around the schools for suspicious behavior. The department notified officers from private security organization Covered 6 to continue to make rounds surrounding schools.
“With that approach, we feel very confident that with the number of cameras, with Hawkeye flying over, with our VPOs watching, as well as Covered 6 being deployed more to the schools, that we have that covered,” said Subin.
Additionally, traffic enforcement emerged as another BHPD public safety priority, particularly addressing resident complaints about loud vehicle exhausts, especially on popular commercial streets. So, the department deployed 11 officers on Aug. 22 for a dedicated Enforcement Day targeting various traffic violations on Beverly Hills streets. The enforcement effort yielded 162 traffic stops, 120 issued citations, one motorcycle pursuit and five vehicle impoundments. Violations included texting while driving, speeding, loud exhaust, and red-light and stop sign violations.
Finally, the department sought input from commissioners on how to best enforce e-bike-related policies in BHUSD schools. The department expressed wanting to partner with schools to properly educate students on e-bikes, enforcement and parking issues on Durant Drive around BHHS.
