The Beverly Hills City Council approved a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Beverly Hills Police Officers’ Association (BHPOA) on Dec. 17 totaling $8.3 million in pay increases in a 4-1 vote with Councilmember John Mirisch dissenting.
The agreement, which will remain in effect through June 2029, includes a 3.5% increase in year one, a 6% increase in year two and 5% increases in both year three and year four. The base pay of employees who have earned a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree will increase by 2.75% and is cumulative if multiple degrees are earned. The amendment also caps the amount of compensated time off officers can accrue and use at no more than 220 hours per year.
The BHPOA includes police officers, trainees and sergeants in the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD). The terms of the contract will be applied retroactively to Nov. 29, the beginning of the pay period following BHPOA member approval.
Councilmember John Mirisch said he voted against the agreement because he does not support collective bargaining agreements due to California’s public pension system. He also thanked the BHPD for its work in keeping the city safe and fostering a positive relationship between residents and police personnel.
The agreement follows contentious negotiations since the BHPOA’s MOU expired on June 30. The union accused the city of failing to compensate members at a rate on par with nearby departments. In several messages to registered voters, BHPOA President Christian Bond said that the city was losing officers and a level of safety to other cities. At an Aug. 5 City Council meeting, Hunt-Coffey refuted several of Bond’s claims.
In June, the BHPOA also issued a vote of no confidence in Chief Mark Stainbrook, followed by sending a cease-and-desist letter in July, alleging that Stainbrook engaged in retaliatory behavior against Bond.
Peter Brown, who represented the BHPOA in negotiations, said that the agreed MOU offered police personnel some of the highest wages among competing agencies.
“We used a total compensation survey to evaluate a marketplace, and the marketplace is pretty much the surrounding agencies,” he said. “Beverly Hills is fairly high up on that survey. … While I can’t guarantee that you will be number one in this survey throughout the entire four years because I don’t know what all the agencies are going to do, you’re going to be pretty close to that throughout the term of this survey.”
Brown added that the timing of the four-year agreement is key as it will carry the department until after the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, both of which take place in Los Angeles. Bond thanked the Council for the agreement.
“On behalf of myself and the entire Beverly Hills Police Officers’ Association, I want to say how genuinely appreciative we are for your commitment to listening, collaborating and working toward an agreement that reflects both the needs of our officers and the values of this incredible city,” he said.
Mayor Sharona Nazarian, along with every member of the City Council, thanked the BHPOA and the BHPD for their work in helping the city.
“This agreement was a long time coming. It required patience, persistence and good faith negotiations on all sides, and I’m pleased that we were able to reach a conclusion that was fair, responsible and one that our officers feel great about,” she said. “Safety and security of our residents and visitors is our number one priority and we also appreciate our police department immensely. They serve with professionalism, integrity and dedication, and this agreement reflects our appreciation for their service and our investment in a strong and respected police department.”
In other business, the Council approved an amendment to the architectural agreement for the planned Oct. 7 memorial with Broskin LLC for design services for a total not to exceed $216,100. The project is expected to cost a total of $1.5 million with $500,000 funded from the city and the rest from private donations. The city has so far received $28,087.18 in donations for the project.
