The Beverly Hills City Council heard an update on the homelessness response plan in anticipation of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) station opening at Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards at its Jan. 21 Study Session.
The Wilshire/La Cienega station will be an end-of-line station for about a year before the Metro D Line further expands west. Although the station is scheduled to open in early 2026, City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey confirmed during the meeting that the station will not open until after February.
As an end-of-line station, city staff are preparing for the final train arrival at the Wilshire/La Cienega station at around 2 a.m. each night. Potential impacts include increased early-morning loitering, greater demand for behavioral-health interventions, sanitation impacts in and around station areas, and increased calls for service from adjacent businesses. The city is planning to distribute information flyers to nearby businesses and residents to inform them of proactive steps they can take ahead of the station’s opening, said Human Services Administrator Enisha Clark.
In addition to two dedicated police officers always present at the station, Clark said that the Beverly Hills Police Department is working to increase overnight security coverage, and the Beverly Hills Fire Department will hire a human service specialist to provide hands-on social service support at the station. Anyone can call the Beverly Hills Outreach and Assistance Team hotline for support at 310-285-BHOT, which will be staffed 24/7.
City staff will evaluate key metrics during the first phase of the opening, including the number of people who offload the final train, late-night engagements, calls for police support and environmental conditions, and then continue to adjust accordingly, Clark said.
Councilmember John Mirisch encouraged staff to conduct outreach about how residents can best utilize trains coming in and out of the station, including possible senior TAP cards.
Councilmember Lester Friedman said he feels the city is prepared for the station ahead of the opening.
“One of the things that as long as I’ve been on the council is that we knew we had to prepare for this day that is coming,” he said. “I feel very confident that we have done that preparation, and now it’s just a matter of getting that word out to our community, so they know what to expect and who to contact if there are any issues.”
In other business, Beverly Hills City Librarian Karen Buth presented the Beverly Hills Public Library’s annual fiscal report for 2024-25 to the Beverly Hills City Council on Jan. 21.
Library usage remained strong throughout 2024-25, Buth said. About 450,000 people entered the library, a slight decrease from 2023-24, and the library saw more than 300,000 checkouts and renewals, an increase from 2023-24. Additionally, the number of people attending library programs continued to grow in 2024-25, with about 15,000 virtual attendees and more than 10,000 children attending library events.
The library also saw a 57% increase from 2022-23 in digital checkouts with more than 60,000 in 2024-25. Due to the increase in usage, the library expanded the hours of the Roxbury Book Nook, located in Roxbury Park.
In terms of successful library programming in the past year, Buth pointed to events such as Puppy Power Storytimes, Preschool Dance Parties, the BHUSD Elementary Art Show and storytelling during Jewish American Heritage Month. The library also saw 709 participants for the Annual Summer Reading Club, with children totaling 6,129 reading hours over the summer.
Buth updated the council on how the library met its goals for 2024-25. The library was successful in implementing a new online library catalog that patrons can access, while also working with schools to ensure every student has a library card by the third grade, as mandated by Assembly Bill 321. In further improvements, the library moved its integrated library system to the cloud and moved maintenance responsibilities to Innovative Interfaces, Inc. The library also completed the painting and carpeting of the second floor to match the first floor.
Additionally, the library began housing the Paley Archive, a media and broadcast collection that teaches the history of entertainment, sports and news.
For 2025-26 goals, the library has already established new programming with silent movie screenings with live musical accompaniment. Other goals include increasing storytime for babies and developing programming for school-age children.
Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian then presented the Shining in Beverly Hills public recognition to the Beverly Hills Public Library.
“The Beverly Hills Public Library is a robust hub for lifelong learning with a vast collection of reading materials, access to a large selection of electronic resources, library assistance, access to the historical collections for teens, children and adults, passport services and a rich slate of literary and cultural events like author discussions and community book reads,” Nazarian said. “The library’s history reflects the community’s growth and commitment to accessible, high-quality learning spaces. Its ongoing programs and resources foster a love of reading and learning across all ages.”
