Jamie Kern Lima poured countless hours and practically all the money she had to spare into the development of her own line of cosmetics. It seemed like her big break was on the horizon after she lined up a meeting with a major investment group and put on a presentation that wowed them.

But even though the investors admitted that they were impressed, they ultimately declined to back her. She asked why, and after a few moments of silence the lead representative of the firm told said “I just don’t think women will buy makeup from someone who looks like you because of your body and your weight,” she recalled.

In that moment, a lifetime of insecurities flooded her mind. But at the same time, an even stronger sense of conviction filled her heart.

“I got this feeling, I feel it now like it was yesterday, that said ‘he’s wrong,’” Lima said.

She persisted. And her line of skincare products, IT Cosmetics, eventually became one of the most recognized names in beauty. Kern Lima wound up selling the brand to L’Oréal for $1.2 billion in 2016. That deal made her the first female executive in the company’s over 100 years of existence and one of Forbes’  “richest self-made women” in 2017.

She shared her story on March 20 with roughly 275 aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders who attended the second annual “Women Who Shine Gala” at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The sold-out event was hosted by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Women’s Business Network. It brought together women and allies from across the country and a wide variety of fields to inspire, uplift and support each other.

“It reminded me as a woman in law enforcement, which tends to be a challenging career for women in particular, that many of the challenges we face are very similar no matter what industry we’re in,” Beverly Hills Police Capt. Elisabeth Albanese said. “When you’re a woman being a leader in a business or a government agency, it can tend to be lonely. Having those connections with other women can give you the confidence to continue moving forward.”

Portions of the money raised by the Gala will go to support the work of Girls Inc. It will be used to help the nonprofit host programs that help young women find mentors and colleagues while training them to succeed in all professional fields.

The evening’s other keynote speaker, Sprinkles Cupcakes founder Candace Nelson, emphasized the importance of being authentic, following your passions and trusting oneself. She started her career in investment banking, and was working in San Francisco during the height of the tech boom. When the bubble burst, her well laid future plans were upended.

So, Nelson turned inward. That led her to rediscover the joy she felt and shared while baking treats with her mother. 

“Here I was with this crazy dream, betting it all on cupcakes,” she said.

Nelson said few people could even recognize what a red velvet cake was when she opened her first bakery. Today, Sprinkles has dozens of locations spread across eight states and the District of Columbia.

“This event doubled from what it was a year ago,” Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Johnson noted. “And I don’t know where we’ll be a year from now, maybe in a bigger place,” he joked. 

A group of 300 protestors calling for a ceasefire in Gaza gathered at La Cienega Park before marching to the Beverly Center. The group stopped traffic and drew a pro-Israel counter-protest of approximately 30 people on Dec. 23, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Demonstrators at La Cienega Boulevard and Gregory Way waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans and bore signs describing the ongoing conflict in Gaza as an apartheid state and genocide.

Counter-protesters bore Israeli flags and shouted “Free Palestine from Hamas” in retort to chants from across the street. One of them was Beverly Hills Councilmember John Mirisch. He described the slogans of pro-Palestinian demonstrators as “Islamofascist” and “anti-Jewish.”

“They’re chanting insane things that we know are just a form of Jew hatred, and we’re at an unprecedented time when Jew hatred has exploded in this country,” Mirisch told the Courier while crossing the street to join counter-protesters. “And we need to make it clear they’re not welcome in our community.”

Flyers distributed on social media to promote the event listed Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, Islah LA, The Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative and several others as participating organizations. Before marching from the park to the shopping center, organizers with bullhorns acknowledged the presence of opposing protesters. They urged their supporters not to engage with the other group, while insisting that they were in public space and acting within their rights to free speech and public assembly.

Leah Houseman lives in the area, was in Israel in the wake of a series of attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, and stood with pro-Israel demonstrators. She said pro-Palestinian demonstrators failed to adequately take into account the violence committed against Israeli citizens and saw little hope of finding common ground.

The dueling demonstrators brandished flags at each other, occasionally spilling out from their respective corners and into the crosswalk. Several shouting matches ensued as well as at least one instance of pushing and shoving. A spokesperson for the Beverly Hills Police Department told the Courier that no arrests were made.

At about 4:30 p.m., the pro-Palestinian group began walking down lanes of La Cienega Boulevard. They shouted “Shut It Down” while making their way to the Beverly Center and were shadowed by counter-protesters.

West Hollywood resident Debbie Esner stood in the intersection at Wilshire Boulevard with a blue and white flag as a throng of protesters walked past her. She said she was a proponent of tolerance and freedom of speech, but she perceived the pro-Palestinian demonstration as an attempt to intimidate the local Jewish community.

“I am Jewish,” Esner said. “My daughter’s father is Christian. My new husband’s ex-wife is Muslim. So, we welcome everybody. But this is about intimidation. This is about American Jews feeling safe in their neighborhoods. To pick a location where it’s near a synagogue, I just couldn’t sit at home.”

Los Angeles resident Karen Pomer was one of the marchers calling for a cease-fire. She is Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who had been sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during World War II. She said she has participated in numerous protests in support of Palestine and has never felt threatened.

“In the last two and a half months, I’ve attended two dozen or more pro-Palestinian demonstrations,” Pomer said. “I’ve identified myself as Jewish at the demonstrations, and never once did I feel any antisemitism or any anti-Jewishness.”

She was accompanied by Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, a professor of media studies at CSU Santa Barbara, co-chair of the California Faculty Association’s Palestine, Arab and Muslim Caucus and one of the featured speakers at the end of the protest in front of the Beverly Center. She was not involved in planning the demonstration. However, she said it was important for pro-Palestinian activists to be heard in communities largely in support of Israel in order to create opportunities for uncomfortable and critically important discourse.

“Let it be. Yes, we want them uncomfortable,” Muhtaseb said.

“What they are doing is weaponizing antisemitism against Palestinian activists, against activists for justice in Palestine, and distracting from real antisemitism,” she later added. “Because we do have a real antisemitic problem. We do have antisemitic discourse in this country. We do have hate speech that is motivated by antisemitism. But that (activism) is not antisemitism. They are pointing in the wrong direction and distracting from the real antisemitism.”

Landlords and employers should take note of new California laws taking effect in 2024, as a number of changes will affect business operations. The most significant involve increases in California’s base minimum wage, which will go up from $15.50 to $16 per hour. Beginning in April, the starting pay for fast food workers in the state at companies with over 60 locations will be set at $20 per hour, following the passage of California Assembly Bill 1228 this past September. And then, starting in June, Senate Bill 252 will raise the minimum wage of healthcare workers to $23 per hour.

Educators, elected officials, friends and family congratulated outgoing Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education President Noah Margo while welcoming his colleague and successor, Dr. Amanda Stern, as head of the board on Dec. 19.

Margo has held a seat on the board for three terms for a total of 12 years so far and has been its president for the past year. He was appointed to serve as its clerk until his current term expires in December 2024.

His colleagues complimented him for keeping the district’s focus on quality instruction and student wellness while overseeing the growth of its facilities. As president, he saw the debut of the Bulldog Wellness Center at Beverly Vista Middle School and guided the tail end of work on El Rodeo Elementary School, which is set to reopen next summer after closing for major renovations in 2019.

“You have lived construction for the last 12 years, first at Horace Mann (Elementary School), then Beverly Hills High School and then El Rodeo (Elementary School),” Beverly Hills Education Foundation Board President Tina Wiener said during the meeting. “We were so fortunate to have had you as a constant through the whole process, someone who has been there from the beginning and who was able to share what worked, what didn’t, what to watch out for and to keep us on track. After all this time, you continue to put students first.”

Members of the community said his leadership was characterized by “…dignity, style, and a sense of humor that will be missed,” in a proclamation issued by the board. He often took a hands-on approach to his role, bringing families into the classroom by producing and starring in “Now Noah Knows!”, a recurring series on KBEV highlighting a wide variety of people and programs in the district.

Stern is four years into her first term on the board and described her predecessor as a “mentor.” She is a school psychologist with over 10 years of experience, a background that makes her uniquely qualified to lead the district as it places greater emphasis on students’ mental health, her colleagues said during the meeting.

“You’re taking over this presidency at an exciting time, with El Rodeo coming online and the High School following close behind,” Wiener said. “So as a school community, we have so much to look forward to in the upcoming school year, and we look forward to working closely with you and the board to continue to bring innovative programming and projects to students and the district.”

Stern was sworn in by Councilmember Lili Bosse, and the incoming board president thanked city and district staff, local educational organizations as well as her wife, Lisa Rubel, and their two sons for their support. She went on to list improvement in students’ math scores, better implementation of online education tools and further development of mental health services in the district as her priorities. She also pledged to combat antisemitism and divisiveness while building up the public’s trust in their educators.

“With more access to information than ever before, it becomes untenable to know who or what to trust anymore, and I get that,” Stern said. “I would like to ask you as parents, as residents, however, for your trust in us and the confidence that all of us in the Beverly Hills Unified School district and the city at large are working hard to ensure the well-being, safety and academic success of our youngest residents. And with that, I give a final thank you to our students.”

In addition to Margo as the board’s clerk, she will also have the support of longtime colleague on the educational body and its recently appointed Vice-President, Rachelle Marcus. 

Six people with a history of public service in Beverly Hills have confirmed their candidacy for two City Council seats opening up in the 2024 election, with others likely to follow before the official nomination period ends on Dec. 13.

Several had submitted documents with the Fair Political Practices Commission before the official nomination period began on Nov. 13, allowing them to open bank accounts and lay the foundations for their campaigns early. However, prospective candidates aren’t officially considered on the ballot until they file with the City Clerk’s office.

As of press time, Alissa Roston, Mary Wells, Sharon Persovski, Myra Demeter, Craig Corman and Nooshin Meshkaty had made their City Council bids official. 

Corman has lived in Beverly Hills for over 50 years and is a retired attorney who specialized in entertainment industry issues. He was a Beverly Hills Planning Commissioner for three terms from 2009 to 2017 and is now a member of the Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission.

“Beverly Hills is facing unprecedented challenges that need to be effectively managed if we’re going to maintain the quality of life we’ve all come to expect and enjoy,” Corman told the Courier in a statement earlier this month. “I’ve lived in Beverly Hills for a long time, so I understand the history of the city and how it has changed and developed, and I have a proven track record of solving difficult problems.”

Meshkaty (see separate profile) is a computer scientist who has worked in the aerospace industry since 1988, and a longtime resident with a history of civic engagement. 

Demeter and Persovski filed their paperwork last week, securing their spots on the ballot on Nov. 22.

Demeter is a professor with a Ph.D. in mathematics education who has taught at UCLA, Brooklyn College and the University of Hawaii Hilo. She has called Beverly Hills home for 27 years and has been involved in local government for decades. She currently sits on the Beverly Hills Planning Commission and has been a Neighborhood Watch Block Captain for 15 years.

“I am running to be a voice for our residents to maintain our quality of life and world-class services as Beverly Hills enters a period of immense change, external pressures and opportunities,” Demeter told the Courier in a statement.

Persovski is a former member of the Architectural Commission and the founder of a nonprofit called Smiles Through Art. 

Wells confirmed her candidacy with city officials on Nov. 16. She sits on the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education and was its president as schools reopened following the pandemic.

Roston was also a former Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education president and was previously the local Rotary Club President and a member of the Parks and Recreation Commissioner. She formalized her bid for City Council on Nov. 13, the same day the nomination period opened.

At least one other prospective candidate, owner and president of Quay Entertainment Tiffany Davis, has announced her intention to run but had not yet submitted her nomination forms as of press time. 

The official filing period for candidates running for one of two seats on the Beverly Hills City Council opened on Nov. 13 and will close on Dec 13. Voters will elect two new City Council members in March 2024, replacing Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and Councilmember Lili Bosse.

Five prospective candidates have submitted their Candidate Intention Statement and Statement of Organization forms with the Fair Political Practices Commission, permitting them to open bank accounts for their campaigns and make other preparations, according to City Clerk Huma Ahmed.

Members of the local business community and city officials came together to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce at the Beverly Hilton on Nov. 8.

Mayor Dr. Julian Gold as well as Councilmembers Lili Bosse, Lester Friedman, John Mirisch and Sharona Nazarian were among those in attendance.

“You look at the prosperity that’s in this city, and we recognize the contributions of all the businesses to that,” Gold told attendees from the podium in the Hilton’s Beverly Hills ballroom.

“We as residents are the beneficiaries of all that our businesses do, and much of that is because of the work of the chamber.”

Chamber board member and Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton credited the organization with bringing in revenue that helps to provide the “highest level of fire and police services to this community.” He added that the chamber has been an important channel to arrange safety training seminars for businesses and distribute updates on new regulations and ordinances.

The chamber serves as a sounding board for entrepreneurs working in Beverly Hills and has ensured that their voices are heard by local lawmakers, the Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors David Mirharonni said. 

He added that in recent years, the chamber has spoken out on issues regarding artificial intelligence, homelessness, and other emergent topics affecting how people do business in Beverly Hills and around the world. Most recently, it issued a statement of support for the State of Israel, following suit with a similar gesture made by the City Council in October.

“We’re adapting; we’re going to continue to adapt to the next 100 years,” Mirharooni said shortly before raising his glass and calling for a toast.

During the Centennial Celebration, the chamber also honored seven businesses for their longevity and longstanding contributions to the business community. Those honorees were the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the Beverly Hilton, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Greater Los Angeles Realtors Association, Gearys and Mickey Fine Pharmacy.

Some of those businesses have been a part of the chamber for anywhere from 70 to 96 years, Chamber President and CEO Todd Johnson said. He added that together, they have weathered a wide range of challenges and are prepared to meet any future hurdles.

“Over the decades we have seen everything from a number of world wars, a number of conflicts, up times, recessions, a depression,” he said. “We are poised right now to be one of the most successful chambers in Southern California by far.” 

An ad hoc committee tasked with improving the reliability of Beverly Hills’ electrical grid, especially amidst wildfires and other natural disasters, weighed a series of options to achieve that goal from utility providers, neighboring communities and city staff on Nov. 1.

It was the fourth meeting of the Mayor’s Citywide Electrical Resilience Ad Hoc Committee since its inaugural session on Aug. 30. The body was formed largely in response to repeated power outages in the Trousdale Estates area due to extreme heat waves last summer.

Vice Mayor and Committee Member Lester Friedman noted that owners and operators of the grid powering Beverly Hills, Southern California Edison (SCE), had completed a series of upgrades to electrical equipment in the Trousdale area as recently as late March. However, it was too early to tell how much that work will improve the energy reliability locally.

The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce has promoted a thriving business community for nearly as long as the city has existed, and will commemorate its 100th anniversary at a centennial celebration on Nov. 8.

The event scheduled to take place at the Beverly Hilton will highlight a century of support for local businesses. Over the decades, the chamber’s influence has helped form Beverly Hills’reputation as one of the luxury capitals of the world, Todd Johnson, the organization’s President and CEO, said.

“There are certain kinds of businesses out there that are extremely successful, but do they all make sense in Beverly Hills?” Johnson told the Courier in an interview.

He and other representatives of the chamber were recently joined by Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and Vice Mayor Lester Friedman on a trip to New York. There, they touched base with about 25 companies and entrepreneurs who either have a notable presence in Beverly Hills or an interest in setting up shop in the city.

The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board of Education acknowledged growth in its management of student behavior, progress on construction projects as well as the impact of conflict in Israel on students and families at its Oct. 24 meeting.

Board members opened the meeting by recognizing Hawthorne Elementary School’s adoption of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), a set of guidelines and best practices regarding discipline and the encouragement of good behavior. Earlier this month, the school received a Silver Implementation Award from California PBIS, an organization tracking the development of the program at campuses throughout the state.

A handful of Hawthorne Elementary students spoke to the board about their participation in their school’s brand of the PBIS system, Hawthorne HERO. The program is named after four characteristics it promotes: honorable, engaged, responsible and open-minded.

“You hear us talk about the data, but what this really is, is an opportunity,” BHUSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy said. “You heard students talk about, ‘That’s what we do at Hawthorne. That‘s not what we do at Hawthorne.’ And that to me is the capstone of the entire program, when we start to talk about what we do here, and how we shine here and what we don’t do. That’s the best way to send a message about who we are.”

Board members and district officials also shared positive developments regarding funding for ongoing construction at Beverly Hills High School. District staff found overlap in the scope of several projects, allowing them to redirect almost $1.3 million to two previously unplanned campus improvements: the construction of an upper athletics field and a grand lawn.

“I think it’s really wonderful to call out how much work you’re getting done and how efficient you are about doing it,” Board member Mary Wells said of the district’s Construction and Facilities Department. “It’s saving money and finding money in our budget to allow us to do much more work than we ever thought we could do.”

The last item of business addressed at the board’s meeting was the drafting of a resolution pledging the district’s support for Israel. The district unanimously approved the document, which bore similarities to another resolution passed by the City Council last week.

Board members also highlighted events such as “Wear Blue and White Day” organized by student groups to show solidarity with victims of Hamas. And the Beverly Hills High School Jewish Club has invited members of the community to a vigil at their campus on Oct. 30.

The board also heard from two BHUSD parents who gave public comments that their children were subjected to antisemitism at school. Ayala Anavim and Daphna Hollander told board members their daughters were with a group having a private discussion about the conflict between Israel and Hamas when a substitute teacher allegedly inserted themself into the conversation. The parents said the substitute teacher described the Israeli government as colonizers, drew comparisons with the apartheid era in South Africa and called the students ‘white supremacists.’

“Even if a teacher is trying to provide a different perspective, these are damaging words and reflect a specific end of the spectrum of any argument,” Hollander said.

She and Anavim expressed displeasure with the way administrators handled that incident.

Board members thanked Anavim and Hollander for coming forward with their concerns and calling out alleged antisemitism. In a statement after the meeting, Bregy told the Courier, “The allegations regarding a substitute teacher were taken with the utmost seriousness and action was taken immediately.” 

He added, “Due to state regulations, we are unable to discuss personnel matters. BHUSD’s position regarding the recent terrorist attacks against Jewish people in Israel has been unequivocal.” 

Over a year of investigation by the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) has led to the filing of federal charges against a San Fernando Valley man accused of stealing the identities of at least 25 people and draining about $2.6 million from their accounts.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles accused Oren David Sela, 35, of three counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, one count of unlawful possession of at least five identity documents, and two counts of possession of stolen mail in a previously sealed indictment filed Oct. 6. If convicted as charged, he could face a maximum sentence of up to 75 years in federal prison.

The BHPD’s investigation into the matter began with a report of fraud on April 6, 2022, targeting a local resident identified as A.W., in the indictment against Sela. The victim’s family told officers someone had withdrawn well over $400,000 out of their Bank of America account and deposited it into a separate one that was also under A.W.’s name.

Beverly Hills police suspect the same person or persons may be responsible for antisemitic graffiti discovered in the city on Oct. 25. One message was spray-painted onto an alleyway and another outside of an apartment complex. The incidents are being treated as hate crimes, according to a statement from the Beverly Hills Police Department on Oct. 26. 

One of the hateful messages was reported to police at 1:39 p.m. near the Bedford Manor Apartments on the 400 block of S. Bedford Drive, according to BHPD Lt. Reginald Evans. 

The other was reported 24 minutes later and about 1 mile away on the 300 block of Palm Drive.

“The suspect(s) in both cases appear to be related based on verbiage, style and color of the spray paint,” BHPD Lt. Evans told the Courier in a statement.

In the Palm Drive case, the words “Kill Jewss” (sic) were scrawled in large green letters on a wall in an alley behind the street. Local resident Norm Nadel told the Courier that police were searching the area for clues or witnesses when he arrived home at about 4 p.m. on the 25^th. 

“They told me they had received an anonymous tip and came to check it out. They were going through the alley to see if anyone knew what had happened. I was shocked. It was the first I had seen of it.”

Nadel said that he was unaware of any reason he or any of his neighbors would have been specifically targeted other than the fact that there is a large Jewish community in the neighborhood.

“This wasn’t anyone with any personal vendetta against any of us, so far as I can tell,” Nadel said. Officers searched the area for hours and conducted numerous follow-up interviews with residents, Nadel said. City officials quickly responded to the matter, and the graffiti had been painted over by public works staff by the following morning, Nadel said.

The BHPD is asking for anyone with information about these or other incidents of hate-motivated vandalism to call the department at 310-285-2125. 

Earlier this month, Mayor Dr. Julian Gold announced that police would increase their presence around synagogues and other sites relevant to Jewish people in Beverly Hills.

 

 

Melissa Hillis was 21 the first time she met a female firefighter. Up until that point, she didn’t even realize it was possible for her to enter that field.

“I clearly remembered thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I can do that?’” Hillis said. “It had not occurred to me that I was even allowed to pursue that profession.”

The Beverly Hills City Council voted 4-1 to increase optional campaign spending limits ahead of the 2024 election. The vote came at the council’s formal meeting on Oct. 17. Candidates on the Beverly Hills municipal ballot who agree to the voluntary limits had previously been allowed to accept a maximum of $80,000 in campaign contributions, with individual donations limited to $450 each. The ordinance just passed raises the overall ceiling to $100,000, and allows people or entities to give as much as $500 per donation.

The old limits had been in place since 2014, following an ordinance approved in 2012. An ad hoc committee including Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and Councilmember Lili Bosse recommended raising the caps on campaign spending to account for inflation and general increases in costs over the past decade.

“I was very comfortable with this,” Gold said. “I don’t know if we have to address this every year, but certainly every decade.”

Vice Mayor Lester Friedman and Councilmember Sharona Nazarian supported the ad hoc liaisons’ findings. The sole vote in opposition came from Councilmember John Mirisch, who argued that existing limits were sufficient to fund a campaign in a city the size of Beverly Hills, which had over 21,700 registered voters as of July.

“I don’t think those who have the biggest megaphones deserve to win,” Mirisch said. “I think those with the best arguments and positions do. And condoning money in politics, in some ways, is part of the problem. So, I would love to see publicly financed elections.”

Prior to the council’s discussion on the matter, City Clerk Huma Ahmed reported that 15 letters opposing a rise in campaign spending limits had been submitted. Some residents were concerned about receiving a “deluge of fliers,” Ahmed said while summarizing their comments. Many said they were “tired of seeing candidates receive contributions from wealthy individuals and organizations with direct interests in matters before the council,” she added.

Candidates who accept the optional limits will have the cost of distributing their candidate statements via the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office covered by the city of Beverly Hills. That cost is $700 for publication in English, $1400 for English and Spanish, and $279.60 for online postings in countywide channels.

Those who refuse to accept the cap will have to pay those fees on their own but will be able to post candidate statements on the city’s websites for free. And their donors will be limited to contributions of $150 each.

“We acknowledge the fact that there have been people who have spent well over $100,000 and lost, and people who have spent well south of $80,000 and won the election,” Bosse said.

The Beverly Hills municipal election will coincide with the 2024 Primary on March 5. There are no ballot measures for voters to consider this year. But two City Council seats, currently held by Gold and Bosse, will be up for grabs. 

The Beverly Hills City Council has unanimously passed a resolution pledging ardent support for Israel and condemning Hamas. The gesture was made during the council’s Oct. 17 formal session, which opened with an extended moment of silence in remembrance of lives lost in the conflict over the past 10 days.

“I was thinking we should take a moment of silence for each of them, but we would be here, unfortunately, for a very long time,” Mayor Dr. Julian Gold said following the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. “And I know that I speak for this community, I speak for the council, we carry this weight in our heart. This has been a very difficult week. Everyone I know has struggled through this week.”

The Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, Israel Bashar, then spoke. 

“This truly feels like home,” Bashar said. “Thank you, Mayor Gold, for your staunch support throughout this difficult time. Thank you to each of the City Council members for your solidarity … To the city of Beverly Hills, I’d like to express the deep gratitude of the state of Israel for standing shoulder to shoulder with us.” 

The city was the site of a large-scale demonstration held in support of Israel on Oct. 9, three days after the initial Hamas attacks. And since then, the palm trees outside of City Hall have been lit blue in solidarity with the Israeli people.

Bashar’s remarks described an Israeli victory in the emerging conflict on the Gaza Strip as a dismantling of Hamas, condemning the latter as a terrorist organization. He said support from Beverly Hills would be needed “in the long haul.” 

The diplomat also pointed out that hate directed at the Jewish community has spiked in recent days. Since fighting broke out in Israel on Oct. 7, there have been over 107 antisemitic incidents reported in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League

“As a major center of the Jewish community, Beverly Hills is on the front line in the fight against antisemitism, and you are battling it courageously,” Bashar said.

The council heard from several members of the public in support of a resolution showing support for Israel. There was also a robust discussion amongst council members as to the exact wording of the resolution. Some were in favor of a harsher and more graphic tone. 

“If we’re adding things there that the IDF didn’t confirm, or didn’t happen, then people may not take what we have to say seriously,” noted Councilmember John Mirisch. “And I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want us to be accused of embellishing, where the truth is just horrifying enough.”

He later added, “I also do think we need to have a point in there that deplores the deaths of innocent Palestinians.”

The resolution as passed by the council condemns Hamas as a terrorist organization while supporting the existence of Israel as a “sovereign and independent Jewish nation.” The document states that Beverly Hills stands with Israel “unequivocally,” and calls on the United States government to “send any and all support.”

“Families around the world were disrupted, and we all know people who lost somebody, who are either now dead or who were taken,” said Gold. “And we all know families here whose sons and daughters have gone back to serve. This is not in any way limited to the state of Israel. This is global, and we all know people, closely, friends, maybe relatives, for whom this is immensely personal.” 

The Arts and Culture Commission weighed options for next year’s Festival Beverly Hills, discussed the maintenance and expansion of the city’s public art collection and went over plans for upcoming events at its Oct. 10 meeting.

The city will be hosting its very first Día de Los Muertos celebration in conjunction with this year’s Fall Funtastic at the Farmer’s Market on Oct. 29. Attendees can learn how to create paper marigolds that they can add to their own ofrendas or a community altar designed by artist Ginette Rondeau. The latter is part of an interactive exhibit titled “Mailbox to Heaven,” which was scheduled to be on display from Oct. 19 through Nov. 2. The Oct. 29 event will also feature a carved pumpkin contest, carnival games and a performance by Cortines High School’s folklorico dance troupe.

Meanwhile, staff preparing for the 50th anniversary of the Fall Beverly Hills Art Show are in “crunch time,” Interim Recreation Services Manager Paul Paolone said. The two-day event begins on Oct. 21. This year, there will be an expanded children’s area featuring a variety of activities to spark creativity in the community’s youth. (Additional details are on page 6.)

Looking even further ahead, commissioners discussed Festival Beverly Hills. The cultural event made its debut on March 12 at the Farmer’s Market. Commissioners hailed it as a success during their meeting and brainstormed to come up with ways to make it bigger and brighter in 2024.

“I respect that the City Council wanted us to start small and grow,” commissioner Karla Gordy Bristol said. “One hundred percent, I’m grateful that they let us get it started. And we were able to do a lot with a small space. But I think we can definitely engage with a larger part of the community.”

Commissioners considered moving the event to a larger open area and the possibility of extending it over multiple days. Commissioner Liliana Filipovic floated the idea of scheduling the festival to coincide with Make Music Day, a worldwide celebration of creativity and unity on June 21. She said doing so would provide an organic way to attract musical performers to the city and would simplify planning and budgeting.

“If we assimilate this idea of the festival [Beverly Hills] being on Make Music Day, we could really grow bigger and have those two events together instead of brainstorming for each of them separately,” Filipovic said.

Discussion on the matter will be continued via ad hoc committee. “People I run into still ask about it and can’t wait for the next one,” Gordy Bristol added.

Crews working with the team of artist Yayoi Kusama were in the final phases of reconstructing a collection of whimsically painted flower sculptures that had been at Beverly Gardens. The firm Nous Engineering was in the process of repainting the rebuilt works of art, and they should be reinstalled by the end of the year, following a final inspection and certification by Kusama. 

Other pieces of public art slated for maintenance in the near future include the statues “Hunter and Hounds” by Henri Alfred Marie Jacquermat, “Takeaway” by Tom Friedman and “Peace and Love” by Ringo Starr. 

The Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) raised over $100,000 this week for survivors of the Hamas attacks. At least $100,000 will be used to heal the physical and emotional wounds suffered by residents of Sderot, Israel, said WIZO California Chair Gina Raphael at an Oct. 11 luncheon and panel discussion at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel. The Israeli city just two miles away from the northern border of Gaza experienced some of the worst civilian casualties in an offensive that left over 1,000 people dead.

“I got a call Friday night about what happened and how life had changed,” Raphael told attendees. “And I don’t know if it will ever be the same, but we can work to make a difference.”

Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and members of the Beverly Hills City Council joined a massive crowd of demonstrators at Beverly Gardens Park on Oct. 9 in denouncing the deadly surprise offensive in Israel led by the militant group Hamas. The group launched the attack early on Oct. 7 by firing rockets into Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip as well as sending in ground forces.

Soon after the attacks, the city issued a statement of condemnation.

“We are appalled by this act of terrorism by Hamas against the citizens and civilian communities in Israel,” said Gold. “We call on President Biden and Congress to act swiftly in support of Israel. Additionally, we hope all peace-loving nations of the world and the United Nations, will condemn this senseless violence. Our hearts are with the people of Israel as we stand together and support Israel defending itself and condemn this heinous act.”

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously voted to designate the Church of the Good Shepherd as a landmark listed in the Beverly Hills Register of Historic Properties at its regular council meeting Oct. 3.

The church is the oldest religious building in the city and will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Dec. 12.

“I’m very humbled and honored to be the pastor at this time,” Good Shepherd’s Fr. Ed Benioff told the Courier during a brief interview this week. “Everybody in the council has been so gracious, so supportive, so warm and friendly. And I’m just proud of our church and of our city.”

Council members finalized a renewed Joint Powers Agreement with the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD), proposed a name for the planned Metro station on Wilshire Boulevard, and amended a pilot program to allow the installation of the first fully automated parking lift in the city.

The latest iteration of the city’s arrangement with the school district was unanimously approved as part of the consent calendar on the agenda of the council meeting on Oct. 3. It covers the use and maintenance of BHUSD’s facilities retroactively from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026.

The projected budget for the first year of the agreement is $13.4 million, growing to $13.8 million the following year and then $14.2 million in its third year. The deal also authorizes the purchase and maintenance of security cameras on campus at a cost of nearly $2 million.

The approved consent calendar also included an item to increase spending on after school programs. Council members agreed to massively increase funding for the use of Star Sports Theatre Arts and Recreation’s facility in Culver City, increasing the amount of money set aside for that expense up from the $100,000 allocated in the current fiscal year to up to $500,000 for the upcoming year. 

The consent calendar also included the formal adoption of interim rules defining whether property owners who wish to split single-family lots into two separate housing units may qualify for exemptions to certain zoning restrictions. The provision puts Beverly Hills’ municipal code in compliance with the California HOME Act, also known as SB9. 

The council also took up the matter of a name for the planned Metro Purple Line Section 2 Station on Wilshire Boulevard. Riders will access the station from escalators between Canon Drive and Reeves Drive. However, a survey of 200 regular metro riders and 200 nonriders found that naming the facility the Wilshire/Beverly Station would make it easier to recognize for people trying to navigate the transit system, Metro Community Relations Officer Mindy Lake said during the meeting.

“I think the neighborhood identity really is Wilshire Beverly Drive,” Vice Mayor Lester Friedman said.

Representatives for the Beverly Wilshire Hotel attended the meeting to oppose naming the station after that intersection. They fear doing so might cause travelers to associate their business with the transit station. That could negatively impact the company’s reputation, particularly if a notable crime at the Purple Line stop made its way to headlines, Beverly Wilshire Director of Public Relations Kiersten Dunn and the hotel’s Director of Sales Chris Gleeson said.

Councilmember Sharona Nazarian was especially vocal in recognizing the hotel’s concerns. She pointed out that the station’s entrance would be closer to Canon Drive and recommended using that street in the facility’s name. 

Meanwhile, Councilmember John Mirisch pointed out that people trying to get through the city may confuse Beverly Drive with Beverly Boulevard. He said he preferred naming the station after Canon Drive for clarity’s sake.

Mayor Dr. Julian Gold suggested dropping Wilshire Boulevard from the name and calling the stop the Beverly Drive station. That would make it easy to place, geographically, for riders while distancing it from the hotel. 

Councilmember Lili Bosse and Vice Mayor Friedman found that to be an adequate compromise, allowing a motion to pass 3-2. The city council’s suggested name of “Beverly Drive Station” will be heard at an upcoming meeting of Metro’s board of directors on Oct. 26.

Officials also amended a pilot program to allow the installation of the first fully automated parking garages in Beverly Hills, despite concerns over traffic and safety voiced by several residents during the regular meeting of the City Council on Oct. 3.

The first such facility would be part of a three-story commercial building at 8633 Wilshire Blvd. Current plans would allow the structure to accommodate as many as 76 vehicles. 

Numerous residents told council members they were worried about how that might affect traffic.

Community member Isabel Hacker presented a letter critical of the project signed by “every resident on my street.” Aside from the potential for traffic jams, they also expressed concern over what they characterized as a relatively unproven startup, Volley Automation, behind the design of the automated parking system.

Others noted that the project’s developer, Skanska, does not intend to own it permanently.

“They’re planning to sell the building once the tenants are in place,” one resident said during public comment. “So, in the long run, if the system fails it will be absolutely the neighborhood’s problem.”

Volley currently has one fully automated parking garage up and running in San Francisco. So far it has not experienced any significant shutdowns or issues, the company’s CEO, Ryan McKillen, said during the meeting. A human attendant will still be present during business hours and numerous redundancies like a backup generator or extra robots are built into the system, McKillen said. 

Studies conducted by Skanska show there should be enough space inside the garage so that cars waiting for a spot don’t wind up lining up on Wilshire Boulevard or Carson Road. Those findings were reviewed and supported by the city’s engineers, Beverly Hills City Planner Masa Alkire said.

However, residents like Hacker were skeptical. They called for an independent traffic study to be conducted. 

“For me, the issue is that this is a little bit untested,” Councilmember Mirisch said. “I don’t want to tell the residents what’s best for them. I think we’ve heard from them and their concerns… It just seems like all the residents, the whole block, has an issue with it.”

Gold, Friedman,  Bosse and Nazarian followed the recommendations of planning staff and voted to allow the construction of fully automated garages in Beverly Hills, outnumbering Mirisch 4-1.

Council members also discussed proposed rules outlining how medical marijuana delivery companies may set up shop in the city during public hearings. Those types of businesses had been banned in Beverly Hills, as previously reported by the Courier. But the passage of the Medicinal Cannabis Patients’ Right of Access Act in Sacramento last year now prohibits cities from outlawing them.

The council moved forward with the new rules, tentatively voting 5-0 to approve them. They are scheduled to revisit the matter for a second reading and final consideration during their next formal meeting. 

Fire leapt from the engine bay of a car that had slammed into a tree on Santa Monica Boulevard moments before Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Jeffrey Newman pulled out of an alley between Rexford and Crescent drives. He rushed over to the driver’s side and found a man passed out behind the wheel.

“People don’t actually realize how hot a fire really is as you’re leaning into that car and feeling just a fraction of what those flames could be,” Newman told the Courier.

Newman tried to yank the driver out of the vehicle as heat and smoke filled its cabin. But the unconscious man’s leg was trapped beneath a mangled steering column and dashboard. So, Newman raced back to his patrol car to get a fire extinguisher and used it to prevent flames from sweeping through the rest of the wreck and devouring its occupant.

After firefighters put out the blaze, they had to use the jaws of life to methodically free the driver. The man was taken to a hospital with broken bones and other serious injuries.

“Well, that was my job,” Newman said. “I know every officer would have done the same.”

Newman’s heroic actions were publicly lauded on the evening of Sept. 27. He was among 15 officers, two civilian employees and one community member honored during the Beverly Hills Police Gala at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. All were recognized for their life-saving actions in the line of duty or ongoing commitment to serving the public.

Mayor Dr. Julian Gold, Vice Mayor Lester Friedman, Councilmembers Lili Bosse and Sharona Nazarian as well as City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey were among those attending the fundraising event. They were joined by Fire Chief Greg Barton and Deputy Chief Alfred Poirier. And Beverly Hills Parent Teacher Association Council Co-President Rose Kaiserman (a member of the Courier’s Advisory Board) was also on hand as the recipient of this year’s Gabriel A. Coyoca award for her support of the police department. 

The crowd of several hundred mingled while enjoying signature bites from the Espelette restaurant in an indoor-outdoor setting. Everyone gathered inside when it was time for the program to begin. 

“I want to thank the City Council,” BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook said in his opening remarks. “It starts with them, their policies and their funding of the department. And to our officers and professional staff, thank you. I’m so proud of you. My whole job is to support you and you have my commitment to do that every day.”

The Lifesaving Medal was awarded to Sgt. Newman and 12 other recipients. The commendation recognizes actions that directly prevented the loss of life. 

Additional honorees included Officer Billy Blair and Detective Marcus Moloznik. They were part of a SWAT team that had been tasked with finding someone who had broken into a home in the flats and barricaded himself inside in 2021. 

The officers heard glass and porcelain breaking, then found the man bleeding on the floor of a bathroom after apparently cutting his own arms and neck. The two of them applied a tourniquet and packed the man’s wounds, stabilizing him until paramedics arrived.

Blair, as well as officers Andrew Bromley, Jesse Lyga, Joshua Serranon and Sgt. Ryan Dolan, also worked together to prevent an attempted suicide from turning fatal in 2022. They responded to a home where a man was found hanging from a rope around his neck. Officers immediately cut the man loose and performed emergency first-aid before paramedics arrived to take him to a hospital.

“Frankly, if we had opened that door 60 seconds later, it would have been a different outcome that day,” Blair, a trained medic, said.

Dispatcher Selina Agunoy helped a mother save the life of a two-year-old who had stopped breathing in 2021. She coached the distressed parent as she administered CPR, successfully returning her child to consciousness.

The friend of a woman who had overdosed after ingesting methamphetamine and fentanyl was shaking and appeared to be on the verge of tears when officers Berlynn Duran and Joseph Carrott responded to his apartment late one evening two years ago.

“She was in the living room, on the couch,” Duran said. “She was completely pale, blue lips, obviously not breathing.”

Duran and Carrott used two doses of the overdose reversal drug Narcan and CPR to pull the patient back from the brink of death. The woman made a “complete 180,” and was alert enough to speak with paramedics as they took her to a hospital, Duran said.

Gold capped off the evening with a sentiment no doubt felt by everyone in the room. 

“For everything you do, for every day you serve, for every time you’re out there making the hard decisions, protecting our residents, we are grateful,” he said. “Thank you.” 

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission scruti- nized details of a proposed four-story building that would replace a vacant single-family home near the Golden Triangle and include one unit set aside for a low-income tenant, before approving the project on Sept. 14.

The permit was requested by GACAC, LLC, and allows for the construction of a 10-unit residential building at 208 N. Crescent Drive. The single-family house it would replace has been unoccupied since 2012.

The new apartment building would rise to 47 feet in height, which is 14 feet taller than what Beverly Hills’ zoning codes would normally allow on that block. However, California’s Density Bonus Law qualifies the project for an exemption from that rule because it includes one unit designated for a single low-income tenant. That would be available at a discounted rate to a person with a gross annual income of $44,150 or less.

“This is a very attractive, well-designed project in a high-resource, transit-rich area and exactly the type of development the city needs to make progress on the city’s housing goals,” Kevin Tsai, the architect of the building, said during the Sept. 14 meeting. 

Additional support came in the form of a letter to the commission from the California Housing Defense Fund. 

“As you are well aware, California remains in the throes of a statewide, crisis-level housing shortage,” representatives from the Fund wrote. “New housing such as this is a public benefit. It will bring increased tax revenue and new customers to local businesses, and it will reduce displacement of existing residents.”

Residents of at least two homes neighboring the project offered public comments expressing concerns regarding privacy.

Daniel Ronan told commissioners his father was responsible for the construction of the condominiums next door to the project. He said he grew up there and was in the process of moving back into his childhood home along with his fiancé. 

“Everyone on the roof [of the new building] would be able to look into our unit and all the units of the adjacent condo building,” Ronan said.

Neighbor Simon Rubenstein called the proposed building “beautiful,” but said he also took issue with its exemption to normal building height requirements. He and Ronan called on commissioners to curb the structure’s size.

“With respect to the height and the setback (the distance separating two properties), it’s actually something we have no discretion over,” Commissioner Jeff Wolfe said. “So, I just wanted to make that clear. It’s not that we’re not sensitive to that, and that we haven’t heard that. It’s just that we are a body that is required to follow state law.”

Commissioners went into detail discussing the layout of the new apartment building’s roof with Tsai in an effort to find solutions addressing the concerns of neighbors. They suggested replacing a clear wall fencing off its perimeter with one made out of a translucent material and increasing the enclosure’s height to improve privacy. They also called for the removal of a television that would have been installed in the outdoor recreational space and limits on the amount of people who can gather there in order to prevent excessive noise.

Tsai said he and the property owner would be amenable to those changes. With that, the planning commission voted 4-0 to approve the project. One commissioner, Pete Ostroff, was absent from the meeting.

“I’m going to guess when your dad, Mr. Ronan, built 202, the people at 208 probably had some issues about what you built,” Planning Commission Chair Gary Ross mused. “That’s just the way of the world. And the timing of this, given density bonus law, makes it a little tougher on your building.”

The 10-unit apartment complex was one of two projects approved by the Planning Commission last week. The other was the remodeling of a commercial structure at 350 South Beverly Drive to accommodate students at American Jewish University.

The university intends to combine two units on the second floor of the building and convert them into classrooms and offices. About 30 students training to become rabbis at congregations, hospitals and schools across the world would study there, Rabbi Bradley Artson told commissioners on behalf of AJU during the meeting.

“It’s a bit of a homecoming,” Artson said. Almost all of our student body and faculty already live in the neighborhood. So, for us this means not having to get on the freeway, and that’s great. Many of my students will walk to the school.”

That means installing the classrooms would have very little impact on parking in the area, an attorney representing the current owners of the commercial building, Alexander Irvine, told commissioners. He added that practically all of AJU’s business there would be conducted during typical work hours.

“The proposed use will not be detrimental to the adjacent properties,” Irvine said. “In fact, it will be a public benefit by creating future leaders within the community.”

Commissioners also voted 4-0 to approve the renovation, raising almost no further additional issues.

“I do have a concern about noise as relates to Purim, rabbinical training in the use of the grogger,” Ross said, drawing laughter from some in attendance. “But given that that’s just one day of the year, I will and can make the findings and will vote in favor of this project.” 

A new nonprofit that announced its debut last week will help the Beverly Hills Fire Department connect with members of the community while placing a spotlight on firefighters’ mental health.

Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton and Deputy Chief Alfred Poirier met with founding members and volunteers of the new Beverly Hills Fire Department Foundation at the Waldorf Astoria on Sept. 14 to celebrate its launch. The Foundation’s board of directors includes chairman Marc Ackerman, co-founder Jules Ahmar, architect and designer Aida Madi, Dr. William Binder and former Beverly Hills Mayor Les Bronte.

“Having been firsthand, on the battlefield in hospital emergency rooms handling trauma and injury, you realize that the public generally doesn’t really know the amount of physical and psychological trauma our first responders are exposed to,” Binder said.

Data recorded over the past 10 years suggests firefighters are 72% more likely to die by suicide compared to the general working population, according to research published in June by the Journal of Safety Research. That may be related to stress from frequent exposure to traumatic events.

“What we would like to do about it is attack that through the lens of philanthropy and giving,” Ahmar told supporters at the gathering last week. “We know through our experience and research that volunteerism, philanthropy and community engagement have real, positive, tangible effects on mental and physical health.”

The Foundation plans to encourage emergency responders to take on leadership roles in charities they care about. As one of its first initiatives, the Foundation will provide up to $10,000 in contributions to Beverly Hills firefighters seeking board membership with vetted nonprofits.

Barton voiced support for the effort at the Waldorf event. Barton sits on the board of the Children’s Burn Foundation. He said his involvement with that group gives him a chance to give back to his community, allows him to see firsthand the difference he and others can make in people’s lives,

The physical and emotional well-being of everyone in Beverly Hills, both young and old, occupied much of the agenda during the most recent meeting of the Health and Safety Commission on Aug. 28.

Beverly Hills Unified School Board Member Rachelle Marcus opened the session with an update on a variety of maintenance projects and facility upgrades, including the installation of the Bulldog Aid Wellness Center at Beverly Vista Middle School.

“Students at BVMS now have access to counselors, a wellness space, and opportunities to practice mental wellness,” the school’s principal, Dr. Kelly Skon, told the Courier in an email. “No longer is there a stigma associated with taking care of oneself. It has become a part of our Bulldog culture. ”

Crews were in the process of connecting plumbing and electricity, Marcus said. District officials expect to have the facility ready to open in October.

Marcus shared time-lapse footage of a crane lowering portions of the modular structureinto place. She noted that its beige exterior walls, green door and burgundy-trimmed roof match the color palette of the existing campus, making it appear “like it’s a part of the school.”

Additionally, the district has begun posting new signs at their schools sharing information about mental health resources and coping strategies. These were put up in part to comply with AB 748, a state law passed last year in the hope of ensuring that youth can find support in moments of personal crisis.

“I’m really happy to hear about the focus on mental health,” Health and Safety Commission Vice Chair Erica Felsenthal said. “Like Commissioner Baker said, they all need it. We all need it so it’s great to have those resources posted and available.

Other health and safety-related developments underway at Beverly Hills Unified include a fresh revision of the district’s emergency operation procedure. That’s the set of guidelines students and staff will follow in the event of a critical incident or natural disaster on campus.

“They’re so old,” Marcus said. “They were last done in 2017.”

Mark Mead, BHUSD executive director of school safety, was working on that update. District officials hope to have the revised emergency plan ready in time for the Great Shakeout, a statewide earthquake drill coming up on Oct. 19.

Locally, the Beverly Hills Human Services Division is preparing for the city’s first Day of Wellness at Roxbury Park on Sept. 10. Over 40 mental health and well-being experts will take part in the resource fair. It will feature yoga for kids and adults, healing sound bath ceremonies as well as workshops on caregiver support, social media awareness and a wide variety of topics.

The interactive and educational gathering is free and open to all. If it’s a hit, it may become a recurring event, the city’s Interim Human Services Outreach Manager, Enisha Clark, told the commission.

“As we’re planning and seeing how much excitement is behind this event and how many people are stepping up and saying I want to participate, we’re definitely creating a blueprint for how we’re going to do it next year, how we might bring it back better,” she Said.

The day of wellness falls in the middle of suicide prevention month. In preparation for a nationwide, month-long awareness campaign, commissioners heard a presentation Monday from Kathleen Kim, Director of the Briskin/Wilder Welcome Center at the Maple Counseling Center.

She pointed out that 48,183 people died by suicide in 2021, an average of one person every 11 minutes. It has been a steadily growing cause of death in the U.S. over the past 20 years according to the CDC, with people 85 and older experiencing the highest rate of cases.

Kim urged people to not ignore warning signs in their loved ones. Although it can be an uncomfortable discussion to have with a friend or relative, she noted that there is no research to suggest that talking to someone about suicide would make it more likely that someone would take their own life.

“If they’re threatening suicide, take it seriously,” Kim said. “Don’t think that it’s an attention-seeking behavior. Even if it is, threats of suicide should always be taken seriously.”

Support services for older Beverly Hills residents managing mobility issues, chronic conditions and those recovering from falls were brought up Monday during a presentation from June Simmons, President and CEO of the Partners in Care. The organization has worked with the city to receive referrals of at-risk individuals from the fire department.

As many as 20 individuals who connected with Partners in Care this way have attended or completed their Matter of Balance Program, Simmons said. It teaches people safe exercises to rebuild lower body strength and helps them identify and minimize hazards in their residences so that they can regain the freedom to move about their homes. In addition, in-person workshops like Matter of Balance can become a source of social interaction for those who have become isolated.

The commission also received an update on the installation of a citywide outdoor warning siren system. These will be used to broadcast emergency information and updates in public spaces. The project was conceived in the wake of the Woolsey Fire, which destroyed over 600 structures in neighboring Malibu alone five years ago. 

So far, 10 sirens have been installed. The last two going up should be online within a month, the city’s Emergency Manager Meena Janmohamed said. 

New regulations that would allow a very specific type of marijuana business to begin operating in Beverly Hills were among the items discussed during a meeting of the Beverly Hills Planning Commission on Aug. 24.

Current ordinances prohibit any type of marijuana business from setting up shop in Beverly Hills. State-licensed companies that deliver medical cannabis can serve patients in the city, but they aren’t allowed to have offices, keep inventory or otherwise operate within its boundaries. That is scheduled to change at the start of 2024, following the passage of SB 1186. The Medicinal Cannabis Patients’ Right of Access Act was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last September and will prevent local governments from directly or indirectly preventing the establishment of medical marijuana delivery businesses.

Beverly Hills residents brought concerns regarding homelessness as well as crime targeting local businesses and neighboring communities of faith directly to their mayor during “Office Hours with Dr. Gold” on Aug. 23.

The event was the third in an ongoing series of forums hosted at the City Hall Municipal Gallery. Beverly Hills Mayor Dr. Julian Gold spent about an hour taking questions from in-person attendees and viewers tuning in via Zoom, and returned detailed, unedited replies.

“I do have some stuff to talk about, but that can wait,” Gold said after introducing himself to residents Wednesday evening. “I’m kind of more interested in what’s going on for you that you would like us to talk about.