Ryan Torok, Author at Beverly Hills Courier

WIZO Marches in Beverly Hills to Denounce Hamas

Ryan Torok — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 03:15:42 +0000

On Jan. 4, members of Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) California, a movement of pro-Israel women, marched in Beverly Hills expressing outrage over Hamas’ violence against women and girls as well as the lack of universal condemnation.

“We will not, and we will never allow the evil of Hamas against women and girls to go unacknowledged,” Adat Shalom Rabbi Miriam Potok said, addressing the program’s approximately 300 attendees.

Beverly Hills City Councilmember Sharona Nazarian called the silence of women’s groups, in the face of testimonies of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on Oct. 7, “deafening.”

“Today we march for the innocent women who were raped, mutilated, burned, victimized and brutalized on October 7,” Nazarian said. “When the voices of these women were bound and gagged, the silence from the women’s organizations was deafening.”

Nazarian was one of several speakers at “Walk with WIZO,” a community event. Waving blue-and-white Israeli flags and carrying signs reading “Silence is Betrayal,” attendees denounced the brutality of Hamas, a terrorist group committed to Israel’s destruction, as well as the troubling silence of the international community when confronted with reports of Hamas’ gender-based crimes.

“Wrong is wrong,” Adeena Bleich, a board member of WIZO California, told the Courier. “Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, you can still say weaponizing sexual violence is never okay.”

Regarding Hamas’ October attack on Israel, credible reports have emerged, including from the New York Times, of Hamas members committing acts of sexual violence against Israeli women and girls. Nevertheless, there are those who continue to challenge or ignore that rape or sexual assault occurred, leading many to attribute their skepticism to antisemitism.

Amit Mekel, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Israel Consulate General and WIZO California Chairman Gina Raphael
All photos by Curtis Dahl

“We’re calling attention to the atrocities committed by Hamas against the women and girls of Israel,” WIZO California Chair Gina Raphael, one of the program’s organizers, told the Courier. “Where are the women’s groups? Where are they on this? When we saw this news, we decided we were going to act.”

Women and men of all ages participated in “Walk with WIZO.” For her part, Raphael brought along her 15-year-old daughter and her daughter’s best friend.

“You have to bring the next generation with you—you have to empower them,” she said. “We have people here from across the generations—from babies in strollers to women in their 80s.”

WIZO California’s leadership decided just two weeks ago to organize the event after noting that groups, including UN Women, as well as those who supported the #metoo movement had insufficiently called out Hamas amid reports of gender-based violence. The Jan. 4 walk underscored that, indeed, there are those who are fed up and won’t take it anymore.

They included Anna Abramzon, a Judaica painter based in Beverly Hills who attended the rally. She, like others, has been disappointed by the world’s response to the apparent sexual violence done by Hamas.

“While I’ve been to many pro-Israel rallies and protests since the beginning of the war and since Oct. 7, I really appreciated this one was specifically calling out the violence and rape against women that has been kind of ignored by the larger community,” Abramzon said. “The message today is if we are to believe women, then we need to believe Jewish women and rape is not a form of resistance and not a legitimate form of anything. It’s a war crime.”

WIZO California Chairman Gina Raphael (left), LA City Councilmember Traci Park holding an official proclamation and ICAN Chairman and CEO Dillon Hosier.

The event began around 12:30 p.m. outside Mickey Fine Pharmacy, on Camden Drive. People gathered around as community leaders—including Nazarian, City Councilmember John Mirisch, L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park and Rabbi Potok—gave remarks highlighting their support for Israel. Park presented the leadership of WIZO and the Israeli-American Civic Action Network with a city proclamation underlining Los Angeles’ backing for the groups’ missions.

Additionally, Cantor Shanee Zamir, a vocalist, peace advocate and graduate of the WIZO’s school system in Israel, led the crowd in a rendition of Israel’s national anthem.

Afterwards, participants marched east from Camden Drive toward Rodeo Drive. They headed up and down the iconic street before making their way over to Mickey Fine’s other location, on Roxbury Drive. Many of those driving by honked in apparent solidarity.

Since Oct. 7, the city of Beverly Hills has vocally supported Israel, with its leaders including Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and City Councilmembers Lili Bosse, Mirisch and Nazarian condemning Hamas on multiple occasions, including at local rallies and synagogue events. This Jan. 4 event was no different.

HUNDREDS ATTENDED THE PROTEST IN BEVERLY HILLS.

“There’s no more important issue today than not only the survival of Israel but also the explosion of anti-Jewish racism it has engendered,” Mirisch said in an interview as he marched down Rodeo Drive carrying a large Israeli flag.

Founded in Great Britain in 1920, at a time when women lacked representation in Zionist institutions, WIZO is a nonprofit with members in more than 50 countries. Today, the nonpolitical organization operates more than 800 social welfare projects in Israel, including childcare centers, schools, shelters for battered women, homes for girls in distress and services for the elderly. WIZO California, established in the 1980s, is comprised of members who work to support and fund WIZO’s projects in Israel.

Protestors marched holding signs on Rodeo Drive.

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Six Hundred Attend Community Breakfast for Israel

Ryan Torok — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 03:45:15 +0000

More than 600 attendees gathered at Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) annual Breakfast for Israel, held on Nov. 28 at the Skirball Cultural Center, to express their support for the Jewish state, stand strong against antisemitism and support the work of JNF-USA.

The breakfast coincided with Giving Tuesday, a day of global philanthropy held on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

“Every year, JNF-USA has a national matching grant to leverage Giving Tuesday,” JNF-USA Greater Los Angeles Director Neuriel Shore told the Courier in a phone interview. “We schedule the L.A. breakfast to be on that day to incentivize people to give.”

In attendance at the early morning breakfast were four survivors of the Oct. 7 shooting spree at an Israeli music festival, where nearly 300 young Israelis were gunned down by Hamas terrorists.

According to JNF-USA, Daniel Sharabi; Neriya Sharabi; Shalev Yehoshua; and Oshari Coen, the survivors, “were deeply moved to see Los Angeles gathering in support of the Jewish Homeland.”

Additional attendees included Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold, Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton and members of the Beverly Hills Fire Department. As Jewish people around the world are facing sharp increases in antisemitism and Israel is combatting criticism over its retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip, JNF-USA leadership acknowledged the city of Beverly Hills’ longstanding solidarity with the State of Israel.

“Beverly Hills, in general, has been extremely [supportive],” Shore, head of JNF-USA’s regional chapter, said. “Let’s just say the city is a haven for the Jewish community. The past several mayors have been Jewish and very pro-Israel—whether Julian Gold or Lili Bosse or John Mirisch, all these people are very pro-Israel and are friends of JNF-USA. Every year at our Breakfast for Israel, we have some sort of Beverly Hills representation.”

Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Israel Bachar also turned out.

The total amount of funds raised at the recent event was not immediately available. But in response to the October massacre of approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians in the country’s southern region, JNF-USA has raised $30 million for emergency relief in Israel, according to Shore. Funds are aiding the 300,000 Israelis who were evacuated from their homes in the aftermath of the attack.

JNF-USA is also providing trauma therapy, food security, and firefighting and protective equipment as well as assistance for the elderly, the infirm and soldiers.

The annual Breakfast for Israel is a complimentary event that encourages charitable giving. Past breakfasts have featured high-profile pro-Israel speakers, including pollster Frank Luntz and Alon Ben-Gurion, grandson of Israel’s first prime minister.

JNF-USA chapters across the country convene the breakfasts. Typically, the annual gathering in Los Angeles is held at a venue in the city, such as the Beverly Hilton or Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel.

But this year, for the first time, it took place at the Skirball Cultural Center as part of an effort to attract not only Westside attendees but JNF-USA supporters from the Valley as well.

Inside the Skirball on Nov. 28, large Israeli flags draped the walls. Cups of coffee and glasses of orange juice, along with plates of croissants and fresh fruit, lined the banquet tables. As the Special in Uniform band performed Matisyahu’s “One Day,” attendees waved tiny blue-and-white flags from their seats.

Special in Uniform, an affiliate of JNF-USA, provides young adults with disabilities and autism the opportunity to train and serve on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases, underscoring the IDF commitment to not only a military role-but also a social one. Ultimately, the goal of the program is enhancing inclusion and integration throughout Israeli society.

“To my knowledge, there’s no other military in the world that goes to such lengths to address soldiers with special needs while having them shine,” Shore said. “Members of the Special in Uniform Band serve as ambassadors for the innovative program.”

Israel Defense Forces Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Tiran Attia, director of Special in Uniform, spoke at the breakfast. He sat on a panel along with Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, and Fresno State Professor Erin Stafford Dormedy, a recent participant of JNF-USA’s faculty fellowship, enabling non-Jewish academics to travel to Israel and connect with Israeli peers.

Husband-and-wife Robin Nourmand and Sepideh Makabi co-chaired the event.

In his remarks, Nourmand, a member of the JNF-USA Los Angeles board, highlighted the power of people gathering at such a challenging time for Israel and the world.

“Together, we are one family,” Nourmand said. “While our hearts have broken, it is together that we heal, build, and triumph over hatred and evil.”

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Sinai Temple Event Highlights Israel Solidarity

Ryan Torok — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 19:00:01 +0000

Approximately 1,000 people expressed support for Israel while attending “One People, One Heart: Solidarity with Israel,” a community event held Nov. 19 at Sinai Temple in Westwood.

At the Sunday evening gathering in Sinai’s Ziegler Sanctuary, participants included Sinai Temple Co-Senior Rabbis Erez Sherman and Nicole Guzik; Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles CEO and President Rabbi Noah Farkas; Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Israel Bachar; State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel; 14-year-old Ela Shani, an Israeli survivor of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel; and Pastor John-Paul Foster of Faithful Central Bible Church.

Sinai Temple and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles co-organized the program.

More than 40 days after the attack on Israel, when Hamas infiltrated Israel’s border and massacred more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapped approximately 240 people, the community was struggling with how to keep the tragedy in their hearts and minds while continuing with day-to-day life, said Farkas of the Federation.

“It has to be part of our everyday, but it can’t consume our everyday,” he said.

Farkas highlighted the L.A. Federation’s robust response to the October attack, saying the L.A. Federation raised $31 million in direct Israel support since Oct. 7. Jewish Federations of North America ( JFNA), the umbrella organization for Jewish Federations, has raised $660 million since Oct. 7. Farkas highlighted the work of JFNA Board Chair

Julie Platt and L.A. Federation Chair Orna Wolens, both seated in the audience at Sinai. The event followed the Nov. 14 “March for Israel” in Washington D.C., an unprecedented showing of pro-Israel pride drawing an estimated 300,000 people. The Sinai gathering, while decidedly smaller, attempted to build on the momentum of the D.C. event, with Bachar, the consul general, saying, “We will win this war with our moral clarity intact.” Shani, the 14-year-old survivor of the Oct. 7 massacre, appeared in person. Shani, who previously spoke to the Courier for the newspaper’s Nov. 17 edition, shared her story of what it was like at Kibbutz Be’eri on that fateful, tragic day, when her father was killed by terrorists, and her cousin, Amit was taken back to Gaza by Hamas as a hostage. Amit, she said, spent his 16th birthday in captivity.

She asked the audience to continue advocating for the release of the hostages, who were taken by members of an organization, Hamas, completely divorced from basic humanitarian ideas. The terrorists of Hamas, the young Israeli woman said, “don’t care about anything except killing Jews.”

Gabriel, who represents much of the San Fernando Valley in the state’s legislature, spoke of the recent convention of the California Democratic Party, which, as widely reported, was overrun by anti-Israel protestors. The convention, Gabriel said, “melted down,” with all programming on Nov. 18 canceled after demonstrators breached the convention venue’s lobby in Sacramento.

Despite recent events in Israel, anti-Israel rallies across the globe and the unprecedented spike in nationwide antisemitism, “We are an incredibly strong and resilient people,” Gabriel said.

Since Oct. 7, antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric has been rampant on many college and high school campuses. Addressing that issue, student leaders appeared at Sinai, including Tessa Veksler, president of associated students at UC Santa Barbara, and Leah Tehrani of Palisades Charter High School.

“Being an Israeli should not be a death sentence, and being a Jewish college student should not be a safety hazard—and yet it is,” Veksler said.

Additional speakers included Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of Congress of Christian Leaders. Referring to last month’s attack on Israel as a “pogrom,” he called for leaders to unequivocally condemn anti-Jewish hatred.

“We are here to be counted among those who will continue to speak with moral clarity about the pogrom that happened in Israel on Oct. 7. We are here to be counted among those who will stare down the dark demons of antisemitism wherever they emerge,” Moore said. “We will not let history’s oldest hate embed itself in the algorithm of our American life.”

Along with remarks from numerous speakers, the event, which also streamed online, included tuneful moments. Musicians and cantors from across Southern California, including Sinai Temple Cantor Marcus Feldman and performer Craig Taubman, led a prayer for Israel. And the evening kicked off with the school choir from Shalhevet High School singing Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah.”

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Beverly Hills Pro-Israel Rally Draws 2,000 City Leaders

Ryan Torok — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 21:00:27 +0000

Approximately 2,000 supporters of Israel turned out to a peaceful rally at Beverly Gardens Park, on Nov. 5, where Beverly Hills city and community leaders delivered words of solidarity with Israel while denouncing antisemitism.

“Our community is still in pain and the truth is we haven’t had an opportunity to mourn. We were forced to defend ourselves, our existence, our safety, immediately after these attacks. Let’s be clear: this is not about territory; this is about terrorism,” Beverly Hills City Councilmember Sharona Nazarian said, addressing the crowd behind a podium draped with an Israeli flag.

“Now is the time to unite, my friends,” Nazarian continued before describing Hamas’ recent attack against Israel as “one of the darkest days in Jewish history since the Holocaust.”

The Beverly Hills councilmember emphasized Beverly Hills’ strong support for Israel in the days and weeks following the Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

And of the estimated 240 hostages who were taken by Hamas, Nazarian said, “We demand to bring them home now,” prompting chants in the crowd of “Bring them home!”

The Sunday evening event, organized by pro-Israel groups StandWithUs and the Israeli American Council, was billed as an “Israel-USA alliance rally.” It was held approximately one month after terrorist organization Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, massacred more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers during a raid on southern Israeli villages. In retaliation, Israel declared war on Hamas, responding with air strikes and ground troops targeting Hamas in Gaza. Hamas claims more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s attacks, but the figures haven’t been independently confirmed.

Israel’s actions have drawn both strong support and intense criticism, with both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies taking place regularly across the world. At the Beverly Hills rally, an attendee noted the lack of hateful rhetoric against the Palestinian community despite people’s passionate feelings.

“If you look at the pro-Israel rallies, including this one, they’ve been focused on community support for Israel,” the attendee, George, who declined to give his last name, said. “The so-called pro-Palestinian demonstrations, meanwhile, have featured rampant antisemitism.”

The attendee was one of many people trying to make sense of the volatile circumstances in the region.

“Former President Obama bears some responsibility, specifically the growing influence of Iran,” he said. “For eight years Obama appeased Iran, allowing Iran to strengthen its support for its proxies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.”

Additional speakers included Miya, who was wrapped in an Israeli flag as she spoke of her connection to Israel. She declined for her last name to be published.

“We have the right to defend ourselves,” she said. “As a proud Jew and Zionist, I’ve never celebrated the death of Palestinians, even terrorists with genocidal intentions. Instead, I hurt that they were taught to have a deep hatred for me and my people.”

“It is of utmost importance that at times like these we embrace our Jewish identity, stand united as a community and remember where we came from,” Miya said.

Miya was speaking on behalf of Club Z, an organization dedicated to raising teenagers into informed, modern-day Zionists. She’s a Club Z teen and high schooler.

As the rally unfolded from 4-7 p.m., Beverly Hills Police Department officers were on the scene. A cacophony of car horns rang in the air as attendees chanted “Am Yisrael Chai” while carrying signs reading, “Never Again is Now,” a reference to a phrase popularized in the aftermath of the Holocaust to never again allow a genocide against the Jews.

Attendees included Russ Stuart, owner of Beverly Hills Guns, a licensed firearms dealer and broker. The business has been inundated with inquiries from the Jewish community regarding firearm ownership as antisemitic incidents throughout the country have been on the rise, he said.

“People are terrified,” Stuart told the Courier.

The event was one of several in Beverly Hills to express solidarity with Israel. On the same evening, Nov. 5, a shloshim (Hebrew for “30”) ceremony at Young Israel of North Beverly Hills marked the conclusion of the 30-day mourning period following last month’s killing of innocent Israelis.

Elise Steinberg, director of political affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, spoke at the Beverly Hills synagogue about the important role Israel plays in the continuity of Jewish peoplehood and the unique responsibility of younger generations.

“It is our generation’s turn to defend our freedom and our land, to defend our anthem,” she said, referring to “Hatikvah,” the State of Israel’s national anthem, which is Hebrew for “hope.”

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Wilshire Boulevard Temple Donates Ambulances to Israel’s Red Cross

Ryan Torok — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 02:15:05 +0000

In response to terrorist group Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel, Wilshire Boulevard Temple (WBT) has provided support to purchase Magen David Adom ambulances for use in Israel.

American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA), which raises funds and awareness for Israel’s nonprofit emergency medical service, expressed gratitude for the gift.

“I am deeply touched by the way Wilshire Boulevard Temple mobilized so quickly and completely to save lives in Israel,” AFMDA CEO Cathy Reed said. “The entire community came together in an astounding show of solidarity and support. Many wounds will be healed, and many lives saved due to this community’s giving spirit.”

WBT is a local and historic synagogue. Over the past several weeks, its congregants have donated amounts large and small to send life-support ambulances to Israel, according to Erinn Alcabes, director of institutional advancement at WBT. The congregation sponsored seven MDA ambulances, along with providing additional funding for ambulance maintenance and medical supplies, she said.

“The funds keep coming in, and we are continuing to send the money to MDA,” Alcabes told the Courier.

As of Nov. 1, the congregation had raised $830,000 for AFMDA—funds “earmarked for seven life-support ambulances,” Rob Rosenthal, chief marketing officer at AFMDA, said.

The organization recently announced it received a record-breaking $44 million matching gift from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Part of the funds provided by WBT will be matched by Bloomberg’s gift, paying for equipment including ballistic vests, blood bags, helmets, defibrillators and tourniquets as well as exam gloves, incubation tubes and hemostatic bandages.

“The needs are great,” said Rosenthal.

“Wilshire Boulevard Temple mobilized its entire congregation,” Dorin Esfahani, AFMDA’s director of major gifts for Greater Los Angeles, told the Courier. “We’ve really seen the community come together. We are truly grateful for the incredible leadership of Wilshire Boulevard Temple and the generosity of its congregants, especially during this difficult time.”

Ambulances were airlifted to arrive in Israel as soon as possible. Photo courtesy American Friends of Magen David Adom

According to AFMDA, which raises funds and awareness for Magen David Adom, more than 435 WBT families and individuals donated over just one week. An initial goal of raising funds for the purchase of two ambulances soon doubled and multiplied further because of matching grant opportunities from Jaime and Andrew Schwartzberg, as well as the Karen and Russell Goldsmith Family Charitable Trust.

As soon as the severity of the crisis in Israel became apparent, synagogue leadership began appealing for contributions.

“There is no greater imperative than saving a life. We, as leaders in the Jewish community, cannot stand idly by. It is incumbent upon all of us to act, however we can,” WBT Senior Rabbi Steve Leder said in a statement. “We are proud of and grateful to our members for funding these lifesaving ambulances and to American Friends of Magen David Adom for delivering them to the skilled paramedics, EMTs, and innocent victims that need them.”

Magen David Adom is Israel’s official representative to the International Red Cross. Each MDA ambulance costs $115,000. The ambulances are manufactured at General Motors facilities in Michigan and outfitted in Indiana. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, authorities have been airlifting the ambulances to Israel.

In the first hours of the war, which was prompted by Hamas’ attack on Israel, MDA EMTs and paramedics responded to nearly 2,400 incidents directly related to the violence. More than 8,000 calls came into MDA’s 101 emergency call centers across Israel.

According to Esfahani, a dozen MDA ambulances have been destroyed or hijacked by Hamas. As a result, Esfahani told the Courier, “Ambulance sponsorships are urgently needed.”

Every day, MDA paramedics are facing rocket attacks from Gaza, Esfahani said.

“They’re still out there, needing supplies and protective equipment,” she said.

Israel is experiencing some of the direst circumstances in its 75-year history. More than 1,400 civilians and soldiers in Israel were killed—and more than 200 kidnapped— after Hamas militants broke through a border wall separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 7. The attack led Israel to declare war on Hamas.

Many synagogues have since stepped up to support Israel. Sinai Temple, a large and influential congregation, is hanging a large banner outside its Westwood campus, visible to those driving east on Wilshire Boulevard toward Beverly Hills. It reads, “Sinai Temple Stands with Israel.” The display has a large QR code that passersby can scan on their phones for more information.

Additionally, in commemoration of the hostages being held by Hamas, the congregation recently sectioned off 17 rows of more than 220 seats in its sanctuary.

In Beverly Hills, meanwhile, there have been at least two recent instances of antisemitic graffiti, with authorities believing they’re connected. Graffiti was discovered on the outside of an apartment building housing Jewish tenants as well as a Holocaust survivor. On the same day, antisemitic graffiti was found in a local alleyway. Beverly Hills police are investigating the incidents as a hate crime.

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City’s Next Night Street Fest Draws 5,000 Attendees

Ryan Torok — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 19:00:07 +0000

On Sept. 23, the sixth annual NEXT NIGHT Street Festival gathered an estimated 5,000 people for a joyous, bustling program featuring food trucks, arts-and-crafts, games, live music, schmoozing and more.

The program was held from 4-9 p.m. “This is just pure fun,” NEXT NIGHT Chair Tiffany Davis told the Courier. “It’s just about coming out together and having fun.” Every year, the city’s NEXT NIGHT block party is hosted by the city of Beverly Hills in partnership with its Next Beverly Hills Committee, which is tasked with engaging the next generation of the city’s residents through innovative initiatives.

This year, an array of kids-friendly attractions during the evening-long program included a rock-climbing wall, a face painter, a mini manicure station and Ferris wheel. Additionally, businesses along South Beverly Drive offered unique experiences and promotions throughout the late afternoon and evening. Allowing the little ones to explore their artistic sides, an activation with S. Beverly Drive’s Color Me Mine allowed kids to paint tiles before having them fired in the kiln at the arts-and-crafts studio.

“Thank you to the Next Beverly Hills Committee for organizing another spectacular NEXT NIGHT out,” Mayor Dr. Julian Gold said in a statement. “I love the fact that our next-generation leaders have created an event for the entire community—young, older and everything in between. This was an opportunity for all of us to come to South Beverly Drive to celebrate our community.”

The festival took place on the 200 block of S. Beverly Drive, prompting a full street closure between Charleville Drive and Gregory Way, from 6 p.m., Sept. 22, to 4 a.m., Sept. 24.

The event’s headlining live act, the Legendary Wailers, performed beloved hits by late reggae singer Bob Marley, including “Stir it Up,” “Is This Love” and “Three Little Birds.” The uplifting, sing-along energy of the setlist’s songs provided the perfect soundtrack to get the all-ages crowd boogying during the warm, end-of-summer evening.

Additional musical performers included The Tokens, the doo-wop group known for inescapable classics including “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The band’s drummer, Noah Margo, known throughout the Beverly Hills community for his role as president of the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education, is equally impressive behind the drumkit.

DJ Keybo also spun feel-good tunes.

NEXT NIGHT was conceived by Gold during his previous stint as the city’s mayor in 2015. The street festival’s inaugural event was held in 2016. COVID-19-related challenges prompted a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021.

“This is his baby,” Davis said, describing the close association between the current mayor and NEXT NIGHT.

Unfortunately, there was one disturbing incident during the event. According to Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) Public Information Officer Lt. Reginald Evans, Daniel Luke Cardenas, 43, of Los Angeles, was arrested by BHPD for “holding a sign with a swastika on it while yelling at families with children present, instigating a fight.”

Cardenas was arrested on two separate disturbing the peace charges. He was booked into the BHPD jail and later released with a citation. Video circulating on social media showed him holding up the sign while standing amidst the crowd by the event’s main stage while one of the bands was performing.

While the Next Beverly Hills Committee was launched to address the lifestyle, economic and civic needs of those in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the committee’s members have been pleased to see how its marquee event appeals to families with small children.

“Next Night was a great success again this year bringing all parts of our community together,” Noah Etessami, Chair of Next BH Committee told the Courier.

They hope to expand the event in the future, to perhaps add an additional block of street space while continuing to provide the community with a wholesome evening of feel-good entertainment and
programming.

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Commission Approves Doheny Apartment Complex Design

Ryan Torok — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 19:00:25 +0000

On Sept. 20, the city’s Architectural Commission conditionally approved an architectural review for a new multifamily residential building at 332 S. Doheny Drive, located just north of Olympic Boulevard.

The building has been the subject of contention due to its being significantly taller than surrounding residential properties.

The Doheny property owner, Daniel Ahadian, appeared in person at the Sept. 20 meeting to discuss the project details. Joining him was real estate attorney Murray Fischer.

The five-story, nine-unit residential building features private balconies, landscaping and a communal rooftop. It includes one unit designated as affordable housing. The project’s developers have attempted to make the building, which will replace an existing single-family home, as environmentally friendly as possible, designating several parking spaces for electric vehicles. This joins other eco-conscious features.

“We’re going to have the city’s first compost chute,” Ahadian, the property owner, said. “We’re excited to pioneer that.”

During public comment, one local resident called to express reservations about the proposed size of the private balconies of the Doheny project, saying the construction would impede on the quality of life of the building’s neighbors. Fischer, however, said the issues the commenter raised had already been resolved during meetings overseen by the city’s Planning Commission, which approved the project on June 8.

“These compromises—we’ve incorporated into our plans,” Fischer said.

Los Angeles-based entity 332 Doheny Group is behind the project, described in a staff report as “contemporary in nature with elements of a mid-century aesthetic.” The building, with an exterior façade that’ll feature smooth, white stucco, has been designed in a “very simple and clean architectural style,” the staff report says.

The Doheny building is significantly taller than the surrounding, low-rise residential properties, yet the state’s density bonus incentive, meant to alleviate the housing crisis, allowed the project to be exempt from certain zoning requirements. The developer is incorporating one unit of very low-income affordable housing in exchange for relief from some zoning rules. Albert Group Architects is designing the project.

Architectural Commissioner Rebecca Pynoos said she understood the concerns of the project’s neighbors, including those who worried the tall building will result in them getting less sunlight. But, she added, the design was “handsomely done” and she hoped it would be a valuable addition to the residential community on Doheny.

The commission also approved several architectural reviews for businesses on Rodeo Drive, allowing for construction barricades, a façade modification and a mural on the exterior of a building facing Wilshire Boulevard and N. Rodeo Drive.

The five-member commission unanimously approved a sign accommodation to allow for a mural on the exterior of a building at Rimowa, a luggage store in Beverly Hills.

Additionally, discussing a Cartier retail store located at 370 N. Rodeo Drive, the commission unanimously approved a construction barricade with lifestyle graphics. The hand-painted barricade will amplify the exposure of the business to the community, the project’s representatives said.

“We think it’s going to be a really exciting contribution to Rodeo while the Norman Foster building progresses,” project representative Deborah Quick said, referring to the modernist architecture and designer of the project site.

The construction barricade for Cartier will be active during the construction phase for the three-story commercial building. The barricade will feature a new handpainted mural, which will be painted by an artist team during daylight hours. City staff described the project as “an art activation on Rodeo. Folks know this is an exciting opportunity and want to partner with the city to make sure this lovely presence on Rodeo Drive—ephemeral but still beautiful—can be enjoyed.”

“I think we’re all very excited to see this happen in real time,” Commission Chair Tim Devlin said. “It’s very unique and special.”

The commission also unanimously approved an architectural review for façade modifications for an existing commercial retail store at 413 N. Rodeo Drive, located within the Rodeo Collection. Artist and designer Cosimo Pizzulli participated in a discussion about the project details, which include the demolition of the existing 587-square-foot storefront structure and the construction of a 1,575-square-foot addition to an existing retail store within the retail complex. The project, Pizzulli said, amounts to a reenvisioning of the southern portion of the Rodeo Collection shopping complex.

“Overall, I think this is quite exciting,” Commissioner Jennifer Schreiber said before signaling her approval of the façade modification.

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City Council Approves Ordinance Limiting Unit Size

Ryan Torok — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 02:30:22 +0000

On Sept. 19, the Beverly Hills City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that provides objective standards for housing developments. The council approved an amendment to its municipal code in an effort to comply with state Senate Bill 9 (SB 9), which, known as the “California HOME Act,” was designed to address the state’s affordable housing crisis.

SB 9 requires local agencies in California to ministerially approve urban lot splits and development of up to two residential units per single-family residential lot. Per state law, a maximum of four units are allowed on the two parcels, with an urban lot split that allows for two units to be constructed on each parcel or the development of two units plus an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and a junior ADU on a lot that is not subdivided into two.

Council voted to limit the size of new dwellings to 800 square feet, including basement space.

SB 9, which was written by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), took effect on Jan. 1, 2022. While the city has been compliant with the state law via an interim ordinance—the interim ordinance, adopted Dec. 2021, would have expired this year on Dec. 6—council approved an ordinance during its latest meeting that permanently codifies the regulations that created objective standards for SB 9 projects.

During the council meeting, city staff said that no SB 9 projects have been submitted yet to the city. SB 9 does not apply to high fire-hazard zones in the city, including Trousdale Estates and homes north of Sunset Boulevard.

The state law requires the owner to live in one unit on the property for at least three years in the event of an urban lot split. The owner must sign an affidavit saying they intend to live there for at least three years—but there is nothing the city can do in enforcing what Council referred to as the “owner-occupancy provision.”

Councilmember Sharona Nazarian was among those who said limiting the size of new dwellings to 800 square feet was fair. Councilmember John Mirisch used the discussion as an opportunity to denounce the “financialization of housing.”

“The owner-occupancy provision was, as we see, performative and meaningless nonsense on the part of a venal state legislature that’s only interested in market fundamentalists, deregulation and the financialization of housing and developer profits,” Mirisch said.

During the meeting, much of the public comment revolved around the continuing controversy over the removal of Ficus trees on Robertson Boulevard. According to a city staff person, there were 17 emailed comments about the trees on Robertson Boulevard.

About 35 minutes into the meeting, it was suddenly disrupted after someone in the audience began shouting at the council.

The interruption occurred while City Clerk Huma Ahmed was reading a summary of letters from public commenters regarding the removal of the trees on Robertson Boulevard. The person, whom the Courier was not immediately able to identify, appeared to be upset with the “editorializing” of the public comments. The person appeared to want the comments read in their entirety. Mayor Dr. Julian Gold called for adjournment as the person was escorted from the room.

The meeting also included the announcement of those selected as Team Beverly Hills 2023-2024 members. City Council selected 30 resident members, six for each councilmember, as well as four business members, and Beverly Hills High School selected two student participants. An additional 18 members were selected through a random lottery process.

Resident members selected for the initiative—which nurtures civic and community participation in the city—include Rebecca Starkins, Jonah Nazarian, Allison Geller and Allison Padilla.

Near the close of the meeting, council highlighted the upcoming Innovation’s Day event, which will be held on Oct. 9 at the Wallis Annenberg Bram Goldsmith Theatre. The theme this year is “Workplace Wellness: Strategies to Build Resilience, Beat Burnout, and Accelerate Performance.”

Before adjourning the session, Gold took a moment to acknowledge the memory of a L.A. County Sheriff ’s Department officer who was killed in Palmdale on Sept. 16.

In recognition that California communities continue to face rising crime, the Office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Sept. 14 it was awarding more than $267 million to 55 cities and counties to increase arrests and prosecutions for organized retail crime. The Beverly Hills Police Department is slated to receive more than $4 million in state funding.

City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 3.

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City Approves “First Step” in Affordable Senior Housing Agreement

Ryan Torok — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 19:00:29 +0000

On Sept. 12, the city of Beverly Hills voted to move forward with potentially developing a future 100% affordable senior housing project on a city-owned site at 9268-9298 W. 3rd Street.

The city approved entering into an agreement with nonprofit affordable housing group West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (WHCHC) to develop the project, a proposed multistory building with 252 one-bedroom units that, if completed, would be the city’s second senior housing complex.

“The Beverly Hills City Council has always been committed to providing affordable housing for our residents,” Beverly Hills Mayor Dr. Julian Gold said. “Sometimes it takes time to put these projects together, and I am pleased we are able to move forward. While this is the first step, the Council is dedicated to providing more housing options for our community in the future.”

During its Sept. 12 regular meeting the council agreed that the city would enter into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with the West Hollywood nonprofit developer. Conceptual plans and drawings will now be presented to the public through a robust community outreach plan over the coming months, city officials said in a statement. Under the agreement, city officials and developers have one year to reach terms that satisfy both parties.

Although the matter was approved without further comment at the regular meeting, a lengthy discussion took place at the Study Session earlier in the day.

Councilmember Sharona Nazarian said she supported the project but added she’d like to see significant outreach to the community as development proceeds. She also called for creating smaller apartment units to allow for a greater number of units in the building.

Councilmember John Mirisch, unequivocal in his support for the project, said, “We can’t move forward with this soon enough.”

“I wholeheartedly support it,” echoed Councilmember Lili Bosse, adding she’d like the community to know “nothing is a done deal, and they can help shape what this going to look like.”

In April of 2022, the city solicited qualifications and conceptual proposals for a project on a city-owned site. The city evaluated 27 conceptual proposals from 13 affordable housing developers across seven city-owned sites for an affordable senior housing project. A City Council subcommittee then recommended both the project site and the developer, WHCHC, to be selected.

Formerly in 1986, WHCHC, currently led by President and CEO Jesse Slansky, has developed 21 affordable rental apartment communities that house more than 1,200 residents, the majority of whom live below the federal poverty line, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“Our history is very closely entwined with the city of West Hollywood,” Slansky told the Council during the Study Session meeting. “Our roots are in West Hollywood, but over the years we’ve expanded. We now have operations in three cities.”

Slansky said the proposed development would include onsite amenities and active programming to combat social isolation faced by many community members as they age.

Architect Zoltan Pali of local architecture firm SPF:architects has been selected to design the development, which would be constructed in two phases. This, a city staff person said, would allow for maximize funding from outside funding sources. Currently, the city’s funding share would be $1.8 million.

The building is proposed to be six stories high with an additional usable rooftop level along with two levels of subterranean parking. The two buildings at the project site are city owned. One is vacant and the other is leased monthly to Beverly Hills City Employees Federal Credit Union.

During public comment, critics of the project said it made little sense to house low-income residents in an area filled with expensive grocery stores and other high-priced services. Others cited traffic concerns and said it would be disruptive to the neighbors of the project’s proposed site, including the adjacent Orthodox synagogue Magen David of Beverly Hills, located on Foothill Road.

“This project will disturb the serenity of the temple,” one public commenter said.

Though the city should expect to allocate less than $2 million in gap funding, that figure could change over time. Vice Mayor Lester Friedman, while supportive of the proposal, expressed doubts the city’s financial responsibility would remain that low and asked for Slansky to address that concern.

“Right now, the state, luckily, has robust resources,” Slansky said. “If we can keep moving this process quickly and apply for financing from the state, I don’t anticipate having the [funding] request of the city increase.”

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BHUSD Board Approves Expenditure Data Report, Services Contracts

Ryan Torok — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 17:30:54 +0000

The latest meeting of the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board of education, held Sept. 12, featured a presentation on the district’s unaudited expenditures for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The board also reviewed expenditure projections for the current academic year.

The board approved a report on the district’s unaudited actuals for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which the County Office of Education requires the board to review. Before its approval, though, Assistant Superintendent Raphael Guzman gave a presentation on unaudited actuals—specifically, a report of the district’s actual expenditures.

The district’s per-student expenses have increased, from $26,954 in the 2021-2022 school year to $29,204 in the 2022-2023 academic year. The estimated per-student expenditures for the current school year, 2023-2024, is $30,407.

“You can attribute that to the increased expenses in salaries and also having more revenues to be able to spend,” Guzman said, addressing the five-member board along with Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy.

The sources of the district’s spending dollars continue to be property taxes, other local revenue, state funds and federal funds. The majority comes from property taxes—69 cents for each dollar, to be exact—and the majority of the budget is allocated to teacher salaries and benefits, Guzman said.

Total revenue for the 2022-2023 school year was $97,901,101.

The first interim budget report will go before the school board on Dec. 5, and a financial audit of the previous fiscal year, 2022-2023, will go before the board by Dec. 15. Meanwhile, the district is continuing to monitor fluctuations in property tax revenue, Guzman said.

Additionally, the board approved contracts with several companies for maintenance and operations work at BHUSD campuses. The board approved a $166,135 agreement with Liftech Elevator Services for elevator repair services at the Beverly Hills High School’s STC building. Of the five-member board, only Board Vice President Amanda Stern voted against approving the contract, citing concern over the high cost of elevator repair.

“I just think it needs to be looked into,” Stern said.

Also, the board approved an agreement with the HVAC service provider, Air Conditioning Solutions, for miscellaneous unforeseen repair services on HVAC systems districtwide. According to the terms of the agreement, the fee for services is not to exceed $25,000.

During the segment devoted to public comment, Isabel Hacker urged the board to reconsider placing public comment back at the beginning of BHUSD board meetings. Hacker, a former school board president, said it would go a long way toward ensuring the school board’s activities remained open and transparent to the Beverly Hills community

Additional items during the latest board of education meeting included the recurring pre-recorded video segment, “Now Noah Knows,” featuring Board President Noah Margo giving a presentation on computer coding with BHUSD computer science teacher Jennifer Hegley. This was part of the ongoing “Teacher/Student Spotlight” segment of the meeting.

Meanwhile, the school board’s student representative, Sofia Lifson, provided an update on goings-on at Beverly Hills High School. She said the school recently had its first football game, and it was very well

attended. As a bonus for students and families, food trucks were on campus for the game.

Delivering his recurring Superintendent Report, Bregy spoke of the many activities that have been going on in the district. He highlighted the recent “Beverly Hills Reads!” program, calling it an “unbelievable

experience.” The program featured BHUSD educator Julie Goler interviewing bestselling author Bonnie Garmus about her debut novel, “Lessons in Chemistry.”

“It was on Zoom because the author was in London, but it felt like she was right there in front of you,” Bregy said. “This was a really good dialogue about a really good book.”

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New Plaintiffs Join Lawsuit Accusing Beverly Hills Police of Racial Profiling

Ryan Torok — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 02:30:20 +0000

On Sept. 11, prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and his co-counsel, local attorney Bradley Gage, held a press conference outside Beverly Hills City Hall to provide an update on developments in an ongoing class action lawsuit against the city and the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD).

The lawsuit alleges Beverly Hills police officers targeted people of color as part of a task force dubbed “Rodeo Drive Team” over the course of a two-year period.

In the case, “Jasmine Williams, et al. v. City of Beverly Hills, et. al,” the attorneys for the plaintiffs allege that from August 2019 to August 2021, 1,088 Black people were arrested by the BHPD but only two have resulted in convictions. According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, 90% of people arrested by the Rodeo Drive Team were Black even though only 1.5% of the Beverly Hills population is Black.

The plaintiffs’ legal team announced a $500 million demand.

“We need enough money to make one of the richest cities in the world understand racial profiling is bad business, and they will end up having consequences for their behavior,” Gage, founding partner at Goldberg and Gage, told the Courier in a phone interview. “There’s been no shortage of improper conduct with the Beverly Hills Police Department.”

The city, however, denies the allegations, saying in a statement, “The statistics presented referencing the number of convictions is a mischaracterization of the evidence in this case. In addition, the 1,088 arrests referenced include people cited and released, not just custodial arrests.”

“The city of Beverly Hills is an international destination that always welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” the statement said. “The role of the Beverly Hills Police Department is to enforce the law, regardless of race. The city denies and will continue to strongly defend itself against these allegations.”

A representative of the city declined to provide additional comment.

The ongoing litigation between the plaintiffs and the city dates to the summer of 2021. At that time, the original lawsuit filed against the city accused then-BHPD Captain Scott Dowling, who is now retired, of widespread racial profiling while operating a task force that had been launched to combat rising crime in the city’s business district.

As previously reported by the Courier, the Rodeo Drive Team—also known as the Rodeo Drive Task Force—was successful in recovering firearms from individuals on Rodeo Drive and uncovering fraudulent use of California unemployment benefits.

Dowling resigned from the city’s police force before the lawsuit was filed.

The Rodeo Drive Task Force has since been disbanded.

The latest amended complaint seeks monetary damages, injunctive relief and demands a jury trial. Gage, the plaintiff’s attorney, described the injunctive relief as “a court order to prevent the city from engaging in further racial profiling.”

According to the complaint, two of the plaintiffs—Jasmine Williams and Khalil White—were, in September 2020, “riding a scooter and not violating any laws. Nevertheless, they were detained, falsely

arrested, subjected to excessive force…[and] jailed.” Neither was convicted of any crimes, the complaint says.

The city has previously claimed BHPD made contact with Williams and White on Rodeo Drive, where they told the two scooter-riders that the city had a moratorium on ride-sharing apps like Bird or Lime. Prosecutors charged them with an infraction for riding the scooters and a misdemeanor resisting arrest. A judge dismissed the charges.

According to Gage, the September 10 press conference was held as the plaintiffs’ attorneys filed an updated lawsuit against the city and as “four new victims came forward” claiming they were racially targeted by the city.

Crump is a well-known attorney who has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among others.

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Liaison Committee Stakes Positions on Local, State and National Legislation

Ryan Torok — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:00:08 +0000

The Beverly Hills City Council Liaison-Legislative Lobby Committee Meeting, held Sept. 6, provided the committee’s two Council liaisons—Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and City Councilmember John Mirisch—the opportunity to take positions on a handful of local, state and national legislation.

Participants in the meeting included Jamie Jones, a lobbyist at government relations firm David Turch and Associates, and Andrew Antwih of advocacy firm Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer and Lange.

Mirisch and Gold delivered some of their strongest words of support for the U.S. Senate bill, “End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act,” which prohibits individuals and entities from owning more than 100 single-family residences. Mirisch, for his part, has long spoken out against the corporatization of real estate, specifically hedge funds and private equity investors buying up large numbers of homes. The council member said it creates barriers for those ordinary families seeking to purchase single-family residences for themselves.

“This will allow the American dream to be more in reach of people,” Mirisch said, if the bill—which was introduced in 2022 by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon—eventually passes.

The Council Liaison-Legislative Lobby Committee makes recommendations to the Beverly Hills City Council on the city’s position on legislative matters being addressed at the local, state and federal levels. Ultimately, City Council is responsible for the final adoption and expression of the city’s position on legislative matters.

During its latest meeting, the committee weighed legislation that included “10-Year Pilot Program for Trucks with 6-Axles,” which would establish a voluntary decade-long pilot for states to increase truck weights on federal interstates to 91,000 pounds on six axles. Current weight limits are 80,000 pounds on five axles. The committee’s council liaisons said they opposed the legislation on the grounds that they did not believe larger vehicles would serve interstates well.

Another item that garnered the committee’s attention was the “Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act,” which, known as FAIR, was being considered by the committee at the request of Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Mark Stainbrook. The bill, the result of bipartisan efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives, would reform the civil forfeiture asset process by raising the level of proof necessary for the federal government to seize property, among other actions.

But the committee opposed the bill, which was introduced in the House earlier this year, echoing positions taken by local law enforcement, including Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Mark Stainbrook.

“They feel very strongly that this would be awful if we did this,” Gold said.

Supporting another position taken by Stainbrook, the committee’s liaisons opposed State Senate Bill 94, “Recall and Resentencing: Special Circumstances,” which would allow felons who committed serious crimes before 1990 and have been in custody for at least 25 years to petition for resentencing. This includes felons who were convicted of murder. Stainbrook has publicly encouraged community members to reach out to their local legislators about voting against the bill.

The two council members signaled support for the “Voting Thresholds” expressed in Assembly Constitutional Amendment 13 (ACA 13). The committee took a position at the behest of the League of California Cities, an association of cities with the state of California that supports ACA 13. According to the League of California Cities, ACA 13—which passed the State Assembly this month and will now go before the State Senate—was introduced in part because an initiative that qualified for the November 2024 ballot could potentially undermine local control, strip voters’ rights and “decimate tens of billions of dollars of local government tax.”

ACA 13, if passed, would require future ballot measures that increase voter approval requirements to also pass by the same margin. The League of California Cities has called it a “common-sense proposal,” and the committee’s council liaisons indicated they agreed.

But not everything on the committee’s agenda garnered such support. When considering a California constitutional amendment proposal regarding employment workers’ rights, Mirisch said, “This is problematic.”

Echoing a letter of concern issued by the League of California Cities to the amendment’s author, State Senator Thomas Umberg, Mirisch described the language of the measure—which attempts to enshrine the rights of workers to join a labor union and collectively bargain with their employers—as far too “broad.”

While the committee agreed in large part with the League of California Cities’ positions on state bills, the council liaisons said the League did not always represent the views of smaller cities, including Beverly Hills.

“There needs to be a strong voice for smaller cities,” Gold said, adding that Beverly Hills represents 35,000 people against a state of millions and is thus not often considered by the League as the association forms stances on various measures.

Ultimately, the two council members expressed gratitude to the two lobbyists who joined the meeting, saying they provided invaluable help as the committee weighed the 14 pieces of legislation.

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City Convenes Jewish Community Meeting

Ryan Torok — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 20:00:50 +0000

The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) held a community security meeting on Sept. 5, drawing city and Jewish leaders.

The gathering at the Beverly Hills Public Library’s 2nd floor auditorium brought together Mayor Dr. Julian Gold, Councilmember Sharona Nazarian, BHPD officers, local rabbis, security officials and others. Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, president of Magen Am, a nonprofit that provides security services to Jewish organizations, along with representatives of Nessah Synagogue, Chabad of Beverly Hills and Beth Jacob Congregation were also in attendance at the recent event.

Held ten days before the start of the High Holidays, the meeting included a presentation on current crime statistics while offering guidance on how to provide a safe High Holidays experience for those who’ll be attending synagogue. And for those in the observant Jewish community who don’t use phones during the holidays, the gathering’s speakers discussed how to effectively navigate police conduct without the use of electronic devices.

“This was something I thought was important for our community to participate in,” Nazarian told the Courier. “A lot of the Orthodox in our community don’t carry phones on High Holidays. So, for the community to be safe, we put together a meeting to be proactive and address concerns and to let them know about what programs are available.”

Rosh Hashanah begins Sept. 15, and Yom Kippur starts Sept. 24.

BHPD is taking several steps to ensure the safety of those who will be celebrating this month. According to BHPD Lt. and Public Information Officer Reginald Evans, the city’s police will have increased visibility during the holidays, conduct extra patrols and special watches at synagogues and supplement its sworn patrol officers with the Real Time Watch Center’s virtual patrol officers.

“In addition, we listen to the needs of the synagogues and try to address their specific needs,” Evans said. “Many have their own private security and at times, armed security. If security personnel are on scene, they are often the first to address a potential threat. However, there is a high probability that the security staff would be identified as witnesses to a potential threat.”

Nazarian said the most important step an individual can take toward ensuring their personal safety is maintaining contact with local law enforcement.

“Communication is key, and we want to empower our community. If you see something, say something. If you hear something going on, or if your services are going late—some services go past 11 p.m. on Yom Kippur—encourage everyone to let the police know so there will be increased patrols as people walk home,” Nazarian said. “Communicate with our police. They are there to support you.”

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City’s Electrical Resilience Ad Hoc Holds Inaugural Meeting

Ryan Torok — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 01:58:33 +0000

The inaugural meeting of the mayor’s citywide electrical resilience ad hoc committee took place Aug. 30. Community leaders passionate about alternative energy solutions examined ways in which the city can meet the growing demands for power while improving its aging energy delivery infrastructure.

Participants of the discussion included Mayor Dr. Julian Gold, who outlined the new committee’s purpose and provided a recap of the city’s energy innovations, Public Works Director Shana Epstein and City Consultant Mariko Geronimo, co-founder and chief energy economist at economic consulting organization Lumen Energy Strategy.

“We’re committed to a lower-emissions future,” Gold said at the outset of the two-hour meeting.

For much of the conversation, the committee focused on the city’s outages problem. A series of power outages in Trousdale Estates in 2022 during an intense heat wave rattled residents of the community and sparked discussion among city leaders about how to bring more reliable electricity service to that area and beyond. The formation of the electrical resilience ad hoc is part of an effort to make Beverly Hills more energy independent and avoid such scenarios going forward.

When it comes to issues of energy resilience, Epstein is all too aware of the problems plaguing the city.

“I am the recipient of all those first calls when people’s power goes out,” the public works director said during the recent meeting. “So, I definitely know it’s been a major concern for this community.”

Before delving into ways of becoming more energy resilient, however, Geronimo said it was necessary to define “resilience.” While the power industry has no standard definition, a resilient electrical system can refer to a system that withstands, absorbs, recovers from and adapts to disruptions, such as natural disasters. Making a distinction between a “resilience hazard” and a “system you’re trying to make resilient” helps provide a framework over what you have control over and what one cannot control, Geronimo said.

“You don’t have control over the hurricane—you can’t do anything about that—but you do have control over the equipment that gets demolished in the hurricane,” she said.

Additionally, she broke down basics about grids and microgrids, with the latter describing a self-contained grid that has batteries for energy storage and generators to produce power. Microgrids allow cities to produce or store some of their own electricity. With the city’s current system, between 70-80% of the city’s outages are driven by equipment failures or causes unknown to Southern California Edison (SCE), the utility that provides electricity for most of the city’s homes and businesses, Geronimo said.

The recently launched electrical resilience ad hoc was formed following a call this past May for applications to join the committee. Since his swearing-in ceremony this past April, Gold has said he wants to explore achieving greater electricity independence for the city.

The ad hoc consists of two council members as well as several at-large volunteer members. Along with Gold, its members are Vice Mayor Lester Friedman; attorney Ethan Bearman, who expressed a lifelong interest in alternative energy; attorney Linda Spiegel; Jeff Wolfe, a member of the city’s planning commission; and Mark Nehoray, a member of the city’s public works commission.

“Energy is important to me, and the mission of this committee really resonated with me,” Nehoray said. “So, I’m here to serve.”

The meeting explored outside-the-box ways of achieving more electricity independence. For instance, the committee weighed the feasibility of creating neighborhood microgrids while acknowledging it could be both cost prohibitive and difficult to equip the city’s older residential buildings with the necessary infrastructure. The installation of solar panels on residential roofs might make more sense, committee members said.

Geronimo floated the idea of offering “resilience audits” to the city’s residents, in which someone would come to your home and tell you what it would cost to make your home more energy resilient.

Gold, for his part, was on board. “Great idea,” the mayor said. Friedman, meanwhile, also expressed support for the suggestion of home energy audits, calling it a step toward the goal of reaching 100% energy self-reliance.

Also, Geronimo asked rhetorically whether the goal should be reducing outages or, in the case of outages, ensuring there are alternatives available to the community so that they continue to have access to essentials.

Over the next few months, the commission will continue meeting regularly before making a recommendation to City Council based on its findings.

“The goal is to, in four or five meetings, get most of this done before the new year,” Gold said. “I’d like to see if we can get enough information for a reasonable recommendation for the council to explore going forward.”

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Roundtable Convenes Iranian Crown Prince with Young Activists

Ryan Torok — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:00:10 +0000

A recent roundtable featured 25 young Iranian American activists in an intimate conversation with Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi, who, as the founder and leader of the self-styled National Council of Iran, an exiled opposition group, is widely viewed as a proponent of a secular and democratic Iran.

The discussion, held Aug. 25 at Beverly Hills City Hall, was organized by Washington D.C.-based advocacy group National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI). It took place as the Iranian American community prepares to commemorate one year since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died last September after she was detained by Iran’s morality police for improperly wearing a hijab.

Her death prompted widespread protests in Iran while galvanizing members of Iran’s diaspora community, including in Beverly Hills, to stage demonstrations in solidarity with those seeking dramatic reforms in the Islamist country.

During the roundtable, Pahlavi—the eldest son of the last Shah of Iran, who was ousted from rule during the Iranian Revolution of 1979—spoke with the attendees, including college students and young professionals, about the work they’ve done the past year to raise awareness about Iranian human rights abuses. Pahlavi, whose stop in Beverly Hills was one of several he made during a recent trip to Los Angeles—he currently lives in Great Falls, Virginia—appeared at the City Hall discussion along with his wife, Princess Yasmine Pahlavi.

For the past year, Beverly Hills resident Camyar Meshkaty, 31, has worked hard to spread knowledge about what happened to Amini and about events unfolding in the Middle East country. This has included organizing the rally, “Solidarity with the Heroic People of Iran,” in Nov. 2022 with the support of his mother, Nooshin.

In advance of the recent roundtable with the crown prince, Meshkaty connected NUFDI’s leadership with Beverly Hills officials so the event could be held here in the city.

“The amount of noise surrounding this and everything else going on—it’s never been at this level before,” Meshkaty, whose parents were born in Iran and who was raised attending Beverly Hills public schools, told the Courier about the protest movement. “I think that’s where the hopefulness comes in.”

NUFDI Vice President Cameron Khansarinia moderated the recent discussion with the crown prince. While he declined to provide specific details about what was shared during the off-the-record event, he said it included lively exchanges between Pahlavi and attendees about what their hopes for the country they all love and care for are going forward.

“I thought it was very productive,” Khansarinia told the Courier in a phone interview. “I thought it was good for young people to hear from the prince, who people consider to be the most important voice and advocate for a secular democracy in Iran, and it was important for the prince to hear from young people born after the 1979 Revolution, who’ve maybe never been to Iran, about how they feel attached to Iran. The current revolution in Iran is being led by young people, and to have a roundtable of young people here was particularly powerful.”

Marking the one-year anniversary of Amini’s death, on Sept. 16 a large rally is taking place in downtown Los Angeles, spotlighting continued human rights abuses in Iran while connecting those committed to seeing change. Sept. 16 has been dubbed “Mahsa Day,” and the rally in Los Angeles is coinciding with similar demonstrations in cities across the world. The event begins at 2 p.m. and takes place at Los Angeles City Hall.

The aim of the forthcoming rally is “to help spread awareness and capture the public’s attention about the ongoing state of affairs in Iran,” Meshkaty said. “The objective is to get people together and unite them around a common goal.”

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Author Bonnie Garmus Appears at Beverly Hills Reads!

Ryan Torok — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 02:40:41 +0000

On Aug. 27, the inaugural “Beverly Hills Reads!” featured Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” in discussion with recently retired Beverly Hills High School educator Julie Goler.

“Lessons in Chemistry,” Garmus’ debut novel, is set in the early 1960s and follows a brilliant, uncompromising female chemist, Elizabeth Zott, who experiences rampant workplace sexism, loses the love of her life and is a single mom. When she becomes the host of a televised cooking show, she also becomes one of the most influential public personas of her time, inspiring women to go after their professional ambitions.

Since its publication earlier this year, the book has become a huge success, skyrocketing to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. It’s been translated into more than 40 languages. A forthcoming televised adaptation for Apple TV+, with actor Brie Larson appearing in the lead role as Zott, is on the way.

Goler conducted the interview with Garmus at the City Hall Municipal Gallery before an audience of approximately 250 in-person attendees. Garmus appeared live via Zoom from her home in London, speaking to Goler about what went into creating her book’s central protagonist.

“I was writing my role model, basically,” Garmus, who was working as a professional copywriter when she began writing the novel, said.

Garmus said she had experienced sexism in the workplace, where, like Zott, male coworkers showed little respect for her work but managed to accept credit for it.

During the hourlong “Beverly Hills Reads!” discussion, which also was accessible to view online, Goler asked her questions while also taking questions from the audience, including Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) students in attendance.

The event attracted a number of city officials. Photos courtesy city of Beverly Hills

Students asked about the plot choices, including why a central character dies so early in the book, as well as about Garmus’ writing process. For her part, the author was more than happy to share why she made certain decisions and explained that she is highly self-critical when it comes to editing her work. Her editors, too, forced her to leave out beloved passages from the final product.

“I’m pretty good at being ruthless, but it turns out my editors are even more ruthless,” Garmus said.

She also discussed one of the book’s many themes—science versus faith. Her character, Zott, is the daughter of a religious figure who misled people for personal financial gain, and Zott conveys a skepticism of religion that Garmus appears to share. However, Garmus said the feedback from religious friends has been positive. After reading “Lessons in Chemistry,” an Episcopalian priest told Garmus her book wrestled with many of the questions facing those in his community.

Of course, people in the audience were curious about Garmus’ involvement with the upcoming “Lessons in Chemistry” streaming series, which premieres on Oct. 13. Garmus said she was not involved in writing or creating it. She was permitted to give notes on the script, and those involved with making the show were free to incorporate her sug- gestions as much or as little as desired. At the time of the interview, she’d only seen rough cuts of the series and was excited to see the final product.

She has, however, spent time getting to know the series’ star, Larson, and had only positive words to say about her.

“She’s charming and she’s smart, and I think she’s a wonderful person,” Garmus said of Larson, whom she met on Zoom and spent an evening with over dinner.

The City Hall event was organized by Goler, who taught English at BHHS from 1993 until the end of the 2022-2023 academic school year, and Laura Margo, vice chair of the city’s Human Relations Commission. Speaking to renowned authors is far from foreign territory for Goler, who, as the founder of Julie’s Book Groups, is a leading private book group leader and facilitator. Goler told the Courier that part of what drew her to “Lessons in Chemistry” was its universal appeal—it works for adults and is accessible to kids—along with its pro-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) message.

According to Margo, an anonymous donor contributed financial support for the event while many different city groups sought to help organize and promote the program.

“When we brought this up to the Human Relations Commission, everyone was super excited about it,” Margo said. “Then the city became excited about it. We decided to partner with BHUSD and the Beverly Hills Public Library, and then once we publicized it, the Beverly Hills Education Foundation called and said, ‘We want to be involved.’ It grew from there.”

The event marked the first time the city was involved in a communal reading experience since BHUSD and the Human Relations Commission partnered on “One Book, One City,” a community reading project. For that program, the book was “Boys in the Boat” by author Daniel James Brown.

In the future, Goler and Margo are excited about holding additional in-person events for the city’s bookworms, young and old.

“We just want to foster the camaraderie,” Goler said. “Let’s get back from all Zoom events and try to be in person.”

The post Author Bonnie Garmus Appears at Beverly Hills Reads! appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

BHPD Makes Arrests in Grand Theft and Robbery Incidents

Ryan Torok — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 02:34:52 +0000

On Aug. 27, Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) officers arrested three suspects in connection with the theft of two pairs of sunglasses, valued at approximately $2,000, from a store on the 400 block of N. Rodeo Drive.

The incident occurred around 5:45 p.m., according to BHPD Lt. Reginald Evans, the department’s public information officer.

According to Evans, three individuals entered a store, where two of them stole two pairs of sunglasses. The third individual attempted to steal a third pair of sunglasses.

The suspects, in what BHPD described as a “grand theft investigation,” were detained and ultimately arrested during a traffic stop. The sunglasses were eventually recovered and returned to the location, Evans said.

Police activity affected traffic around N. Santa Monica Boulevard and Bedford Drive.

BHPD identified the three suspects as Aleksanyan Harutyun, 39, a male from Mission Hills, CA who is being charged with grand theft; Karen Kirakosyan, 29, a male from Glendale, CA who’s being charged with attempted grand theft; and Rafik Melkonyan, 34, a male from Glendale, CA who’s being charged with grand theft.

According to the California Penal Code, grand theft occurs when anyone steals property or services worth more than $950.

Police made arrests in connection with a sunglass theft from a Rodeo Drive business. Photos by Ryan Torok

The incident occurred as the Beverly Hills community as well as those in surrounding cities are concerned about the apparent rise in organized retail theft at neighborhood shopping centers.

The BHPD uses several resources to prevent and address incidents of retail theft, including its Real Time Watch Center, which employs drones and automated license plate readers, among other tools, to enhance its surveillance capabilities.

The incident on Rodeo Drive was one of at least two robbery situations that resulted in police activity over recent days. A robbery situation resulting in police activity occurred on the evening of Aug. 30. The incident involved three masked individuals entering a retail business and selecting various clothing items prior to exiting without paying for the items.

According to BHPD, a confrontation with loss prevention occurred prior to police being notified. After police officers arrived, two suspects were quickly taken into custody following the commercial robbery. A third suspect fled and attempted to evade officers by hiding. A containment was quickly established on the 9600 block of Wilshire Boulevard.

The search for the third suspect caused street closures, which impeded traffic for drivers attempting to turn off Wilshire Boulevard and onto residential streets.

After a systematic search, the suspect was taken into custody. In addition to BHPD resources, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department assisted during the incident as well.

The three arrested suspects were all juvenile males. Two of the perpetrators are 15 years of age. One is 17 years old.

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Vandalism in Pico-Robertson Strikes Kosher Restaurants

Ryan Torok — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 20:00:23 +0000

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials are investigating a string of vandalism in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood.

The vandalism occurred in the 9300-9400 block on W. Pico Boulevard, on Aug. 19. At least five kosher restaurants—Fisherman’s Bowl, Nagila Pizza, Shalom Grill, Shanghai Diamond Garden and Sushiko—had their glass window entrances smashed. One of these restaurants, Fisherman’s Bowl, was preparing for an Aug. 21 grand opening at the time of the incident.

Despite the apparent targeting of kosher establishments, Jewish groups said they did not have evidence the incidents were motivated by antisemitism.

“Our Community Security Initiative team is working closely with LAPD to determine if there are any additional motives. However, at this time, according to our law enforcement partners, there are no indications of antisemitic motivations,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said in an Aug. 20 statement. “We will continue to remain vigilant and monitor the situation to inform the community, should new developments arise.”

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Pico-Robertson, denounced the crimes and was one of several city leaders to visit the sites in person earlier this week.

“Early Saturday morning, as many as four businesses on the 9300-9400 block of Pico Boulevard were broken into, with some being robbed,” Yaroslavsky said. “My office has been in touch with the Los Angeles Police Department, and while we have not seen evidence to suggest these incidents are connected to hate crimes, we are taking the situation very seriously. My staff has also visited the affected businesses to offer support. More information will be provided as the investigation continues.”

As of press time, LAPD was continuing to investigate the incident and no suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident, a LAPD spokesperson told the Courier.

Shanghai Diamond Garden was one of the affected businesses. Photo courtesy of Sia Kordestani

The break-ins were discovered around 5 a.m. as much of the community was preparing to walk to the area’s synagogues for Saturday morning Shabbat services. The stretch of Pico Boulevard in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood is lined with synagogues, kosher restaurants and Judaica stores.

LAPD officials responded to the scene at approximately 5:30 a.m.

According to the LAPD, officers also responded to a burglary at a nearby non-kosher restaurant one day before, on Aug. 18, about a half-mile away on Robertson Boulevard. A LAPD spokesperson could not confirm whether it was connected to the Aug. 19 incidents.

On Aug. 19, the vandals attempted to steal cash registers from the targeted restaurants, according to law enforcement. There did not appear to be any overt antisemitic activity, such as anti-Jewish graffiti, accompanying the smashing of the windows.

“Both Jewish and non-Jewish businesses were vandalized, and there is apparently no evidence at this time of overt antisemitism or a hate crime,” Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams said in a statement.

Police described the suspects as men wearing dark clothing. It was unclear how many suspects were involved. Additional information was not immediately available.

In February, over two consecutive days, two visibly Jewish men leaving prayer services in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood were shot at in drive-by shootings, though neither victim was badly hurt. Additionally, in the summer of 2021, a man attempted to throw a cinderblock through the window of a Pico-Robertson synagogue.

It also occurred as “flash robs”—or organized retail theft—have been occurring at businesses across Southern California, rattling shoppers and residents as large groups of people break into high-end stores and make off with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.

They also took place as the Jewish community prepares to mark the High Holidays, beginning in mid-September.

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Community Input Sought on Roxbury Drive Pilot Bike Lane Project

Ryan Torok — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:00:08 +0000

The city is considering transitioning a protected bike lane on Roxbury Drive into a permanent street feature.

As part of that process, the Public Works department is encouraging residents and other stakeholders, including those living outside of Beverly Hills who use the bike lane, to complete a survey regarding their experiences traveling within or adjacent to the pilot lane.

The online survey link is available at beverlyhills.org/completestreets.

Installed in late 2021, the Roxbury Drive Protected Bike Lane Pilot Project includes a southbound parking-protected bike lane and a northbound conventional bike lane, connecting to existing bike lanes in Los Angeles and improving bicycle access to Roxbury Park. The southbound lane runs south of Olympic Boulevard alongside the park. Prior to its installation, the city held a demonstration ride for people to test out what the bike lane would look like.

Daren Grilley, assistant director of Public Works and a city engineer, said there are approximately 40-50 bikes per day using the pilot bike lane in the southbound direction. The Public Works department uses a citywide camera system, pulling data from that, he said.

City Council approved the pilot in Sept. 2021 as part of an effort to transform Beverly Hills into a more bike-friendly city. While the evaluation period of the lane was initially intended to be one year, it has lasted longer.

“It’s been working so well we just continued with it,” Grilley said. “We didn’t have any complaints.”

Grilley said most of the feedback about the pilot program has been supportive.

“It’s been installed for almost two years, and we’ve heard positive feedback. We’re bringing this back to our Traffic and Parking Commission because we want to find out what the community thinks about it now that it’s been there for a while,” Grilley said. “We’re still in that information-gathering stage.”

“It’s been working pretty well,” Grilley added. “There are a couple of things we’ve learned and modified.” This includes how to allow for angular parking so that larger vehicles can continue to park alongside the park as well as how to keep the area clean of falling leaves and other debris.

The survey, the city engineer said, provides important feedback for the city. Because the bike lane is located near the city’s border with Los Angeles, the city is interested in not only what Beverly Hills-based cyclists think but also anybody who makes use of the protected bike lane.

“It’s open to anybody,” Grilley said of the survey. “And we want to know what residents think, especially folks who live on that street.”

According to the Public Works department, the goal of the Roxbury Drive bike lane pilot is providing a more comfortable street for people to bicycle on by providing physical separation from moving traffic, while not removing any on-street parking or vehicle travel lanes.

Bike lanes on Roxbury Drive are identified as a high priority in the City’s Complete Streets Plan, a comprehensive vision approved in 2021 by City Council that aims to make the city more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

Presently, flex posts separate the southbound protected bike lane on Roxbury Drive from parking spaces and vehicular lanes. That may change, however, depending on community feedback and the decision of City Council.

The survey presents five options for the design of the bike lane. One option is replacing the current flex posts with a permanent curb barrier comprised of concrete and landscaping. Another is to raise the bike lane to sidewalk level and separate it from the street with paving material and landscaping. Yet another option is to remove the protected bike lane altogether.

The city does not yet have an estimate of what it’ll cost to transition the pilot into a permanent street feature.

“When we bring this to our Traffic and Parking commission, we’ll have rough cost estimates for different options,” Grilley said.

The deadline to complete the survey is Sept. 15.

Drawing on feedback provided by the survey, the Traffic and Parking Commission will review potential options during its Oct. 5 meeting before making a recommendation to City Council about next steps.

The post Community Input Sought on Roxbury Drive Pilot Bike Lane Project appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

BHUSD Encouraged by Enrollment Increase

Ryan Torok — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 02:30:19 +0000

In its first meeting since students returned to school, the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board pointed to several encouraging administrative developments, including an enrollment increase after several years of declining numbers.

During the current academic school year of 2023-2024, 3,085 students were enrolled in BHUSD schools. By comparison, 2,882 students enrolled in 2022-2023 and 2,983 enrolled in 2021-2022.

“These are the kinds of number we want to see,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy said during the Aug. 22 school board meeting. “We’ve previously been trending down, but this is exciting that we are actually in an uptick.”

Bregy attributed the spike in enrollment, in part, to an increase in the district’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) students.

The superintendent also praised his colleagues on the school board for their handling of the unpredictable nature of Hurricane Hilary, which prompted the closure of LAUSD schools on Aug. 21. While BHUSD officials closely monitored the situation, the superintendent, ultimately, determined to keep schools open.

“We took this very seriously,” Bregy said. “Every day of instruction counts. We knew we were safe, and that’s why we made that decision.”

The school board approved updated language to district policies and regulations, including the outlining of high school graduation requirements. The board approved making a one-semester ethnic studies course required beginning in the 2029-2030 school year. The topic of ethnic studies has been controversial, with state elected officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, weighing in to ensure curriculums are inclusive and without hate speech.

Based on a state law passed in 2021, high schools must begin offering ethnic studies courses in the 2025-2026 school year, and students in the class of 2030 will be the first subject to the requirement.

The board also approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BHUSD and the Beverly Hills Education Association regarding Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher pay scale. With the approval of the MOU, any CTE teacher who has not earned a bachelor’s degree but possesses a California CTE credential shall be placed in Group I of the Teacher Salary Schedule beginning in the 2023-2024 school year.

Midway through the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Dustin Seeman gave an informational update about the Norman Guide, which includes language addressing the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in school. According to the updated guide, “academic dishonesty includes submitting work written by another person or generated via Artificial Intelligence technology.”

The district sought to create an environment where AI is supporting student learning, not replacing it, Seeman said.

“We’re working with our students to make sure we aren’t kicking AI out of the equation but teaching our students to use it in an effective and efficient way,” Seeman said. “It’s a very helpful resource, 100%, and so we don’t want to deny that resource to students.”

Last year, the district purchased AI detection tools that can distinguish between original student writing and work created using ChatGPT, an AI-powered language model. Those detection tools include Turnitin.com.

Board Member Rachelle Marcus was encouraged that district staff members have taken steps to address the rapidly changing nature of education as AI usage becomes more widespread.

“I’m particularly pleased at the level of understanding and how [plagiarism using AI] will be treated,” Marcus said.

The school year is in full swing. Student board members highlighted upcoming events in the district, including a Beverly Vista Middle School carnival scheduled for Aug. 25 that’s organized exclusively for students at the school. Marcus said it will be “a fun day provided by the PTA.”

Additionally, BHUSD was preparing for the Aug. 27 “Beverly Hills Reads!” event, featuring retired Beverly Hills educator Julie Goler interviewing author Bonnie Garmus about her bestselling novel, “Lessons in Chemistry.” The event is taking place in person and virtually. While in-person tickets are sold out, those who’d like to watch the discussion online can tune in at Beverlyhills.org/live.

The Aug. 22 meeting wrapped a busy day for the school district officials. Before the evening meeting, the BHUSD board convened for a Study Session that outlined its goals as well as its strategic plan for the years ahead.

“It’s really gratifying to see the evolution of our strategic plan and how much focus and how clearer we’re getting each year,” Board Member Mary Wells said.

Upcoming BHUSD board meetings are scheduled for Sept. 12 and 26.

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Study Session Supports Planning Commission Member, Reviews Climate Plan

Ryan Torok — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 20:00:46 +0000

During its Aug. 15 Study Session, the Beverly Hills City Council signaled its support for appointing a new Planning Commission member, Lou Milkowski, to succeed current commissioner Peter Ostroff.

The City Council selected Milkowski, a Beverly Hills resident, for a soon-to-be vacant seat on the Planning Commission, the powerful panel tasked with recommending broad development policies to the City Council and reviewing development applications for their conformance to the city’s General Plan.

Ostroff’s term concludes on Dec. 31, 2023.

If approved by City Council, Milkowski will be eligible for an initial two-year term beginning January 1, 2024, and ending December 31, 2025.

Milkowski—who currently serves as the chair of the Rent Stabilization Commission—was chosen from a pool of nine applicants for the upcoming commission vacancy. According to members of the council, he stood out among the applicants given his track record of meaningful contributions to civic life in the city.

“There were some really good applicants, and we’re hoping they don’t give up and consider applying again for other commissions as they become available,” Councilmember Lili Bosse said during the recent Study Session. “We felt unanimously Mr. Milkowski was the right choice to serve on this commission.”

Councilmember John Mirisch shared a minor concern he had about the appointment: Milkowski’s current role as the chair of the Rent Stabilization Commission meant the city needed to work quickly to select a replacement for his seat on that commission.

“I’m supportive [of Milkowski’s appointment],” Mirisch said, “but we need to recognize there’s a domino effect.” His colleagues on the council echoed that concern, and city staff assured Mirisch and the council they would work quickly to identify a new Rent Stabilization Commission member.

Going forward, Milkowski must attend all Planning Commission meetings leading up to his appointment.

Meanwhile, city staff will provide a formal report to council regarding Milkowski’s appointment during the next City Council meeting, scheduled for Sept. 12.

The Study Session agenda also included a presentation on the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration and the city’s seasonal program. The Beverly Hills City Council Liaison Rodeo Drive/Special Events/Holiday Program Committee is seeking approval of a fiscal year 2023-2024 purchase order of a not-to-exceed amount of $958,493 for the Rodeo Drive lighting celebration, scheduled to take place on Nov. 16. The theme this year is “Up, Up and Away Holiday” and will feature live music, a variety of food options, fireworks show and plenty of opportunities for strengthening community and celebrating the season.

Additionally, the council heard an update on the city’s bold and ambitious Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). Staff made a presentation on the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and forecast and sought council direction on moving forward with key reduction measures. According to a city staff report, CAAP is a roadmap that prepares Beverly Hills for carbon neutrality by 2045 and positions the city as a leader in implementing ambitious and necessary climate action.

Appearing before the council, Ostroff said the city may not be able to effect climate policy change on a macro level but is known, nonetheless, for punching above its weight. The city, he said, ought to set a good example in how it tackles urgent climate issues.

“I came away convinced this is an existential problem and we need to deal with it and be serious about it, recognizing our community is a tiny little piece of a huge problem that’s worldwide,” Ostroff said, “but we can still be leaders and get some things done.”

City Council’s next Study Session meeting is scheduled for Sept. 12.

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City Sues Striking Hospitality Workers

Ryan Torok — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:00:15 +0000

Attempting to curb loud and “unnecessary” picketing occurring in the early hours of the day, the city of Beverly Hills is suing hospitality labor union Unite Here Local 11 over actions officials say create a “public nuisance.”

In a legal complaint filed on Aug. 14 in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, city officials are seeking to abate Unite Here Local 11 activity that has occurred outside the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and The Beverly Hilton, on the sidewalk located at the intersection of Wilshire and N. Santa Monica boulevards.

The city’s legal complaint says protest activity occurring between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. in that area has caused “loud, unnecessary, excessive and unusual noise.” The city is asking for an injunction that would enjoin and restrain the union from “unlawfully making noise” at those properties during those hours.

The legal action comes as Unite Here Local 11, which represents nearly 15,000 hospitality workers across Southern California, has staged intermittent strikes at hotel properties across Southern California, including at two prominent hotels in Beverly Hills. In recent weeks, contract negotiations between the union and a coalition of hotels have come to a stalemate with no resolution to the dispute on the horizon.

The union has called for increased wages and improved healthcare for its members, which include housekeepers, dishwashers, bellmen, cooks and front desk agents, among other roles.

Rolling strikes have been taking place since the beginning of July after workers’ contracts expired on June 31. Strikes have since occurred at the Waldorf Astoria and The Beverly Hilton. Additionally, informational picketing has taken place outside the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel.

The city’s complaint claims the union has employed “contract protestors” in the ongoing demonstrations. It also alleges that Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) and City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey have received phone calls and alerts from residents complaining about noise levels between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m., on or around June 15 and July 24.

Unite Here Local 11’s protests have included loud chanting, whistles, drums, horn instruments and bullhorns, the complaint says. On July 27, BHPD received a report “of battery on the [Beverly Hilton] property when protestors broke through a barricade and injured a security guard,” according to the complaint.

Less noisy but no doubt drawing the attention of passersby, the union has also erected a giant inflatable rat—which it calls “Scabby”—outside many of the struck hotels.

The city’s suit says officials have requested the union wait until after 8 a.m. to begin demonstrations—to no avail.

A representative of Unite Here Local 11 denounced the latest action by the city, saying it impinges on the demonstrators’ right to free speech.

“It is beyond outrageous that the city of Beverly Hills is using its resources to stifle the First Amendment-protected protest activity of low-wage, immigrant workers,” Unite Here Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen said in a statement. “These are workers who make its luxury hotels run and who are simply seeking a living wage. The city should be helping to lift them up, not attack them with baseless lawsuits.”

Pete Hillan, a spokesperson for the Hotel Association of Los Angeles, said the legal complaint was an inevitable outcome of increasingly rowdy and disruptive Unite Here Local 11 protests.

“Free speech is always protected. Violence is not,” Hillan told the Courier. “Los Angeles hotels count on elected leaders and law enforcement to uphold free speech and to condemn violence. Protecting communities from Unite Here Local 11’s unlawful activities is necessary. Without it, the union’s illegal behavior gets a stamp of approval— and only encourages more violence.”

Beverly Hills City Attorney Laurence Wiener was not immediately available to comment on the city’s decision to file a complaint against the union.

Last month, Unite Here Local 11 presented the city with a notice of intent to circulate a proposed ballot measure that would require a wage increase for hotel workers in the city. Hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 11 typically earn between $20-$25 per hour.

The complaint marks the first overt action taken by the city since the beginning of the strikes. In a recent interview, the Courier asked Mayor Dr. Julian Gold about the labor dispute between Unite Here Local 11 and the coalition of hotels, and the city leader said, “We’re just hopeful they all come to terms soon.”

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City Approves $14 Million Homeless Housing Agreement

Ryan Torok — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 02:45:24 +0000

On Aug. 15, Beverly Hills City Council approved a 10-year, $14 million agreement to house up to 230 homeless individuals in “scattered-site” permanent supportive housing and motels.

While people don’t ordinarily think of the homeless when they think of palm treelined, mansion-filled Beverly Hills, the city has a small population of unhoused—there are currently 39 homeless individuals in the city, according to a 2022 count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority—and has long tried addressing how best to conduct outreach to this group. Additionally, as the homeless crisis has worsened throughout Los Angeles County, Beverly Hills has committed to doing its part.

“The one thing I would underscore is the urgency to get this done,” Mayor Dr. Julian Gold said during the Aug. 15 meeting. “The beds are not going to be there forever…we have to do this. Other cities around us are doing this, and the general expectation is we’re all going to participate in solving this crisis or at least in slowing it down.”

The city is entering into an agreement with Step Up on Second, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit that provides permanent supportive housing, supportive services and workforce development to those experiencing serious mental health conditions and chronic homelessness.

The model being undertaken by the city aims to serve both the chronically and non-chronically homeless, which are categories established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The former refers to those who’ve been homeless for more than a year and typically have a physical or mental disability or a substance abuse issue, while the non-chronic homeless describes those who need short-term aid due to experiencing a catastrophic event in their lives, such as a job loss or major health issue.

“We find that most of the homeless people in the city of Beverly Hills are with the chronically homeless population,” Chris Paulson, the city’s human services administrator, said.

The agreement stems from an earlier proposal made by the City Council Unhoused Services Ad Hoc Committee to contract with Step Up on Second for 40 units of scattered-site permanent supportive housing for the unhoused.

The agreed-upon program will, instead, serve both the chronically and non-chronically unhoused. It places 30 of the city’s most chronically homeless individuals into permanent housing while moving off the street and into temporary motel housing up to 200 non-chronic homeless individuals over the course of 10 years, as the motel stays can accommodate up to 20 individuals annually.

The program allocates $42,000 annually, enough to house 20 individuals a year at an average rate of $150 per night.

In addition to housing, each housed individual receives case management and other support services provided by Step Up, which has worked to support those with psychosocial needs since 1984, according to the organization’s website. Step Up’s first permanent supportive housing community, featuring 36 units, was built in 1994.

For the permanent housing aspect of the initiative, the homeless tenants will be placed in community-based apartment units owned by independent landlords. Step Up has an agreement with an apartment building owner who has a Hollywood building with 30 units. Each tenant will have an individual lease with the building owner, although Step Up will facilitate and manage the process, according to a city staff report. This means Step Up makes the rent payments directly to the property owner, and the tenant pays a portion of the rent—30% of monthly income—from Social Security or disability payments, according to a staff report.

Additionally, Step Up will provide the city with regular reports on how the program is going.

Once the contract between the city and Step Up is executed, the Santa Monica nonprofit will be ready to accept referrals for housing starting the first week of September 2023.

The program’s total cost is $14,177,026. Its annual cost is approximately $1.6 million.

The agreement underscores the city’s longstanding commitment to addressing the homelessness crisis. Since 2014, Beverly Hills has contracted with People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) for five shelter beds, which are currently full. And for nearly 10 years, Beverly Hills has worked with Step Up on homeless outreach and a housing placement program.

Those present at the recent meeting included Step Up CEO Tod Lipka. Speaking about past successes of similar programs, Lipka pointed to an individual who was homeless in Beverly Hills for 30 years, was housed in Step Up building in 2013 and has been living there for the past 10 years.

While the program represented a novel approach to addressing an increasingly urgent crisis in the city, Paulson stressed it was a beginning, not an ending, to solving the problem.

“This is a very innovative program that will do a lot to help our homeless population here,” he said, “but I also want to be clear this will not single-handedly end homelessness in the city of Beverly Hills.”

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Holiday Lighting Plans Presented During Liaison Meeting

Ryan Torok — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 19:00:53 +0000

The Rodeo Drive Committee (RDC) is busy with a variety of events and projects on the horizon.

On Aug. 8, the Beverly Hills City Council Liaison/Rodeo Drive/Special Events/Holiday Program Committee considered the RDC’s plans for the city holiday lighting ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16.

The theme for the program—which will include live music, the climatic fireworks show, elaborate holiday decorations, food trucks, a wine garden, stilt walkers, roaming street performers and more—is “Up, Up and Away Holiday.”

The Council liaisons—Vice Mayor Lester Friedman and City Councilmember Lili Bosse—signaled support for a street closure request from 9 p.m. on Nov. 15 through 6 a.m. on Nov. 17 to accommodate the ceremony. For the first time since the city started staging the community holiday event on Rodeo Drive, the city will be illuminating Brighton Way.

While the headlining musical performer has yet to be announced—last year’s headliners were musicians David Foster and Katharine McPhee—much of the talent for this year’s program has been confirmed, including Jewish acapella group the Maccabeats; a barbershop quartet; a Bollywood spectacular; and the Beverly Hills High School Marching Band. Husband-and-wife duo Tera Bonilla and Cory Almeida are serving as the always high-energy event’s emcee and hosts. Founded at Yeshiva University, the Maccabeats are known for creating viral videos featuring covers and parodies of contemporary hits using Jewish-themed lyrics.

The estimated cost for this year’s holiday celebration is nearly $1 million. The cost covers three staging platforms—described as electrified performance zones—lighting, audio equipment, technical needs and video/LED wall elements. The estimated cost also will pay for opening night talent, fireworks, security, event signage and cleaning services.

The budget for the Rodeo Drive holiday décor is $485,960, bringing the total cost of both the holiday celebration and the holiday décor to approximately $1.4 million.

Funding for the Rodeo Drive Holiday Décor and the Rodeo Drive Holiday Light celebration comes from the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax.

Kay Monica Rose, the recently installed president of the Rodeo Drive Committee, said she expects the forthcoming celebration to be a “fantastic evening, bringing the magic and adventure of the holidays to Rodeo Drive.”

The Council liaisons to the Rodeo Drive Committee echoed Rose’s enthusiasm.

“You have my support, and thank you for making it happen,” Bosse said, addressing Rose during the recent meeting.

In addition to reviewing plans for the holiday décor and evening holiday celebration, the meeting’s participants discussed the RDC’s request for existing sidewalk security barriers on Rodeo Drive to be replaced with a different barrier design. An estimated 310 spherical bollards will be installed in the project area at an estimated cost of approximately $1.5 million. With the liaisons recommending approval of the bollards, staff is now moving forward with the design and bidding process. Installation is expected to occur in January 2024. Staff plans to return to City Council with the response to the bid.

Another beloved community event, “BritWeek,” is scheduled to take place in the city on Oct. 8. BritWeek is a nonprofit organization that celebrates the creativity and innovation between the United Kingdom and the U.S. while showcasing the beauty of Beverly Hills. The event consists of a car rally, and the Council liaisons heard a request for a waiver of permit and personnel fees for the closure of North Crescent Drive. The small 20-25 car rally, contained to Beverly Hills city limits, will depart from Crescent Drive at 10 a.m. and travel through several neighborhoods to allow residents to witness British luxury and classic cars.

The estimated cost of the event is $65,500. City Council will review and is expected to approve the plan for the BritWeek car rally during its Aug. 15 meeting.

Finally, the liaisons indicated support for a “Fun Run” taking place at Hawthorne Elementary School on Sept. 20. The Hawthorne Elementary School Parent Teacher Association sought approval for “Fun Run” street closures and waiver of applicable feeds for the school fundraiser, a joint effort between the city and the elementary school’s PTA. City staff will bring the proposal to the full City Council for approval at its Aug. 15 meeting.

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Residents Oppose Removal of Coldwater Canyon Lanes

Ryan Torok — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 16:00:40 +0000

Residents of Beverly Hills expressed overwhelming opposition to the removal of left-turn pockets on Coldwater Canyon Drive during an Aug. 3 Traffic and Parking Commission meeting.

As a monthslong water-main replacement project on Coldwater Canyon Drive continues, the city’s Traffic and Parking Commission considered how the street should be laid out once the work is completed. As evidenced by public comment, the consensus from the area’s residents was that maintaining left-turn lanes was more important than creating space for additional street parking.

The Traffic and Parking Commission voted unanimously to recommend to City Council a layout that maintains left-hand turn lanes and the installation of new crosswalks.

City staff recommended left-turn lanes be retained at all locations along Coldwater Canyon Drive that currently have them—at Loma Linda Drive, Lindacrest Drive, Lago Vista Drive and Monte Cielo Drive. Staff recommended removing the present left-turn pocket at Cabrillo Drive, which only serves as access to two residential properties. The change provides for an additional 15 possible parking spaces between Loma Linda Drive and Lindacrest Drive, providing a total of more than 80 parking spaces along Coldwater Canyon Drive.

Staff also recommended the installation of three crosswalks. They would be located south of Monte Cielo Drive and at Lindacrest Drive and Loma Linda Drive. Currently, there are no marked crosswalks between Beverly Drive and the city limits at Monte Cielo Drive.

Coldwater Canyon Drive, classified as a “major collector” street, carries significant commuter traffic between the Westside and San Fernando Valley. Coldwater Canyon Drive within the city of Beverly Hills spans approximately 0.9 miles between Beverly and Monte Cielo drives and has a posted speed limit of 30 mph.

For decades, the street had one 17-foot-wide travel lane in each direction, a narrow center section and left-turn pockets for each intersecting side street. That striping layout, however, did not meet design standards or best practices. Additionally, over the years residents shared concerns over issues associated with the striping layout, including excessive speeding and illegal passing. Consequently, the current striping was replaced this spring with a temporary new layout that removed the contentious center section while creating 10.5-foot travel lanes and 9.5-foot parking lanes. The left-turn pockets to intersecting side streets were retained but were shortened to the minimum safe length to maximize the availability of parking along the street, according to a city report.

To help determine the new striping layout, in February 2021 city staff mailed out community surveys to impacted residents offering two options: a center-turn lane for left turns into driveways, or on-street parking, as the roadway was not wide enough to include both. Both options included left-turn pockets at intersections to facilitate left turns onto residential side streets.

Now, the city is exploring how the busy street ought to be laid out on a permanent basis. Residents previously shared they wanted more parking, prompting city officials to study the impact removing the left-turn pockets would have. Working with transportation consultant Fehr and Peers, the city determined more on-street parking would only be possible with the removal of left-hand turn lanes. But, ultimately, the call for removing lanes fell flat with dozens of residents voicing opposition to the lanes’ removal.

David Fischer, a resident of Monte Cielo Drive, said there’s plenty of parking on Coldwater Canyon Drive so the city does not need to be concerned with creating any more. The exception, he said, was when residents throw parties for events like the Academy Awards or the High Holidays. Otherwise, there’s sufficient parking, he said.

Larry Murphy, a resident of Loma Linda Drive, said he understood the complexity of transportation and parking issues but agreed with keeping the left-turn pockets.

Peter Ostroff, who serves on the city’s Planning Commission, lives on Lago Vista Drive, a residential street that intersects with Coldwater Canyon Drive. During public comment, he argued that left-turn pockets facilitate the dangerous passing of cars, but said he understood the opposition to their removal. He spoke in favor of removing only the one left-turn pocket at Cabrillo Drive.

“Doing something is better than doing nothing,” Ostroff said.

City Council has the final say on the plan’s future and will vote on the proposal at an upcoming meeting.

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How to Help Maui Wildfire Victims

Ryan Torok — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 03:00:50 +0000

Unprecedented wildfires raging across the Hawaii Island (also known as the Big Island) and Maui have resulted in at least 36 deaths, decimated homes along with businesses and prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to approve, on Aug. 10, a disaster declaration which frees up federal funds to support affected individuals.

Since the wildfires began on Aug. 8, flames have been fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, though the hurricane passed 700 miles away. Winds exceeding 60 mph have fueled flames that have wiped out homes, historic buildings and even a

150-year historic banyan tree that, considered sacred, is in the Maui tourist hub of Lahaina.

Lahaina, located in West Maui, has experienced some of the worst damage caused by the wildfires.

The cause of the fires continues to be under investigation, according to Maui County officials.

The needs of the fire victims are immense on Maui. Presently, the island’s primary needs are restored communications, fuel and food, according to Hawaiian state officials.

For those interested in supporting relief efforts, there are several ways to do so. Organizations accepting donations to aid the Hawaii wildfire victims include American Red Cross; World Central Kitchen, which has been providing meals to emergency workers and evacuees; and Baby2Baby, which is preparing to send diapers and other essentials to Maui.

Jewish Congregation of Maui is collecting non-perishable foods, clothing, slippers, diapers, first-aid supplies and toiletries from people who live locally. The community is also accepting online donations from those outside of Maui who want to help.

Other organizations you can support are Maui Food Bank and Maui United Way.

Southern California-based Journalist Pete Hammond, a columnist for entertainment industry news website Deadline, was on vacation in Wailea, Maui at the time of the wildfires. Wailea, he said, was untouched by the fires, though ash had collected in the ocean, and people there were continuing to vacation as if everything was normal.

Hammond’s hotel, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is a favorite with many Beverly Hills residents. Hammond told the Courier the property quickly booked up as tourists changing their plans and locals seeking shelter moved to reserve rooms. On Aug. 9, he published an essay for Deadline highlighting, among other things, the way Hollywood professionals who live in Maui have stepped up to help those impacted by the fires.

“Everybody wants to get the point now where they can do something to help, and Hollywood is always there to do that,” Hammond said.

If you’d like to help, contact:

• American Red Cross—To donate, call 1-800-435-7669, visit redcross.org/donate/donation.html, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

• World Central Kitchen—To donate, visit wck.org.

• Jewish Commuity of Maui, visit https://www.mauijews.org/payment.php. Specify your donation is for JCM’s Maui Fire Relief.

• Baby2Baby—To donate, visit baby2baby.org.

• Maui Food Bank—Visit the food bank’s website at mauifoodbank.org/donate/.

• Maui United Way—The organization has launched Maui Fire and Disaster Relief Donation Page at mauiunitedway.org/disasterrelief.

The post How to Help Maui Wildfire Victims appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

BHUSD Prepares for Upcoming School Year at Latest Board Meeting

Ryan Torok — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 02:20:17 +0000

The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board of education held its final regular meeting before the 2023-2024 school year officially kicks off on Aug. 14.

As the district prepares for the new academic year, events are taking place at various campuses to welcome back families. On Aug. 13, activities marking the new school year will be held at Horace Mann Elementary School and Hawthorne Elementary School. At Hawthorne’s “Operation Welcome Back,” attendees can purchase spirit gear, join the PTA and say hello to familiar faces. At Horace Mann, meanwhile, a welcome back pancake breakfast is being held from 10 a.m.-noon.

BHUSD Board Member Rachelle Marcus said she expects to attend the elementary schools’ events. “I’m sure they will be very crowded,” Marcus said during the recent meeting, adding, “As school starts on Monday, I want to wish everybody a successful school year—a wonderful year to the students, parents, teachers and all the administrators.”

BHUSD officials expect this to be the last school year before the reopening of the El Rodeo Elementary School campus, which has been closed and under construction since 2019 as part of a multiyear, multimillion effort to revitalize the campus. The district expects the school to reopen on June 30, 2024 for the 2024-2025 school year.

Additional key dates for the upcoming academic school year:

• Labor Day: Sept. 4 (no school)

• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 22-24

• Winter Break: Dec. 21-Jan 5

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Jan. 15 (no school)

• Staff Development Day: Feb. 16 (no school)

• Presidents’ Day: Feb. 19 (no school)

• Spring Break: April 1-8

• Last Day: May 30

• BHHS Graduation: May 31

Preparing for the upcoming start of the school year was just one focus of the BHUSD board meeting. The six-member board, joined by Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy, approved a new policy over student cell phone usage on school campuses.

“The motion carries—we have a cell phone policy,” Board Chair Noah Margo said after the unanimous vote in support of the policy. “So, put the phone down!”

The board reviewed a second reading of the policy, which outlines policies depending on the grade of the student. For those in grades TK-8, the use of cell phones, smartphones, smartwatches and other mobile devices is prohibited while on campus. Devices must be turned off and out of sight during the school day.

For those in grades 9-12, students may use cell phones or other mobile devices on campus during non-instructional time. During instructional time, however, their phones must be “turned off and put away,” according to the policy.

Upon the first and second incidents of breaking the policy, the phone will be confiscated until the end of the day. On the third incident, the phone will be confiscated; a parent or guardian will have to pick up the phone; and the student receives after-school detention.

“The Governing Board recognizes that the use of smartphones and other mobile communication devices on campus may benefit student learning and well-being but can also disrupt the instructional program and/or school day,” the policy says.

Board Member Amanda Stern said the mobile phone policy would go a long way toward helping students stay focused during instruction time. She pointed to a study undertaken by the U.S. Surgeon General linking social media usage to youth mental health challenges.

“I think we’ve done a service to help the kids,” Stern said.

Bregy agreed. “This is an incredible change,” he said.

Ahead of the new school year, the board approved a property use agreement with First Church of Christ, Scientist in Beverly Hills to provide parking spaces for Beverly Vista Middle School staff at a cost to the district of $400 per week. The agreement began Aug. 7 and continues through May 31, 2024. The fee for this annual expense is not to exceed $17,200.

Additionally, the board approved a deferred maintenance project for the painting of two courtyards at Beverly Hills High School. The school board approved an agreement with Color New Co. for an associated cost of $55,000. The fee will be paid out of the deferred maintenance funds.

The latest school board meeting was held exactly one week after BHUSD officials gathered with city leaders and law enforcement for the annual National Night Out event in the city. BHUSD had a significant presence at the outdoor block party.

“Out of all the organizations in Beverly Hills, we were told we had the highest attendance,” Bregy said. “BHUSD was also successful in bringing large numbers of people out.”

“There’s no agenda except to connect as a community and really shine,” BHUSD Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells said of National Night Out. “I think it’s such a gift to our community.”

While the board prepares for the busy school year ahead, it also took the opportunity to publicize an upcoming concert featuring one of its board members. Margo, in addition to serving on the board, is a drummer whose musical group, The Tokens, is performing at Concerts on Canon on
Aug. 17.

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School Board Weighs Student Phone Use, Approves Hawthorne Turf Replacement

Ryan Torok — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 19:00:36 +0000

The July 25 Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board meeting reviewed the student cell phone policy on the district’s campuses, approved a $408,000 construction project to replace playfield turf at Hawthorne Elementary School and introduced a career academy for high school students.

Continuing an ongoing, impassioned discussion on student cell phone use, the board heard and approved a first reading of a policy regarding smartphones and other mobile communication devices. Read out loud by Board Member Judy Manouchehri, the policy says that the district’s TK-8 students may not use cell phones, smartphones and other devices while on campus and their devices must be turned off throughout the day. For high school students in grades 9-12, students may use devices during non-instructional time.

The policy says that a student who commits a third repeated offense of the rules receives after-school detention. This, however, garnered some pushback.

“I’m not a fan of detention for these violations,” Board Chair Noah Margo said, addressing his colleagues on the six-member board as well as Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy.

Board Vice President Amanda Stern talked about innovative ways district teachers are employing cell phones in the classrooms, such as facilitating polls among students. She asked that language addressing acceptable cell phone uses be incorporated into the policy.

Bregy said changes will continue to be made to the language.

During the two-hour meeting, the board also approved an approximately $408,000 project to replace 28,149 square feet of synthetic turf on the north field at Hawthorne Elementary School. The artificial turf currently on the field failed to pass this year’s Gmax testing, which measures impact attenuation, or the ability of a playing surface to absorb the shock from a collision, such as a player failing to the surface of the field.

“There’s no intervention other than replacement at this time,” said Ken Haas, executive director of construction and facilities for the district.

The contractor, The Hellas Group, is working on a 30-day timeline to complete the turf replacement. There are also plans for turf replacement under another structure at the elementary school’s play area. The project is smaller in scope and will take less time than the replacement of turf on the north field.

The meeting also included a presentation by BHHS Co-Principal Drew Stewart and Career Education Coordinator Cindy Dubin on BHHS Career Academy, which provides the district’s high school students with business immersion experience and the opportunity to explore various careers, including business, marketing and event planning.

“One of the most important things we do for our students is preparing them for college and for careers,” Stewart said.

Dubin highlighted plans for student internship opportunities this fall in the hospitality sector. Students will get the chance to work at six of the city’s hotels, including Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, The Beverly Hilton and The Beverly Hills Hotel.

Additionally, the board discussed the district paying dues for membership in the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). Currently, BHUSD pays the membership for only the superintendent and assistant superintendents. They weighed the board’s approval of ACSA dues for directors, coordinators, principals and assistant principals, beginning in the upcoming school year. The fiscal impact would be approximately $31,500.

Membership in ACSA would support the district’s entire leadership team, including about 30 staff members.

“Professional development is very beneficial to them,” Bregy said, explaining his support for the ACSA membership.

But Board Member Rachelle Marcus asked for more information before she could support the district paying more than $30,000 for ACSA membership.

Ultimately, the board withdrew the motion, then tabled it for future consideration.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Margo announced that BHUSD has been selected to lead a workshop at this year’s California School Boards Association’s AEC conference, taking place Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in San Francisco. The topic of the workshop will be board governance.

“We are thrilled,” Margo said, “because that is getting us back to where we want to be as far as our presence as a district.”

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 8.

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City Council Considers Varied Agenda

Ryan Torok — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 16:00:23 +0000

The Beverly Hills City Council took up a varied agenda at its Aug. 1 meeting, including the upcoming League of Cities Annual Conference, a proposed Day of Wellness and more.

Councilmember John Mirisch was designated as the city’s voting delegate to the 2023 League of California Cities Annual Conference. Councilmember Sharona Nazarian was named primary alternate voting delegate and Municipal Affairs Program Manager Cynthia Owens was named the secondary alternate voting delegate to represent the city at the annual conference, which is being held Sept. 20-22 in Sacramento.

Designating delegates allows the city to vote on resolutions that establish policies for the upcoming year.

The council also expressed support for the upcoming “Beverly Hills Day of Wellness,” a new event that will bring health and wellness practitioners to Roxbury Park to provide complimentary sessions to the public at a time when community mental health needs are front and center.

“This event stands as a testament to the city’s unwavering commitment to fostering a healthy

mind and spirit,” Human Relations Commission Chair Noelle Freeman said in a statement. “Whether you seek to enrich your own mental health journey, or want to learn the impacts that stress has on our bodies with chair yoga, experience the therapeutic joy of playing with puppies, or discover the tranquility of meditation, this day welcomes you with open arms.”

The event is scheduled to take place Sept. 10 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Roxbury Park Community Center. The gathering will be open to people of all ages and feature programming in the park’s community center rooms and patio as well as the grass area near picnic tables.

The Day of Wellness will take place in September at Roxbury Park Photo by Ryan Torok

Day of Wellness is a collaboration between the Human Relations, Health and Safety and Recreation and Parks commissions. In May, Councilmember Lili Bosse and Vice Mayor Lester Friedman, serving as liaisons on the Beverly Hills City Council/ Human Relations Commission Committee, signaled support for the event.

The proposed activities for the day include a drum circle, hypnosis, tai chi, yoga, Pilates, sound baths and discussions examining teen mental health issues and social media safety. Additional programming will include a dream catcher station and therapeutic coloring. Also, information booths will be displayed by Our House Grief Support Center and Maple Counseling, among other organizations.

Vice Mayor Lester Friedman was particularly interested in programming focused on social media safety for kids.

“I think children have been subjected to things on social media that need to be highlighted,” the vice mayor said. “I think we all have seen mental health issues in our community, and I think this is a great way to introduce solutions–or possible solutions–to those problems.”

Recreation Services Manager Chris Paulson said the city was preparing a robust marketing plan that will include press releases, advertisements in print and online, social media outreach and spotlights in various city newsletters. The city plans to work with Roxbury Park staff, where there’s already extensive senior programming, to publicize the September event, Paulson said.

Stephanie Harris, director of community services for the city, said they’re preparing to accommodate a couple hundred people throughout the day. Meanwhile, the anticipated fiscal impact, according to a city report, is no more than $5,000 for special event needs such as printing, permits and supplies, along with the use of Community Services department budgeted-staff time.

As members of the Council provided their feedback, Bosse said she expects it will be an “extraordinary day for our community”—support that was echoed by her colleagues on the council.

Additional items included Councilmember Sharona Nazarian’s recent meeting with Yousef Ahmed, deputy chief of missions from the embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The two discussed marking the upcoming three-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords, which, signed during the Trump administration in Sept. 2020, normalized relations between Israel and several Middle East countries, including Bahrain.

While nothing has been finalized, Nazarian said, “I suggest we as a city celebrate that union.”

Mayor Dr. Julian Gold also met with the Bahraini official. The two explored Beverly Hills and Bahrain identifying areas of useful cooperation and potentially entering a Memorandum of Understanding, a formal partnership between two parties. Currently, Beverly Hills and Israel enjoy such a partnership.

“At this point I’m inclined to wait for him to respond,” Gold said, referring to the Bahraini representative.

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BHFD Investigating Two Apartment Fires

Ryan Torok — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 20:30:18 +0000

The Beverly Hills Fire Department (BHFD) is investigating the causes of two apartment building fires, which occurred on Aug. 1 and 2, at 220 S. Lasky Drive and 433 N. Palm Drive.

There were no injuries caused by either incident, according to BHFD Chief Greg Barton. However, two dogs died in the fire on S. Lasky Drive.

“Our firefighters made a quick attack, were able to keep the fires to the apartments of origin and protect the rest of the people,” Barton said. “There were no injuries to any personnel and civilians.”

On Aug. 1, around 8:20 a.m., a structure fire was reported at a two-story, eight-unit apartment building at 220 S. Lasky Drive. One apartment unit was heavily damaged, and the fire caused smoke damage throughout the rest of the apartments. The people in the heavily damaged unit had to be relocated.

On Aug. 2, around 8:30 p.m., there was a structure fire in a multi-unit, five-story apartment complex at 433 N. Palm Drive, prompting the closure of Palm Drive, between Beverly Boulevard and Civic Center Drive in both directions. BHFD and the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) responded to the incident. An alert went out to the community to stay out of the area until further notice. The damage to the one

unit involved was significant enough that tenants of that apartment unit had to be relocated.

As of press time, the causes of both fires were under investigation, Barton told the Courier.

Additionally, on Aug. 3, BHFD and BHPD responded to a gas leak around Olympic Boulevard and Oakhurst Drive. Construction crews working on a residential property adjacent to Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy hit a pipe, causing the gas leak. The strong smell of gas filled the air in area. A section of Oakhurst Drive was temporarily closed as firefighters responded to the scene.

Barton reminded the community of the importance of fire safety.

“It’s important that all residents have working smoke detectors and have access to fire extinguishers to help protect their units,” the Beverly Hills Fire Chief told the Courier.

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National Night Out Signals Strength of Police, Community Relations

Ryan Torok — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 01:39:44 +0000

The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) convened a well-attended gathering marking National Night Out, an annual community-wide event promoting police-community partnerships with the goal of creating more secure neighborhoods.

Held on the 400 block of N. Rexford Drive, outside the city’s public library and fire department headquarters, the Aug. 1 outdoor block party brought together more than 3,000 community members who spent the warm summer evening interacting with local police officers, learning about BHPD’s law enforcement tools and enjoying the comforting feeling of community.

“From the city’s point of view, National Night Out is an opportunity to showcase the amazing equipment and people who take care of us,” Mayor Dr. Julian Gold told the Courier. “It achieves a lot. Of course, the police and the fire guys eat it up. They love that interaction with the community, and it makes their job easier.”

The recent program included a live demonstration with the police force’s K-9s, a static display of the police department’s Real Time Watch Center drones and SWAT team weaponry, informational booths featuring the city’s nonprofits and kids-friendly activities.

The theme was “K-90210.”

Beverly Hills law enforcement participated in National Night Out, an annual event bringing together law enforcement and community members with the aim of building safer neighborhoods. Photos by Ryan Torok

The event took place from 6-9 p.m. A Beverly Hills Fire Department truck sat parked on one end of the block while a BHPD mobile command center sat on the other. In between, on the closed-down section of Rexford Drive, booths exhibited materials from the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD), Public Works and other organizations.

As the sounds of Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls filled the air, adults mixed and mingled while their kids lined up for balloons, face-painting and a fire-extinguishing activity under the supervision of the Beverly Hills Fire Department. Food trucks served up a variety of items, and a DJ spun tunes.

“National Night Out is a great way for the community and the officers to interact and get to know each other,” BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook told the Courier. “This year’s was bigger than last year’s and it looked to me like the kids and the families were having a great time! The Beverly Hills Police Department values the amount of community support we receive and we strive to give it back every day with excellent service.”

All evening, BHPD Acting Public Information Officer Sgt. Jeffrey Newman was busy meeting those who’d turned out. In an interview, Newman told the Courier the gathering underscored the close relationship between the city’s police department and residents.

“Our community is unique,” he said. “It is a community that has overwhelming support for our police department. Having that face-to-face interaction shows we’re one team. The whole mission is to send a united message to criminals that the police department and the community stand together.”

Conceived in 1984, National Night Out aims to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while nurturing a true sense of community. According to the National Night Out website, nearly 500 cities in California participated in the annual event, which is always celebrated on the first Tuesday of August.

Gold said the city has been involved with National Night Out since its inception.

“This notion of police and community joining together goes back decades, and we may have been one of the first cities in the country that reached out from residents to the police and created that kind of bond,” Gold said in an interview. “We were into it very early, and it’s very much a pattern of the city.”

This year, West Hollywood and Los Angeles also participated in National Night Out. West Hollywood’s program included potlucks, barbecues and block parties, and the Wilshire division of the Los Angeles Police Department threw a party and movie night at Poinsettia Park in collaboration with safety group Melrose Action.

Ahead of this city’s gathering, Beverly Hills officials publicized National Night Out through social media, and BHUSD spread word among school families.

Around 7 p.m., a live K-9 demonstration inside the fire station attracted a large crowd. Showing how the department’s K-9 dogs are trained in detecting explosives and narcotics, BHPD K-9 Officer Michael Downs led a demonstration where he hid an explosive scent somewhere in the station. Then, the hyper-intelligent Darco, one of the police force’s six K-9 dogs, followed his nose to the elusive odor within a few moments.

The discovery garnered a raucous round of a-paws—er, applause.

For Newman, events like National Night Out are crucial reminders of the human element behind policing as society grapples with increasingly antagonistic attitudes toward police officers. Ultimately, bringing ordinary people together with their local law enforcement is more needed than ever, said the BHPD sergeant.

“When you get to know an officer on a one-to-one basis, you get to find out they’re humans—brothers, fathers, sisters, wives, you name it,” he said. “When you discover the human nature of this work, it comes into perspective the important responsibilities the men and women of this police department have on a daily basis, and it encourages and fosters support for this organization and city.”

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Iconic Beverly Hills Newsstand is Changing Hands

Ryan Torok — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:30:56 +0000

An iconic Beverly Hills newsstand is undergoing changes, most of which will be unnoticed to ordinary passersby on S. Beverly Drive.

But for the longtime owner of the stand, it’s a significant and momentous life change.

Allan Brooks of Al’s Newsstand in Beverly Hills is turning over the business after running it for nearly four decades.

When the change in ownership becomes effective July 30, Al’s Newsstand will go by a new name—which hasn’t been announced yet—and will be under the ownership of the Glendale-based daily newspaper distributor, Mader News, which is taking over both the lease and the business.

During the City Council’s July 18 meeting, the Beverly Hills parking authority approved the assigning of the lease for the business, which is built into the face of a city-owned parking structure at 216 South Beverly Drive.

While the approval was a foregone con- clusion—Brooks credited a city staff person with steering the lease assignment through bureaucracy—it nevertheless marked a tran- sition point for the 82-year-old Brooks and his 35-year-old business, which opened in its current location in October 1988.

In addition to carrying daily newspapers as well as free weekly publications, including the Courier, the newsstand is stocked with a rare collection of vintage magazines. A 1972 edition of Time, in protective plastic sheet, features Woody Allen on the cover. The same goes for a number of decades-spanning Playboy magazines. There are baseball cards for sale along with an assortment of candies. Perhaps most importantly, many residents and busi- nesspeople around the neighborhood know Brooks as the proprietor who always has dog treats for their leashed furry friends when walking by the stand.

Brooks opened Al’s Newsstand with the help of the late Beverly Hills Mayor Benjamin Stansbury. Stansbury, who served as mayor in 1982 and 1987 and was an award-winning product designer, was “very instrumental” in the launch of the business, Brooks said in a recent interview.

“A lot of people who’d been in business and knew what it was to create a business, gave me the opportunity to start the business,” Brooks told the Courier.

At one point in his career, Brooks owned seven newsstands, including one located in the Fairfax District across from Canters Deli and another on the 3rd Street Promenade. Running the Fairfax location, his comfort with Yiddish endeared him to the neighbors at a synagogue located next door.

“I was making a lot of money and a lot of friends,” he said.

Not all the headlines were positive though.

The Santa Monica location was targeted frequently by thefts, and he once had an employee who, unbeknownst to him, was a member of the gang, MS-13. The criminal mas- termind made off with Brooks’ cash register and came to work the next day at the Beverly Hills newsstand, where the cops were waiting.

Criminal incidents aside, Brooks recalled fondly the people he’s interacted with day-to- day on S. Beverly Drive, from the 12-year-old visiting from out of town who was excited to be given a Nolan Ryan baseball card, to the occa- sional pop-in from celebrities Milton Berle, Sidney Poitier and Jay Leno over the years. One of the coolest moments, Brooks said, was when his parents’ visit to the Beverly Drive location coincided with a drop-in from Berle.

“He did two minutes of shtick for my folks, bought his racing form and off he goes,” Brooks said.

The unofficial name for his business, he said, was, “Al’s News and Schmooze.”

“I didn’t go to work,” Brooks said. “I went to play.”

So, why’s he selling if he’s had so much fun? Brooks is legally blind due to age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that blurs one’s central vision. The leading cause of vision loss for older adults, AMD doesn’t cause complete blindness, but it affects one’s ability to read—an important part of being a newsstand owner, surely—drive and do other close-up work. Brooks, it’s worth noting, doesn’t drive himself.

With his rapidly worsening eye condition, the father of two grown children and grandfa- ther of a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old—would like to dedicate himself more fully to his family.

He refers to this new phase as “semi-retirement.”

The agreement with Mader News, which wasn’t immediately available for comment, provides that Brooks will help them secure old Playboys and other vintage magazines, but he won’t be involved in any of the selling. From the sound of things, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I believe, and I’ve been told, at my age if you stop working and stop doing what you’ve done all your life, diminished cognitive ability grabs ahold of you,” Brooks said. “I’ve seen it happen to too many friends. I need to have something that will keep my interest and will want me to get up in the morning.”

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Hotel Worker Strike Reaches Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 01:41:53 +0000

On July 24, more than 1,000 cooks, room attendants, dishwashers, servers, bellmen, and front desk agents at The Beverly Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and Fairmont Century Plaza went on strike. The union representing the workers, Unite Here Local 11, also filed a notice of intent with the city to circulate a proposed ballot measure requiring a dramatic wage increase for Beverly Hills hotel workers.

“We’re in Beverly Hills,” Unite Here Local 11 Spokesperson Maria Hernandez told the Courier. “These folks, they’re the backbone of what make the tourism industry in this city what it is, and the hotels need to the recognize that.”

Beginning over the Fourth of July holiday, hospitality workers have engaged in strikes at hotels across the region, including in downtown L.A., Santa Monica and the vicinity of LAX. Until July 24, though, Beverly Hills union hotel properties had been spared from the walkouts. Labor union Unite Here Local 11 represents approximately 15,000 employees in heated contract negotiations with hotel management at 60 Southern California hotels and is coordinating rolling strikes, where its members could walk out on their hotel jobs at any moment. The workers’ contract expired June 30.

As of press time, the city’s other unionized hotel, Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, has not formally declared a strike. However, informational picketing with no work stoppage has occurred outside the hotel’s main entrance over the past few weeks.

Representatives of the Beverly Wilshire, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and The Beverly Hilton declined to comment on the picketing outside their hotels or the current strikes.

On July 26, a highly visible march began at 10 a.m. outside the Waldorf Astoria, where Unite Here Local 11’s ubiquitous and giant inflatable rat, “Scabby,” sat on the sidewalk. As they marched, demonstrators banged drums, chanted “no contract, no peace,” and urged motorists driving by to honk in support. Most of the protestors wore red Unite Here T-shirts. Under the beating sun, protestors passed water bottles to one another and sought shelter under trees or awnings wherever possible.

Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) officers were on the scene to ensure public safety while simultaneously protecting lawful protest activities, BHPD Sgt. and Acting Public Information Officer Jeffrey Newman told the Courier.

Newman said BHPD “had approximately four calls for service generated from nearby residents reporting loud noises coming from the labor protest at the location of the Waldorf Astoria.” As the July 26 demonstration unfolded, BHPD alerted the community to the event’s impact on traffic.

The initial plan for the demonstration, according to a Unite Here Local 11 spokesperson, was to march down Rodeo Drive. That part of the program did not occur. Instead, the hotel workers walked directly from the Waldorf Astoria to the Beverly Wilshire.

Filadelfia Alcala, 36, a room attendant at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, was among those who took part in the demonstration. She’s a single mother who has been working at the Waldorf Astoria for the past six years. Every day, she commutes long distances from Willowbrook.

When the pandemic hit, hotel workers remained on the job and were considered “essential.”

“But they don’t treat us as essential workers,” Alcala said. “It’s hard living paycheck to paycheck,” she added. “With inflation, right now everything is going up. The only thing we’re not seeing going up are our paychecks.”

As he marched with the large group, Marcelo Vazquez, a steward at the Fairmont Century Plaza, said the rising cost of living in Los Angeles was making it challenging for hotel employees to live near their place of work. As a result, he said, “we’re fighting to get more pay. Hopefully the hotels will see where we’re coming from.”

Hotel employees at the three unionized Beverly Hills hotels—as well as the other hotels where employees are members of Unite Here—earn between $20-$25 per hour. Unite Here Local 11 has demanded an immediate $5 hourly increase, followed by $3 increases for the subsequent two years, for its members.

Coordinated Bargaining Group, which represents more than 44 Los Angeles and Orange County-area hotels, has countered most recently with an offer of $2 per hour immediately after contract ratification and another $1 per hour on July 1, 2024, for a total of $3 per hour in wage increases within 12 months and a more than 12% increase in the first year.

Members of Unite Local 11 voted 96% in favor of authorizing the strike on June 8. Only Westin Bonaventure in downtown L.A. has managed to reach a new contract agreement with Unite Here Local 11.

The union’s demands include better wages, healthcare benefits, higher pension contributions and safer workloads. It is also seeking to create a hospitality workforce housing fund and is supporting a 2024 ballot measure that would require hotels to rent vacant rooms to the unhoused.

On July 18, Coordinated Bargaining Group and Unite Here Local 11 met for the first time since the union began taking workers out on intermittent strikes. The bargaining session talks did not yield any progress in negotiations, according to representatives of both sides. It was unclear when another bargaining session would be held.

On July 25, Unite Here Local 11 presented the Beverly Hills city clerk’s office with a notice of intent to circulate a proposed ballot measure requiring a wage increase for hotel workers in the city.

The initiative would require hotels to pay their workers $30 per hour.

According to a statement from Deputy City Manager Keith Sterling, Beverly Hills City Attorney Laurence Wiener has 15 days from the receipt of the notice to provide an impartial title and summary that will be circulated with the petition. The labor union will then have to receive a minimum number of signatures, which is 10% of registered voters in the city. If successful, the City Council would then decide to either adopt the ordinance or put it up for a vote.

The petition gatherers have up to 180 days to submit the signatures from the date of receiving the title and summary from the City Attorney.

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Council Study Session Considers Holiday Decor

Ryan Torok — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 16:00:00 +0000

The July 18 Beverly Hills City Council study session focused on a broad range of topics, including decor for the 2023 Rodeo Drive holiday program, background checks for incoming city commissioners and the possible merging of the Design Review and Architectural commissions.

Kicking off the meeting, the Rodeo Drive-Special Events-Holiday Program Committee delivered its proposal for holiday decor, which was reviewed by the Council liaisons in June, and offered colorful slides that will become the basis for decorations on Rodeo Drive when the holiday season comes around.

The Rodeo Drive Committee said the theme of the holiday decor is “Up, Up and Away Holiday,” with inspiration provided by candy canes, hot air balloons and teddy bears. The concept includes holiday hot air balloons—up to 8 feet in diameter—hovering over piles of sweets; beautifully wrapped presents; large letters spelling out “Joy” and “Light;” and a tall menorah, among other festive objects.

The “Up, Up and Away” theme is a nod to the 5th Dimension song, “Up, Up and Away.”

Councilmember Lili Bosse was impressed. She described the holiday decor theme as “whimsical, fun and festive.”

The Committee is seeking approval of a $485,960 purchase order for the holiday decor. While the council signaled approval for the proposal, city leadership also expressed their desire for the decorations to be cutting edge. Specifically, Councilmember Sharona Nazarian said she’d like to know what cities like Singapore and Paris are doing and what those cities spend on their holiday decor so that Beverly Hills could take that into consideration.

Councilmember John Mirisch said the blue-and-white Chanukah-themed decor resonated.

“Balloons are fun,” Mirisch said. “And hot air balloons are fun. And I particularly appreciate that for the blue ones, we’re including dreidels and a menorah, and it talks about ‘light,’ which is very much in the theme of Chanukah.”

With the approval of the overall holiday decor theme and design, the holiday lighting celebration kickoff event and banner design will return to the council at a future date.

The second part of the two-hour meeting featured recommendations from the Commission Standardization Ad Hoc Committee. It addressed, among other things, whether there ought to be background checks for incoming city commissioners. Presently, the city does not require any form of background checks for commissioners, which is a volunteer role but is a city representative, nonetheless.

The committee recommended that background checks be performed for all incoming commissioners in several categories, including criminal convictions, bankruptcies and lawsuits. A third-party consultant would be responsible for conducting the background checks. The checks would only be required for commissioner finalists along with one back-up candidate in the event a finalist is disqualified because of the background check. It could be used only to inform the final candidate recommendations.

The council signaled support for implementing the background checks.

The proposal for the merger of the two commissions arose because of the decline in cases brought to the Design Review Commission.

“In light of the commission’s reduced workload, coupled with prior recruitment challenges and the fact that the Architectural Commission performs duties similar to the Design Review Commission, the Ad Hoc Committee recommends consolidating,” a city report said.

The new name of the proposed combined commission would be the Architecture and Design Review Commission, according to the city’s Assistant Manager Ryan Gohlich.

To prevent any commissioner terms from being cut short, the merger would result in a seven-member commission for a period. As terms end, the commission will become a five-member body.

The council indicated its approval for the merger.

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BHPD Arrests Four in Connection with Armed Robbery

Ryan Torok — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 02:10:00 +0000

On July 17, Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) arrested three suspects—two men and one woman—as well as one juvenile boy in connection with an armed robbery incident that occurred near N. Doheny Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard.

According to Sgt. Jeffrey Newman, acting public information officer at the BHPD, Beverly Hills police officers responded to an incident at the 600 block of N. Doheny Drive involving an armed robbery at 6:41 p.m. Two victims, Newman said, were confronted and forced to give their watches to the suspects. Before police arrived, the suspects drove away in a grey Chevrolet sedan, fleeing in the direction of West Hollywood. BHPD, however, was able to obtain the license plate of the vehicle, and officers continued to search for the vehicle.

BHPD declined to provide details about how law enforcement obtained the suspect vehicle license plate.

Newman said that at approximately 8:40 p.m., technology and resources used by the Real Time Watch Center—a surveillance system that includes drones and automated license plate readers—assisted BHPD with locating the suspects’ vehicle near Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way.

“Officers responded to the area, located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop nearby,” Newman said. “The investigation led to the arrest of the four occupants and the recovery of two handguns and watches believed to be from the earlier robbery.”

The four arrested suspects are Ziona Famoso, 18, who’s being charged with robbery and criminal conspiracy; Cameron White, 18, charged with robbery and criminal conspiracy;

Williams, 19, charged with robbery and criminal conspiracy; and an unidentified 17-year-old male juvenile. While police did not release the charges the juvenile is facing, BHPD plans to seek robbery charges against the juvenile suspect, according to Newman.

BHPD is currently working with neighboring law enforcement agencies to determine if these four suspects may have been involved in other crimes.

“BHPD Detectives are actively following up on leads,” a BHPD statement says.

Bail for each of the adult suspects is set at $100,000. Their next court date is scheduled for July 19 at Airport Courthouse.

Anyone with information about the armed robbery incident is encouraged to call BHPD at (310) 550-4951.

The incident occurred as data shows crime in Los Angeles and surrounding areas dropping moderately in 2023. In Beverly Hills, there has been a 21% drop in overall crime thanks in no small part to the Real Time Watch Center (RTWC), which has been in use since June 2022 and has successfully served as a crime deterrent. Since the launch of RTWC, property crime has decreased by 20% and violent crime by 27%, according to data provided by BHPD. The RTWC has CCTV cameras that are monitored at all hours of the day by patrol operators.

In other news involving law enforcement, an infant surrendered to the Beverly Hills Police Department has led to a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to Newman, a baby was surrendered at the BHPD station on July 17. Beverly Hills police subsequently turned the baby over to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

What felt like a feel-good story—it appeared as though a helpless child had been saved—soon “turned into a different” story altogether, according to Newman.

The Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident.

Few additional details were available as of press time.

“We’re not releasing more information because we don’t want to jeopardize their case,” Newman said. “We have transferred that investigation to LAPD Hollywood Division.”

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Protests Continue at Beverly Hills Hotels as Strike Looms

Ryan Torok — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 02:05:35 +0000

For the second consecutive week, non-striking demonstrators engaged in protests outside hotels in Beverly Hills while Unite Here Local 11, the labor union for hospitality workers, continued to coordinate rolling walkouts across Southern California.

Wearing his bellman uniform and a Unite Here pin above his nametag, Alfred Botello, 64, joined a small group of employees of the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, who staged multiple demonstrations outside the hotel on July 19.

Around him, protestors marched in the Beverly Wilshire valet area and carried signs saying, “No Contract, No Peace.” Others banged on drums. Amidst the cacophony of noise and activity, hotel doormen ushered guests into the entrances of the hotel while valet attendants took car keys from visitors pulling into the area.

“It’s nothing against the guests,” Botello, who has worked at the Beverly Wilshire for 25 years, told the Courier. “It’s against the company not negotiating in good faith…what they’re offering us in an insult.”

The Beverly Wilshire declined to comment on the recent activity outside the hotel.

Botello is one of the approximately 500 employees at the Beverly Wilshire who could potentially walk off the job at any moment. On July 1, Unite Here Local 11 declared a strike at approximately 60 hotels across Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The action took place one day after the labor agreement expired for nearly 15,000 hospitality workers, with the first wave of walkouts occurring over the Fourth of July holiday.

The union has organized three waves of walkouts at hotels across Southern California.

No walkouts have yet occurred at any of Beverly Hills’ three unionized hotels. Thus far, only “informational picketing” has taken place at the Beverly Wilshire, the Beverly Hilton and the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Those participating in the action have done so while in-between shifts. However, Unite Here Local 11 Spokesperson Maria Hernandez told the Courier the situation could change at any moment.

The informational picketing is taking place at Beverly Hills hotels while Unite Here Local 11 continues to demand higher wages and improved healthcare benefits for its members, which include cooks, room attendants, dishwashers, servers, bellmen and front-desk agents.

Most hotel employees under the previous agreement earn $20-$25 per hour. They are seeking an immediate $5 per hour raise and a $3 hourly wage increase for the three subsequent years of their contract.

The Coordinated Bargaining Group, a coalition of more than 44 hotels in Los Angeles, has offered a wage increase of $2.50 per hour in the first 12 months and $6.25 over four years.

On July 18, Coordinated Bargaining Group and Unite Here Local 11 met for the first time since the union began taking workers out on intermittent strikes. The bargaining session talks did not lead to any progress in negotiations, according to representatives of both sides.

“We are extremely disappointed that Local 11 refuses to bargain in good faith,” Keith Grossman, a spokesperson for the hotel coalition and a partner at Santa Monica-based employment law firm Hirschfeld Kraemer, said. “Local 11 continues to signal that it is more interested in its political agenda than negotiating to reach an agreement.”

A statement from Unite Here Local 11 slammed the hotel coalition’s proposal, saying it “did not have one penny more for wages, pension or healthcare.”

On July 19, protestors at the Beverly Wilshire included Jackie Morales, an office coordinator at the Beverly Wilshire who has worked at the hotel since 1989.

“We have to fight for our rights,” Morales, a mother of five who lives in South Los Angeles, told the Courier. “The cost of living is high.”

Perhaps the most distinguishable feature of the July 19 protests outside the Beverly Wilshire was a giant inflatable rat, which sat on the sidewalk outside the hotel’s entrance where folks marched. “Scabby the Rat,” as the union has called the inflatable, has fire-red eyes, exposed fangs and sharp claws. For the past several weeks, the union has brought “Scabby” to protests at hotel sites around the Los Angeles area and shared photos of the rat on the Unite Here Local 11 Twitter account, drumming up awareness for its campaign against the hotels.

Pete Hillan, a spokesperson for the Hotel Association of Los Angeles, has pointed to such tactics as evidence that much of what the union has done is “being done for theater.” Along with calls for improved wages and healthcare benefits, the union has asked for the hotels to charge a new tax on guests that would be allocated toward a housing fund for employees. It has also supported a 2024 ballot measure that requires hotels to rent vacant rooms to the unhoused.

Hillan said these demands were “things outside the authority of hotels to commit to.”

According to Unite Here Local 11, the intermittent strikes successfully deterred the Democratic Governors Association, an independent voluntary political group, from holding its annual summer conference in Beverly Hills. The group was planning to hold a two-day event, beginning July 24, at the Beverly Hilton, the union said. Instead, it will hold the gathering at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in downtown L.A., which reached a tentative contract deal with the union on June 28.

Unite Here Local 11 erects a giant “Scabby” rat at its Beverly Wilshire protest.

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BHPD Arrests Two in Connection with Car Burglary

Ryan Torok — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 16:00:26 +0000

Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) officers arrested two suspects in connection with a July 10 vehicle burglary.

Around 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a call about a vehicle being vandalized near the 9300 block of Wilshire Boulevard. Officers determined two individuals were attempting to burglarize a car. When BHPD arrived, the two suspects—one man and one female—entered a vehicle and attempted to flee, driving southbound in an alleyway, according to BHPD Lt. Reginald Evans.

Additional officers were driving northbound in the alley toward the fleeing vehicle. These officers acted quickly and jumped out of their vehicle, Evans said. The suspects sideswiped the oncoming police vehicle nearly hitting an officer. The suspects continued heading south and subsequently struck a vehicle with three people on Gregory Way. The two proceeded to flee on foot before they were taken into custody a short time later.

Meanwhile, the three people in the struck vehicle—who were members of the same family—were treated at the scene before being taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

The suspects are Ivan Perez, 27, and Brenda Vega, 23. Perez was arrested for burglary of a motor vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon, felony hit and run, possession of drug paraphernalia and evading officers. Vega, of Monterey Park, was booked with resisting officers and a felony warrant. As of press time, investigators had not identified Perez’s city of residence.

At 9:30 p.m., officers concluded their investigation and reopened the affected roadway.

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City Begins Installing Emergency Warning Siren System

Ryan Torok — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

A construction crew contracted by the city has begun installation on a first-of-its-kind outdoor warning siren system.

The Outdoor Warning Siren (OWS) network, consisting of 12 outdoor sirens, is intended to be employed as a notification tool in the event of natural and manmade disasters, primarily for those who are outside when something dangerous happens. Such incidents could include wildfires, earthquakes, terrorism, severe weather and flooding due to water dam failure.

The city currently employs a text message alert system to keep residents, community members and other stakeholders informed about relevant information pertaining to public safety. The OWS network would be an additional tool in the emergency-response toolbox.

“It’s another layer of a notification system to alert residents about potential hazards, whether manmade or natural,” Samer Elayyan, the city’s engineering services manager, told the Courier.

The program was spurred by the devastating California wildfires in 2018 and 2019, though the warning system is being designed to address a wide range of possible disasters. After the wildfires, City Council directed staff to explore the feasibility of an outdoor warning system, collaborating on the effort with Public Works, the Fire Department, the Police Department, the Public Information Office and the Office of Emergency Management.

A $1.37 million contract to lead the installation was awarded to Folsom, California-based construction company Syblon Reid in September 2022. In March 2023, Syblon Reid began installing the siren system at 12 different locations within the city—six located north of Sunset Boulevard, and six placed south of Sunset Boulevard. The contractor’s work is expected to continue through August 2023.

The one-dozen sirens are being strategically placed around the city to ensure maximum audible coverage in case of an emergency. According to Elayyan, the next phase of the project will include determining what the tones will sound like.

So far, nine sirens have been installed. And once they’ve all been put into place, the city will undertake a public information campaign, including holding trainings and community meetings publicized in multiple media outlets, so that the siren tones can be understood. The goal will be educating people about what action to take when they hear a siren.

For additional information about the new outdoor warning system, visit www.beverlyhills.org/siren. For questions, reach out to the city’s Public Works Customer Service line at 310-285-2497.

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School Board Extends Moss Adams Contract

Ryan Torok — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:30:50 +0000

The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) school board has approved a three-year contract extension with the accounting firm Moss Adams, LLP, which was hired by the district to conduct performance audits for Measure E and Measure BH funds.

During its July 11 meeting, the school board voted to extend the contract with Moss Adams through 2025 at a cost of $217,500.

“Retaining the same auditor will allow consistency between bond and audit reports,” a district report said.

The firm was first hired during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Funds for the three-year contract extension will be paid out by Measure E and Measure BH.

In addition to approving the contract extension with Moss Adams, the school district approved several contract amendments that will be paid for by Measure BH funds toward the ongoing campus modernization effort, including $12,000 for shade structures at Horace Mann Elementary School with tBP Architecture; $7,000 with Architects MSP for upgrades on the Beverly Vista Middle School’s student mental health and wellness center; and an $18,200 increase to the nearly $15 million contract with HMC Group for architectural and engineering services for the El Rodeo seismic retrofit and modernization.

The approval of the contracts comes as the school district continues to make progress on construction on the district’s school campuses, including Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Vista Middle School and El Rodeo Elementary School.

Additionally, the board approved a BHHS baseball field naming and charitable pledge agreement.

Board members also spent time on the topic of cell phone policies for students at Beverly Hills High School and Beverly Vista Middle School. The discussion, Board President Noah Margo explained, was for “direction only,” meaning there was no vote on it.

At issue was the “off and put away” policy, and whether it makes sense.

“The administration’s concern is that the off and put away is following a policy where you’re disciplining and giving consequences to really good kids who are most likely addicted to it, or it’s an accident—they look at it, they take it out,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy said. “The administration feels when the policy was in our district to have it off and put away, they spent more time doing the discipline and consequences behind the phone.”

Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells said she thinks a strict cell phone policy makes sense for the middle school. High school students, she said, ought to be able to regulate their own usage.

Meanwhile, Board Member Judy Manouchehri spoke out strongly against cell phones in schools.

“My concern is using the phones is almost like giving the kids a smoking break,” she said. While she acknowledged some students have a legitimate reason for having the phone, such as remaining in touch with their parents throughout the day, “I don’t want the exceptions to take over the rule.”

The BHUSD policies for cell phone use depend on the age of the student. For elementary school students, phones are supposed to be off and away until the student gets to the gate after school. At the middle school level and high school levels, students are allowed to bring mobile devices to school, but the phones must be turned off and always put away in class. There is more leeway for middle school and high school students when in between classes and during lunch.

The July 11 meeting was the first with the school board’s new student board member, Sofia Lifson. District leadership also welcomed three new staff members: Ben Wardrop, the district’s new student services director; Beverly Hills High School Assistant Principal Shannon Kobielusz; and Horace Mann Elementary School Assistant Principal Yvette Walker.

Bregy provided an update on the Behavior and Accountability Advisory Panel, which brings together civic and religious leaders, business owners and others on how to address behavioral issues among BHUSD students. Bregy said he was proud of the people who have come out for the group.

“I think it can be an intimidating group,” Bregy said. “We’ve got a lot of movers and shakers in this group. This is not a committee just to have a committee.”

The district highlighted upcoming events, including BHPD’s National Night Out event. The Aug. 1 program is an opportunity, Bregy said, to meet the school board members, the district superintendent, school principals and assistant principals and other school leaders, all of whom will be in attendance.

Additionally, as part of the Human Relations Commission’s “Beverly Hills Reads!” series, a discussion with Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” is taking place at the City Hall Municipal Gallery on Aug. 27. Retired Beverly Hills High School educator Julie Goler is participating in the discussion.

Bregy noted many BHHS students and community members are reading Garmus’ book.

“We are excited to be able to do these types of things in our city,” the superintendent said.

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Informational Picketing Taking Place at Local Hotels

Ryan Torok — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 02:30:59 +0000

Hotel workers demanding higher wages and improved healthcare benefits engaged in demonstrations outside the Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills this week, while walkouts occurred at hotel properties across Southern California.

While Beverly Hills’ unionized hotels have not experienced work stoppages, the “informational picketing” did take place at two of the city’s three unionized hotels.

On July 9, a demonstrator outside the Waldorf Astoria carried a sign that read, “No contract, no peace.” On July 11 and 12, individuals outside the hotel’s front entrance were banging drums, again holding up “No contract, no peace” signs and chanting demands for better pay as they marched around the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills’ valet area.

Dario Serpa, 61, has worked as a dishwasher at the Waldorf Astoria for the past five years. On July 12, before his 5 p.m. shift at the hotel began, he was among those protesting outside the Waldorf. He lives in Sherman Oaks with two of his sisters and said his and his colleagues’ wages—about $25 per hour—were not enough to afford living in Los Angeles.

He spoke to the Courier in a phone interview, with a Unite Here Local 11 organizing director translating for him.

“I am protesting and fighting so I can have fair wage increases,” Serpa told the Courier. “The cost of living is going up; living in LA is very expensive; we have to live far away to afford the cost of living after the pandemic. For many reasons, inflation has increased the cost of living here, and I’m fighting for better wages.”

While no walkouts—or work stoppages—had occurred at Beverly Hills hotels as of press time, a strike at Beverly Hills hotels could happen any day, according to Unite Here Local 11 spokesperson Maria Hernandez.

The activity is occurring amidst heated contract negotiations between labor union Unite Here Local 11 and a coalition of approximately 60 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Over the Fourth of July holiday, from July 2-4, Unite Here Local 11 organized a three-day strike at hotels across Southern California, with thousands of hotel employees, including cooks, room attendants, dishwashers, servers, bellmen, and front-desk agents, walking off the job.

Unite Here Local 11 described the July 2-4 walkouts as the “first wave” of hotel strikes. A “second wave” of strikes occurred at union hotels in the LAX area on July 11.

The union represents some 32,000 hospitality workers across Southern California and Arizona, including non-managerial staff at the Beverly Hilton, Four Seasons Regent Beverly Wilshire and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The union’s membership is seeking a new labor agreement to replace the current agreement that expired at midnight on June 30. On June 8, Unite Here Local 11 members voted to authorize the strike, with 96% of those who voted supporting it.

The union has called the strike the “largest hotel strike in Southern California history.”

Most union members—including cooks, room attendants, dishwashers, servers, bellmen and front-desk agents—are paid between $20 to $25 an hour. The union is demanding an immediate $5 per hour wage increase for its members, which would amount to a 20 to 25% raise.

Their demands also include an annual $3 hourly wage boost for the two subsequent years of their contract along with improved healthcare and retirement benefits.

The hotel management has offered a wage increase of $2.50 per hour in the first 12 months and $6.25 over four years. Under this proposal, housekeepers in Beverly Hills and downtown currently earning $25 an hour would receive 10% in wage increases in 2024 and would make more than $31 per hour by January 2027.

Management at the Beverly Hills hotels declined to comment on the recent picketing, referring the Courier to the attorneys representing the hotels’ Coordinated Bargaining Group, which is negotiating on behalf of 44 unionized Los Angeles and Orange County hotels.

Attorney Keith Grossman is the lead spokesperson for the Coordinated Bargaining Group and a partner at Santa Monica-based employment law firm Hirschfeld Kraemer, one of two legal firms representing the hotels. He told the Courier that the picketing amounts to a “walk and work.” He suggested the unions have had difficulty getting enough people for these actions. Historically, he added, such actions have included paid picketers.

He said the tactic is noisy but ultimately ineffective.

“It’s a way to get their message out,” Grossman said in a phone interview. “They’re trying to communicate they’re serious. They’d be better served back at the bargaining table getting to a deal.”

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Summer Cultural Events in Full Swing in Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 02:00:57 +0000

The city’s vibrant arts and cultural life is on display this summer and topped the agenda of the July 11 Arts and Culture Commission meeting.

The meeting was held at a busy time for cultural activity in the city. In June, Beverly Hills participated in Make Music Day, which began more than 40 years ago in France and came to Beverly Hills three years ago. The celebration at Beverly Gardens Park featured musical acts in a variety of genres, such as classical, electronica, singer-songwriters, electronica and Jewish folk songs.

The program, according to Recreation Supervisor Corrina Lesser, was a big success.

Additionally, the city is approaching the halfway point of its summer-long Concerts on Canon series. Paolone said this year’s series has been the most well-attended yet, with exciting performances on the horizon, including an Aug. 3 concert with Persian musicians, the Rumba Acoustic Band. On July 6, a crowd-pleasing concert featured the ‘60s sounds of Beach St. A Go Go. Reveling in the nostalgia, attendees of all ages at Beverly Canon Gardens boogied as the Valley Village band covered classic songs by the Beatles, Beach Boys and Elvis.

The commission highlighted the upcoming “Shakespeare by the Sea” program at Roxbury Park as part of “Parks Make Life Better!” month, a statewide initiative and public awareness campaign promoting the benefits of recreational activity. The July 26 performance will be “Hamlet.”

A young girl enjoyed a game of bean bag toss at the Concerts on Canon event on July 6. Photos courtesy city of Beverly Hills

At a recent “Parks Make Life Better!” event at La Cienega Park, children participating in Animal Encounters Summer Camp learned about—and visited with—a real camel.

Additional upcoming events include Family Bingo, on July 14 at Roxbury Park Community Center; Youth and Family Drum Circle with rhythm coach John Fitzgerald, on July 19 at La Cienega Park; and the “Parks Make Life Better” finale, featuring a passport activity log, scavenger hunt and more, held July 30 at the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market.

Additional agenda items at the July 12 meeting included the city’s fine art budget and its 2023-2024 work plan.

According to a city staff report, there is nearly $2 million in the commission’s Fine Art Fund.

This sum represents a $409,052 net increase in funds from the previous fiscal year, with more than $500,000 coming in from construction projects.

“[It’s] an amazing sign that construction is very vibrant and healthy in the city,” Interim Recreation Services Manager Paul Paolone said in a financial update before the commission.

For much of the meeting, the commission considered an idea for inclusion in its 2023-2024 work plan, which helps the commission and city staff set expectations and determine its ability to realize tangible goals for the year. Commission Vice Chair Karla Gordy Bristol proposed a “Love and Kindness Park,” described “as a way to bring positive, joyous energy to the City of Beverly Hills.”

Young participants in the Animal Encounters Summer Camp at La Cienega Park were treated to a visit by a camel.

Without identifying a specific location for the proposed park, Bristol delivered a presentation for a designated space that would feature community-created artwork as well as installations acquired through donations by civic-minded artists whose works emphasize themes of love and kindness. Bristol envisioned a destination for photographs, marriage proposals and serene, personal reflection.

Given the challenges associated with the pandemic, Bristol said, such a space was needed more than ever. While several people participating in public comment agreed, the commission tabled a motion to consider the park, with Beck saying she was not prepared to create another park in the city. Bristol clarified it would not have to be at a large park but rather could take the form of a small garden.

Beck said she was strongly committed to discussing fresh and exciting ways of enhancing the cultural life of the city.

“The Olympics are coming. The World Cup is coming. People are coming to Beverly Hills, and people are going to need things to do when they get to Beverly Hills besides the wonderful things we already have in the way of food and shopping,” Beck said. “I want them to know where they can go, what they can do and how they can participate.”

The commission’s next meeting is taking place Aug. 8.

A recent Senior Excursion at Greystone Mansion & Gardens included a guided tour of the mansion, lunch and a movie in Greystone Theatre.

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Metro Construction Prompts Wilshire/La Cienega Street Closures

Ryan Torok — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 19:00:59 +0000

As construction on the Metro’s Purple (D Line) Extension in Beverly Hills continues, weekend street closures in the area are expected all summer long at the intersection of Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards.

Wilshire/La Cienega intersection weekend closures began over the weekend of June 30, through July 3, and are continuing for 10 consecutive weekends, excluding the Labor Day holiday, as construction crews began removing the concrete deck panels on Wilshire Boulevard between Hamilton Drive and into the La Cienega intersection. Marking the second phase of deck removal, the work is taking place on Friday nights at 8 p.m. and continuing through 7 a.m. the following Monday.

Throughout this summer’s weekends, Wilshire Boulevard will be fully closed between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards; La Cienega Boulevard will be closed in both directions at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard. Northbound traffic on La Cienega Boulevard will be detoured at Olympic Boulevard and southbound traffic at 3rd St. Local access to businesses on La Cienega between Burton Way and Olympic Boulevard will be maintained from Clifton Way and Gregory Way.

Local access to Wilshire Boulevard will be maintained at Hamilton Drive, Gale Drive and Tower Drive; access to the Landmark Center will be maintained from northbound Tower Drive; and access to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will be maintained from Le Doux Road. Hamilton Drive and Gale Drive may be closed at Wilshire beginning as early as 6 p.m. on Friday nights.

On July 2, this past Sunday morning, the work was on full display. A crew in white hardhats and bright orange vests were busy directing construction equipment outside the Saban Theatre. Deere vehicles, yellow caution tape, road signs and cones dotted the closed-down section of Wilshire. A crew member manning a backhoe scooped dirt out of the ground and into large piles on the street. Because of the extensive roadwork and Fourth of July holiday, there was little traffic in the surrounding area. The mid-Wilshire neighborhood, in fact, looked deserted.

As Metro gets closer to completing the first section of the Purple (D Line) Extension, similar work, including the removal of deck beams, backfilling, utility replacement and paving, will be occurring all summer long. As of June 30, seven weekends of deck removal work had been completed, and June 30-July 3 marked weekend-eight of decking removal.

Upon its completion, the Purple (D Line) extension rail project will provide a viable transportation alternative from downtown Los Angeles to Westwood, including two stops in Beverly Hills: Wilshire/La Cienega Station and Wilshire/Rodeo Station. The latter is located at the intersection of Wilshire and Reeves.

In contrast to commutes offered by traffic-heavy surface streets, travel time between downtown L.A. to Westwood on the Purple line is expected to be about 25 minutes.

The line’s extension is being built in three sections, two of which are in Beverly Hills. The section of the Metro going from Wilshire/Western in Los Angeles to the Wilshire/La Cienega Station is scheduled for completion in late 2024. The section extending the subway from Wilshire/La Cienega to Century City—a stretch that includes the Wilshire/Rodeo Station—is scheduled for completion in late 2025.

As for current construction in Beverly Hills, the Metro website says all the work has received necessary permits and approvals, while access for pedestrians is being maintained outside of the construction zone. Access for emergency responders is also being maintained, and Metro has set up a Business Interruption Fund to provide financial assistance to qualifying “mom and pop” businesses directly impacted by construction.

Construction is a dynamic process, however, and information is subject to change. For the latest updates, community members are encouraged to contact the 24/7 hotline at (213) 922-6934.

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Hotel Workers Strike Could Affect Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 02:15:49 +0000

A service workers union representing nearly 15,000 hotel workers from approximately 60 properties across Los Angeles and Orange Counties declared a strike over the Fourth of July holiday.

The employee-members of union Unite Here Local 11, which represents 32,000 hospitality workers across Southern California and Arizona, including non-managerial staff at the Beverly Hilton, Four Seasons Regent Beverly Wilshire and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, have been demanding increased pay and improved healthcare benefits.

Over the holiday weekend, from July 2-4, the union’s membership engaged in a three-day strike, leading to walkouts at more than a dozen hotels across Southern California, with employees and their allies marching in picket lines outside hotels.

Beverly Hills hotels, however, were unaffected.

“It’s up to the workers to decide when they want to do it,” Unite Here Local 11 Spokesperson Maria Hernandez told the Courier. “I know a lot of hotels are doing pickets right now. Folks at Beverly Hills places could walk out at any moment.”

While a walkout at Beverly Hills’ unionized hotels had “not yet” occurred, it could happen at any time, Hernandez said.

On July 5, thousands of workers returned to work. In a statement, the union described the July 2-4 walkouts as the “first wave of strikes and disruption by hotel workers across the region.”

“This walkout was the first of many actions that may come this summer by workers at hotels across Southern California, and it is only one tool in our toolbox,” Unite Here Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen said. “We have put the industry on notice that the workers have suffered enough.”

Beverly Hills community members may be familiar with Unite Here Local 11. The organization behind the recent hotel workers strike also voiced opposition to the Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills hotel project. A signature-gathering effort by the labor union led to a referendum and, ultimately, the project’s demise.

For the past several weeks, the union has been engaged in heated bargaining with a coalition of more than 40 hotels on a new labor agreement to replace the current agreement that expired at midnight on June 30. On June 8, Unite Here Local 11 members voted to authorize the strike, with 96% of those who voted supporting it.

On July 1, one day after the workers’ contracts expired, the union declared the strike for 61 hotels in Southern California. About 15 hotels have since experienced work stoppages, according to Pete Hillan, a spokesperson for the Hotel Association of Los Angeles, an advocacy group that supports hospitality.

The union has described the action as the “largest hotel strike in Southern California history.”

Their demands also include an annual $3 hourly wage boost for the three subsequent years of their contract along with improved healthcare and retirement benefits.

Unite Here Local 11 representatives cite the rising cost of living in Southern California as one of the reasons they’re seeking higher pay. Many unionized hotel employees have been displaced from their homes, which were located near their places of work, because of housing unaffordability. Consequently, they’re forced to commute long distances.

The union’s leadership also points tofederal bailout money offered to hotels during the pandemic, saying workers themselves are struggling.

Coordinated Bargaining Group is negotiating on behalf of 44 unionized Los Angeles and Orange County hotels, with the remaining hotels expected to go along with whatever settlement is reached.

“From the outset, the union has shown no desire to engage in productive, good faith negotiations with this group,” attorney Keith Grossman, lead spokesperson for the Coordinated Bargaining Group, told the Courier. In a phone interview, he accused the union of “choosing political and PR stunts and strike preparation over good faith negotiations,” adding, “It is the union that is focusing on taking employees out of work rather than meeting to negotiate a settlement.”

The hotels in the coalition are primarily operated by Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Aimbridge, Highgate, Accor, IHG and Four Seasons. There are also a few independent hotels.

Grossman is a partner at Santa Monica-based employment law firm Hirschfeld Kraemer, one of two legal firms representing the hotels. According to the firm, the hotel management has offered a wage increase of $2.50 per hour in the first 12 months and $6.25 over four years. Under this proposal, housekeepers in Beverly Hills and downtown currently earning $25 an hour would receive 10% in wage increases in 2024 and would make more than $31 per hour by January 2027.

According to Coordinated Bargaining Group, the union has not budged from its opening demand of a 40% wage increase as well as a more than 28% increase in benefit costs. Additionally, the union has put forth proposals that the hotel coalition views as driven by politics, including demands for a 7% tax on union hotel guests and publicly supporting a ballot measure to house the homeless in the hotels together with other guests.

“The union continues to insist on proposals that are not in the interest of hotel employees,” Grossman said.

The strike occurred at a time when tourists were vacationing over the Fourth of July holiday. The union was strategic about where walkouts occurred, coordinating picket lines outside properties in downtown and Santa Monica during the holiday because of the expectation of high visibility at those locations.

It coincided with the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. In an apparent show of solidarity between Hollywood writers and hotel workers, WGA members joined hospitality employees on picket lines outside downtown and Santa Monica hotels, on July 3.

Elected officials have also shown support for the strike. On July 2, Congressman Adam Schiff, whose running for the U.S. Senate, joined hotel staff on a picket line outside the Sheraton in Universal Studios. The Southern California representative called on management to “negotiate a fair deal.”

Some striking had been averted. On June 28, the union reached a tentative contract deal with its largest employer of unionized workers, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in downtown L.A. In a statement, Unite Here called the agreement, affecting 600 workers, “historic.”

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Ten New Sites Honored with Golden Shield Awards

Ryan Torok — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 01:45:45 +0000

The Beverly Hills City Council, on the recommendation of the Cultural Heritage Commission, has awarded 10 Golden Shield awards to sites that have cultural significance within the city.

The sites are Don Loper Salon; Brighton Coffee Shop; Uncle Bernie’s Toy Menagerie; Wil Wright’s Ice Cream Shop; Mickey Fine Pharmacy; The Bistro; Ah Fong’s; Beverly Hills Nurseries; Warner Brothers-Beverly Hills Theatre; and Beverly Hills Speedway.

“We’re truly grateful for managing this iconic legacy, and we’re thrilled to be part of the city of Beverly Hills,” Gina Raphael, president of Mickey Fine Pharmacy and Grill, told the Courier upon learning her business was being recognized. “We continue to expand and evolve, and we truly become better every day to serve the community.”

Mickey Fine Pharmacy and Grill is the only remaining pharmacy in the Los Angeles area with a luncheonette counter and soda fountain. One of the two extant sites recognized in the latest batch of 10 Golden Shield awardees—the only other is the Brighton Coffee Shop—Mickey Fine Pharmacy has third-generation customers and team members who have been with the business for more than three decades.

Formerly known as Schwab’s Pharmacy in the 1950s, the retail operation was purchased by druggist Mickey Fine in the early 1960s and became the Mickey Fine Pharmacy. It was acquired by Melvin Gross in 1994. He ran the business until his death in 2003, at which point it was taken over by the Gross family, with Melvin’s son, Jeff, and Jeff ’s wife, Gina Raphael, purchasing the pharmacy from Melvin’s widow, Adelle. Today, Jeff and Gina run the pharmacy, which last year celebrated 60 years since becoming known as the Mickey Fine Pharmacy.

“The legacy of this pharmacy has been in very few hands,” Raphael said.

The place of business was active, among other things, in providing COVID-19 vaccines to people during the pandemic. Raphael estimated Mickey Fine Pharmacy provided more than 25,000 COVID-19 vaccines—”and we’re doing everyday vaccines as well,” she said.

The pharmacy is open seven days a week and delivers seven days a week.

The suggested plaque placement location for the Mickey Fine Pharmacy is in front of its entry doors, located in the Cordingly-Milner Building at 433 N. Roxbury Drive.

“The quaint drugstore is considered not merely a pharmacy but also a well-known and beloved general goods gift shop and café,” the city’s resolution recognizing the pharmacy says.

Brighton Coffee Shop, another Golden Shield designee, is one of the oldest eateries of its kind in Beverly Hills. Located at 9600 Brighton Way, its angled entry door distinguishes it from other cafes in the area. The original, located at 9612 Brighton Way, was operated out of a drive-in market from 1928-1936. In 1937, it moved into its current address. In 1968, it took on its current name. For generations, the well-established eating place has been visited by Beverly Hills residents and Hollywood stars alike. Local celebrity Doris Day is said to have adored the banana pancakes.

Another one of the recognized locales is the Beverly Hills Speedway, which will have two plaques, one at the southwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Bedford Drive, and one at the corner of Beverly Drive and Olympic Boulevard, where the primary and secondary entrances to the outdoor facility were once located. The now-extinct speedway held its final race in 1924.

For other long-gone businesses, including Wil Wright’s Ice Cream Shop, Ah Fong’s and Uncle Bernie’s Toy Menagerie, plaques will commemorate what was. In the case of Wil

Wright’s, formerly located at 200 S. Beverly Drive, the suggested location for the plaque is within the public sidewalk and in front of the storefront window of the address’ current tenant.

At the June 27 Council meeting, the five-member body adopted 10 resolutions to approve each of the Golden Shield nominees, making each awardee exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act after determining the adoption of these awards would not have significant environmental impacts.

There were originally 12 Golden Shield nominees in the latest round, but the Council opted to exclude two residential sites: the former home of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, at 1000 North Roxbury Drive, as well as the Rachmaninoff Residence, at 610 North Elm Drive. They were on the initial list for Golden Shield consideration, but they did not have the full support of the Cultural Heritage Commission. Council ultimately decided to leave them out, citing privacy concerns for the current owners of the homes.

The Golden Shield program was created in 2019. To date, there have been 30 Golden Shield designees by the Cultural Heritage Commission. The first six plaques have been placed into the ground, and the next twelve plaques are waiting installation.

“It is a great idea to highlight the rich culture and history and background of our city,” Councilmember Sharona Nazarian said before voting in support of recognizing the ten sites.

The Golden Shield cultural heritage recognition program spotlights places that have cultural significance to the city but perhaps do not rise to the level of formal local historic designation. Awardees receive a custom bronze plaque highlighting the location’s historical and/or cultural significance. These locations being recognized may or may not be currently extant at their site of significance.

The cost of each Golden Shield, including installation, is approximately $2,500-$3,500, and the department received a budget enhancement of $40,000 in its 2022-23 fiscal year budget to allow for the ongoing installation of up to 12 Golden Shields per fiscal year.

The plaques provide meaningful background information for a passerby. According to the city, the Cultural Heritage Commission Education and Outreach Committee is working with staff to create a comprehensive city walking tour that would include Golden Shield designees.

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Liaison Committee Weighs Mandated Update to Medical Marijuana Regulation

Ryan Torok — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 16:00:55 +0000

The city of Beverly Hills currently only allows delivery of medical marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries based outside of the city’s jurisdiction. On June 26, a City Council Liaison/Planning Commission Committee conducted a special meeting to determine whether that rule must now be changed. It was held in light of the forthcoming implementation of Senate Bill 1186, a state law known as the Medicinal Cannabis Patients’ Right of Access Act. As of Jan. 1, 2024, the law will prohibit local governments from adopting or enforcing regulation that prevent the delivery of medical cannabis to patients or caregivers within their jurisdictions. Introduced by State Senator Scott Wiener, whose district includes San Francisco, the bill was approved by both branches of the state legislature and was signed by California Gov. Newsom in late 2022.

The June 26 meeting was convened with the goal of seeking direction on the implementation of Wiener’s bill in Beverly Hills. The Planning Commission Council Liaisons—Vice Mayor Lester Friedman and Councilmember Lili Bosse—took part in the discussion.

While the city of Beverly Hills is bordered by jurisdictions where marijuana is legally available in dispensaries, including West Hollywood and Los Angeles, Bosse made her anti-cannabis views clear.

“I do not support us having marijuana dispensaries in our city…my views have not changed,” she said. “That still doesn’t address the question of what the state law is requiring of us now.”

Marijuana is legal in California, which was the first state in the nation to allow for the medical use of marijuana upon the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. In Beverly Hills, in fact, 64 percent of voters approved Proposition 64, which, passed in Nov. 2016, legalized recreational marijuana under state law.

Senate Bill 1186 says the city cannot deny the establishment of physical premises from which the non-storefront retail sale for delivery of medicinal cannabis is conducted. According to a city memorandum, however, this can be reasonably regulated in several ways, including via zoning requirements, security or public health and safety requirements, licensing requirements and imposing or collecting taxes on retail sales of medicinal cannabis occurring with the city.

The discussion at the June 26 special meeting also included Planning Commission Chair Myra Demeter and Beverly Hills Assistant City Manager Ryan Gohlich. Each weighed in on what they wanted to include in the update to the city code in response to SB 1186. In addition to allowing for the non-storefront retail sale by delivery of medical cannabis—the minimum required by the new state law—did city leaders want to allow for in-person sales and delivery from a storefront in Beverly Hills?

The consensus was against storefronts. In fact, participants spoke in favor of putting in place the most stringent restrictions possible while abiding by the new state law.

Failure to take any action at all could, according to a city memorandum, lead to legal consequences. Senate Bill 1186 empowers several entities to take civil action if they believe the city’s regulations to prohibit access to medicinal marijuana are not reasonable.

Those entities include qualified patients and their caregivers; the state attorney general; and medical cannabis businesses.

Bosse expressed concern about enforcement once the state law goes into effect, saying she believes not all of those with prescriptions for medicinal marijuana would have “legally valid prescriptions.”

Gohlich, however, attempted to alleviate that specific concern, saying he “imagined it would be very unlikely someone would take the step to get a fraudulent prescription for it,” given how widely available it is recreationally, without a prescription, in surrounding areas.

Going forward, an ordinance regarding updates to the municipal code in response to the new law will be drafted by the Planning Commission before it goes to the City Council.

One could argue Wiener’s legislation undermines the power of a city to regulate its own commercial activities.

Nevertheless, Demeter told the Courier, Beverly Hills is committed to adhering to the rules.

“I don’t know what the cache of a Beverly Hills address will do for medical marijuana, but this is the law,” she said, “and we have to follow the law.”

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School Board Approves Budget, Reviews Naming Gift, Receives CBOC Feedback

Ryan Torok — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 20:00:50 +0000

On June 27, the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) board adopted the 2023-2024 budget for the upcoming academic year.

The board approved the budget during its biweekly meeting following a brief presentation by Assistant Superintendent Raphael Guzman. The budget for the 2023-2024 school year is approximately $17.4 million. The projected expenses for 2023-2024 amount to approximately $96.5 million, while the projected revenue for the year comes to approximately $92.4 million, creating a projected deficit of about $4.1 million.

Guzman’s announcement about the projected deficit generated a range of reactions among board members.

“We might have to tighten our shoestrings a little bit,” Board Member Rachelle Marcus said. “We’ve always had projected deficits, we’ve never had deficits, so hopefully we will continue on that path,” Board President Noah Margo said.

Projected budgets for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years are approximately $15.4 million and $14.1 million, according to a BHUSD document.

News of the projected deficit was overshadowed by the district’s more effective budgeting methodology. The district is moving toward a zero-based budgeting approach. Although a granular, more time-consuming process than traditional budgeting, the zero-based practice aims to identity and justify expenditures for each period and can be effective in reducing expenses.

Ultimately, as School Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells noted, “We’ll have better spending with our district dollars.”

Guzman characterized the process as having school principals understand why they need the money they’ve requested as opposed to providing them a pot of funds and telling them to spend it.

“It’s shifted, and it’s a culture we’re trying to implement,” the assistant superintendent said.

Addressing the board and Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy, Guzman explained that there was approximately $750,000 less revenue than projected for 2022-2023 because of a reduction in one-time grants announced by the California governor. While most of the funding for the school district comes from the collection of local property taxes, the school district also relies on state dollars.

The board also unanimously approved the Local Control Accountability Plan for 2023-2024. The three-year plan describes goals, actions, services and expenditures to support positive student outcomes addressing state and local priorities.

Additionally, the meeting included discussion about a potential $750,000 naming gift to the Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) baseball field. Under the BHHS Baseball Field Naming and Charitable Pledge Agreement, a donor’s gift of $250,000 gives the individual the naming rights to the baseball field, with the donor having the right to pay an additional $500,000 to have the naming rights in perpetuity.

David Corwin, president of the Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association (BHAAA) and a graduate of the BHHS class of 1987, said Irving Zakheim, a successful businessman based in Spokane, Washington who was raised in Beverly Hills, had stepped up and pledged to donate the naming gift for the yet-to-be-built baseball field. Corwin expressed frustration over the board’s delay in approving the charitable pledge agreement between the donor, BHAAA, the Beverly Hills Education Foundation (BHEF) and the school district.

The school community, Corwin said, was at risk of losing the donor because of how long the process has taken. In response, Board President Noah Margo said the board had only received the language of the agreement recently while Wells, school board member and clerk, acknowledged it’s taken longer than need be, saying the board did not wish to “micromanage the process.”

BHAAA and BHEF are nonprofits that provide financial support to assist the district’s athletic departments. BHAAA, among other things, supplements the high school athletic department budget by assisting with the purchase of uniforms, equipment and capital improvements of the facilities. Since 2006, BHAAA has donated more than $800,000 to support the high school’s athletic department.

The ongoing construction of the high school and other schools in the district, along with the oversight of the bond programs financing the effort, was also on the meeting’s agenda. Midway through the evening, representatives of the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) provided an annual report on Measures E and BH, looking at the fiscal year from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Much of the report focused on instituting greater protections and safeguards against fraud in the management of the bond funds.

Board members acknowledged the difficulty in gleaning direction from the report due to its focus on 2021-2022.

“These reports are so in arrears, and we’re already a year past the year being discussed here. Has anything been done in regard to fraud controls?” Margo asked Guzman.

Indeed, those involved with the construction projects, including district and Fonder-Salari staff, have undergone fraud awareness training, Guzman said.

CBOC member Jasmine Yadgari, a parent of a child enrolled in the district, was one of two people who presented the report. She spoke of potential misspending that might’ve occurred during the year examined.

After the committee’s presentation, each of the board members expressed their thanks for the oversight work, which cited a financial audit by firm Christy White as well as a performance audit by firm Moss Adams.

According to Wells, the CBOC report underscored progress that has been achieved around the school district’s construction projects. After a tumultuous period, construction on the school modernization efforts have gone smoother due, in part, to the hiring of bond manager Fonder-Salari. Since the district retained the company’s services, it has closed the budget gap between the amount of funds available in the bonds and the construction costs in the district.

“When we talk about a gap in the construction, it’s not that the gap just disappeared—it’s smaller now because of all the work of Fonder-Salari,” Wells said.

At the conclusion of the meeting, each of the board members provided updates about events they’ve attended recently as well as upcoming programs for the community. Board Member Rachelle Marcus, a former BHUSD teacher, highlighted the Beverly Hills Junior Firefighters Academy, scheduled for July, as well as the city’s National Night Out block party, honoring the police department’s K-9s and taking place on Aug. 1.

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Planning Commission Approves City’s First Density Bonus Project in Mixed-Use Zone

Ryan Torok — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 16:00:40 +0000

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission has approved its first density bonus permit for a project in the city’s mixed-use zone, a precedent-setting move occurring nearly three years since the passage of an ordinance allowing for mixed-use development in the city.

On June 22, the commission considered a project at 55 N. La Cienega Boulevard. The location is the former site of the Stinking Rose restaurant, on La Cienega’s famed Restaurant Row, home to restaurants including Lawry’s The Prime Rib and Matsuhisa.

The proposed project includes ground floor commercial uses; 105 residential dwelling units for rental above the ground floor; rooftop restrooms; and subterranean parking. Additionally, 11 units in the development would be reserved for “very low-income households.”

“The project seeks to redevelop an existing underutilized commercial property by providing for the replacement of existing restaurant uses and new retail uses while providing new housing opportunities that would be available to a mix of income types,” the staff report says.

Currently, the 38,500-square-foot property houses a one-story, 13,500-square-foot vacant commercial building and surface parking lot. The development would replace the existing vacant building with an 18,986 square-foot new commercial floor area.

Abraham Assil, the applicant for the project, has attempted to develop the property multiple times. His previous proposal for the site—a hotel—was rejected by the commission. On June 22, appearing before the five-member commission, Assil said the development’s integration of apartments with commercial offerings had incorporated community input.

He said he envisioned an Eataly-style establishment for the property’s ground-floor commercial use. Attempting to reassure the commission it would not be a large supermarket operating on the ground floor, it would be something “very high-level, European, stylish,” he said. “It would be a very high-end environment.”

Commissioner Peter Ostroff, however, said there needed to be a way to maintain control over what type of commercial tenant would assume the ground level.

“One man’s supermarket is another man’s convenience store,” Ostroff said. “That’s not something we can enforce and that’s what’s important for these purposes.”

It was not the only point of contestation during the meeting. Ostroff expressed concern about balconies proposed for the project’s residential units throughout the west-facing upper levels.

“The balconies are a very close call for me, but I’m not going to micromanage the building,” the commissioner said.

Despite Ostroff’s reservations, the five-member commission ultimately voted unanimously to adopt the resolution conditionally approving a development review and density bonus permit for the proposed—and milestone—mixed-use project.

Before weighing the proposal of 55 N. La Cienega, the commission revisited the ongoing controversy surrounding Spring Place, a co-working space and private membership club located at 121 Spalding Drive and 9800 Wilshire Boulevard.

Spring Place’s representatives sought approval from the Planning Commission on a new set of more flexible conditions for the rooftop usage at its facility.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been controversy over Spring Place, which operates in the Gores Group building. Issues have arisen primarily in connection with the facility’s 7,000-square-foot rooftop space. Its usage for parties and other noisy events has prompted complaints from the property’s neighbors.

In response to complaints, the commission has previously attempted to regulate activity there by limiting crowd sizes permitted on the Spring Place roof.

Those at the meeting included Spring Place attorney Mark Egerman. Appearing before the five-member commission, he argued a limitation of 30 individuals was too small and unnecessary. He also said Spring Place would like to operate the northern roof space until 10 p.m.

“We have hit the summer months, we live in a fabulous climate community, it is light until after 8 p.m., and we feel the additional time is reasonable,” Egerman said.

Acknowledging the difficulties that have arisen in the past, Egerman said Spring Place was committed to winning back the credibility with the commission and the city.

Commission Chair Myra Demeter, however, pushed back. She said Spring Place has not followed, among other things, a requirement to offer free valet parking.

“I do not feel you have been in compliance since 2020,” Demeter said.

Ostroff was particularly blunt in his assessment of Spring Place’s past behavior.

“The reason we’ve had to spend so much time on this is that Spring Place has just been a bad actor from the outset. And it doesn’t really appear to have changed, and I think the things Spring Place are asking for demonstrate they haven’t changed at all,” Ostroff said. “Spring Place wants to operate this as an events space, as a party place, rather than the office facility that was represented when we first looked at this. Whenever things aren’t exactly the way they want, they just take matters into their own hands.”

Commissioner Teri Kaplan said challenges facing Spring Place date back to the pandemic.

“I think where this all went very seriously wrong is COVID,” she said.

The body unanimously passed a motion for the conditional approval of a development plan review that would regulate the rooftop use for Spring Place.

“I’m a believer in third and fourth chances,” Commission Vice Chair Gary Ross said before the vote.

The June 22 meeting was Demeter’s last as commission chair, though she will continue to serve on the commission with Vice Chair Ross assuming the role as chair. At the conclusion of the meeting, addressing her fellow commissioners, she said, “I know we don’t all agree, but we respect one another. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you.”

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for July 13.

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Sinai Temple Launches Zionist Education Fellowship for Rabbinical Students

Ryan Torok — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 20:00:03 +0000

Westwood-based Sinai Temple, one of the largest synagogues in the country, has launched a fellowship dedicated to educating rabbinical students about Israel, hoping the next generation of rabbis can have nuanced conversations about Israel based on history and fact.

Currently in its pilot phase, the Sinai Temple Israel Center Rabbinical School Fellowship was designed for first and sec- ond-year rabbinical school students. In the current cohort, there are 16 students.

The fellowship’s programming includes virtual gatherings on Zoom dedicated to the history of Zionism, how Israel is portrayed in the media and the U.S.-Israel relation- ship throughout history. It culminates with a weeklong trip to Israel, during which time fellows visit sites while engaging with leaders on issues facing Israel.

According to Sinai Temple’s incoming Co-Senior Rabbi Erez Sherman, the congregation is aiming to provide a model for how to facilitate civil and informed conversations around what is ordinarily a divisive topic.

“Sinai Temple is leading the discourse for this charge nationally,” Sherman told the Courier. “Sinai Temple’s model of discourse on topics concerning the State of Israel is, we believe, a model that can be used nationally and internationally in the Jewish world of how we digest and inspire others to also be engaged in the conversation and be at the table.”

Studies show the younger generation of American Jews are likelier than their parents or grandparents to hold critical views of Israel. In 2021, during an 11-day violent conflict between Israel and Hamas, the governing party in the Gaza Strip, more than 100 American rabbinical students signed a letter criticizing Israel for being an apartheid state and of the “violent suppression of human rights.”

And on college campuses, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a nonviolent anti-Israel movement that cites Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians as a reason not to do business with the country, has increasingly gained traction. Supporters of Israel say the BDS movement is antisemitic.

According to Sherman, newer rabbis are reluctant to discuss Israel in their sermons because they fear they’ll be asked questions about BDS or anti-Zionism that they can’t answer.

The incoming co-senior rabbi at Sinai Temple believes the synagogue’s new Israel-focused rabbinical school fellowship can equip the country’s future rabbis with the knowledge they need to support Israel from the pulpit. These young leaders, he said, are in a unique place to influence discussion.

“This teaches rabbinical students how to sit at the table with many diverse Israel views and learn how to process what that means to them as American Jews and the Jewish world,” Sherman said.

Angela Maddahi, 66, a longtime resident of Beverly Hills, is enrolled at American Jewish University’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. The mother of three grown children and grandmother of five entered rabbinical school one year ago, and she’s in the current cohort of Sinai Temple’s new fellowship.

Speaking to the Courier in a phone interview from Israel, she said the fellowship has provided her with the opportunity to engage directly with Jewish and Palestinian people about Zionism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the current on-the-ground situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“As somebody who’s been to Israel numerous times, I thought I knew a lot, but this is amazing, and I feel really privileged to be part of this program,” she said.

Sinai Temple launched the Zionist education fellowship with the support of several organizations, including Jewish National Fund-USA, the Paul E. Singer Foundation and the Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation. Their support has allowed Sinai Temple to offer the fellowship as well as the trip to Israel at no cost to rabbinical students.

The fellows come from seminaries across the country, including Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jewish Theological Seminary, Academy for Jewish Religion California and Yeshiva University, representing each of the denominations of Judaism.

Reform rabbis ordained in the most liberal strain of Judaism often hold different political and social views than Orthodox clergy, and the bus-ride conversations among the fellows as they journey around Israel have been substantive and respectful.

“It’s a beautiful thing to watch Orthodox students speak to non-denominational students on a bus, and not just about Israel,” Sherman said.

For this year’s fellowship, there were more than 20 applicants, and Sherman is looking forward to next year’s fellowship.

“We’re hoping there will be more students next year,” he said, “that students will go back and say this is an experience you should have while in rabbinical school.”

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School Board Reviews Soccer Field Upgrades

Ryan Torok — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 02:30:59 +0000

The latest regularly scheduled meeting of the Beverly Hills Unified School District’s (BHUSD) Board of Education provided layout and cost updates associated with El Rodeo Elementary School’s soccer field construction while highlighting a district partnership with a youth soccer program.

Amin Solari, executive vice president of operations at Fonder-Salari, provided the detailed overview along with Will Karrat, the city’s executive director of construction services.
The Santa Clarita-based Fonder-Solari is the bond manager of the school district’s taxpayer-funded construction projects.

As part of upgrades to the El Rodeo soccer field, the district has partnered with American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) to make the field large enough—a regulation-length field, in fact—to accommodate AYSO programs. Under the Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Beverly Hills and BHUSD, AYSO, along with nearly 20 other programs, enjoys access to the school district’s fields and facilities.

AYSO is contributing $350,000 to the El Rodeo soccer field upgrade, according to School Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells.

“In partnership with AYSO, we worked with them to understand their needs. Now we’ll make a field that’s bigger and more usable for the school and the community at large,” Wells told the Courier. “It’s a great example of partnering with the city and a great example, since we changed our construction program, of how we’re more transparent and how we’re working together.”
Located at Whitter Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, in the western region of the district, El Rodeo Elementary School has been closed since June 2019. As part of a district reconfiguration, it is transitioning from serving grades K-8 to being a TK-5 school and currently is not being used in any capacity. The school opened in 1927.

When the school closed three years ago, the majority of its students were transferred to Hawthorne Elementary School and Beverly Vista Middle School. As the school district does not see a need to operate more than two elementary schools, Hawthorne will likely be repurposed once construction at El Rodeo is complete and the school reopens in June 2024.

The construction to the El Rodeo soccer field is part of a larger multiphase modernization and retrofit effort, funded by a $334 million bond. The seven-phase project has focused on equipping the school with state-of-the-art facilities, restoring the building’s façade and theater, upgrading the play courts and sports fields as well as incorporating additional site improvements.

On the new-and-improved soccer field, those who are ages 12-and-under will be able to use the entire length of the field while those 10-and-under will use the field from side-to-side, cutting the field in half and essentially creating two fields, Karrat said during the June 13 meeting, pointing to an artistic rendering of the field and school campus.

Karrat and Solari’s presentation also outlined the reviewed and negotiated total cost for the work at El Rodeo’s soccer field—a sum of $498,593.94. The cancellation of proposed concrete bleachers accounted for revised costs to the soccer field project.

“The bleachers were deleted as a cost saving measure and because it was determined that bleachers of that magnitude were not needed on an elementary school campus,” Karrat told the Courier.

The city, Solari said, will receive a $102,115 credit for the deletion of the bleachers. At its next meeting, the school board will be presented with a Contingency Allocation Request for this amount.

Upgrades to the soccer field include adding infrastructure for power outlets to accommodate for lighting around the field, regrading of the area, reconfiguration of the hardscape and a new underground draining system. It will also include the installation of bricks, which School Board President Noah Margo called a “great opportunity” for donors seeking naming gifts.

ProWest is the contractor on the project.

Members of the school board authorized Fonder-Solari to move forward with the El Rodeo soccer field upgrades.

“We already authorized them to move forward, not to make any delay on the project,” Margo said.

Assistant Superintendant Raphael Guzman discussed finances connected to the district construction projects. As previously reported, the district allowed its contract with Team Concept Development Services (TCDS) to expire and is currently contracting with Sandy Pringle Associates for Division of the State Architect (DSA) inspection services. During the meeting, Wells wanted to know what the financial impact was of changing from TCDS to Sandy Pringle.

While Guzman noted it was difficult to compare the two companies—“it’s two different entities,” he said—if you took the two companies’ hourly rates and multiplied it by the same amount of hours, the district was saving money working with Sandy Pringle.

In a phone interview, Wells said she was encouraged by Guzman’s update, saying the district has saved approximately $500,000—“or half of what they would’ve paid” had they kept contracting with TCDS.

DSA inspectors provide design and construction oversight to K-12 public schools. With Sandy Pringle, the district is now working with independent DSA inspectors, which is what the district ought to have been doing all along, Wells said.

“That’s the standard,” she told the Courier.

The school board is expected to approve the adopted 2023-2024 budget during its next meeting, scheduled for June 27.

Finally, the meeting also included projections of future BHUSD enrollment—for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year, the BHUSD enrollment estimate is 3,097 students—as well as a budget review. District officials projected a 2023-24 budget of approximately $17,425,039, down from last year’s budget of approximately $21,542,063.

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Concours d’Elegance Draws Nearly 45,000 Attendees

Ryan Torok — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 01:58:56 +0000

Porsches and Ferraris and Corvettes, oh my! On June 18, more than 44,000 people flocked to the city’s much-beloved, annual Father’s Day event, Rodeo Drive Concours
d’Elegance.

A Beverly Hills tradition since 1993, the city’s 28th annual family-friendly auto show featured more than 100 vehicles elegantly displayed on Beverly Hills’ most iconic shop- ping street, closed off throughout the day to vehicle traffic.

“There’s probably no place in the world where you can have cars like this and put them on a street like this and have the com- munity come together like this,” Mayor Dr.Julian Gold said.

The program was held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. At noon, an awards program, held on a stage at Brighton Way and Rodeo Drive, recognized the show’s outstanding vehicles and collectors in 12 categories. Known as much for his enthusiasm for cars as for the laughs he once generated on late-night television, performer Jay Leno emceed.

“It’s a great show,” Leno told the Courier a few minutes before the awards ceremony, adding he lived just two miles away and that a Bentley from his collection was being exhibited.
Joining the former “The Tonight Show” host to hand out awards were all five members of Beverly Hills City Council—Mayor Gold, Vice Mayor Lester Friedman and Councilmembers Lili Bosse, John Mirisch and Sharona Nazarian—along with the event’s founding chairman, Bruce Meyer, as well as Kathy Gohari, president of the Rodeo Drive Committee.

“Today was all about the dads, and a free, world-class car show is the perfect way to celebrate,” Meyer said. “We try to bring new and incredible cars to this show each year, and the generous support of both local owners and our amazing sponsors made that possible. It’s fun seeing the community get to enjoy them.”

From left: Jay Leno, Councilmember Lili Bosse, Vice Mayor Lester Friedman, Councilmembers John Mirisch and Sharona Nazarian, Rodeo Drive Committee President Kathy Gohari, Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance Founding Chairman Bruce Meyer and Mayor Dr. Julian Gold Photo by Ryan Torok

Leno, Meyer said, has been an active supporter of the city.

“Jay has been so supportive of our community,” Meyer said. “He’s done shows for the police and the fire [departments], and he continues to show his gratitude in so many ways.”
Before the awards ceremony began, Bosse was seen boogying to tunes playing overhead, including Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” and the Beatles’ “Drive My Car.” Standing beside Gold, the councilwoman took the mayor’s hands, and lively dancing ensued.

The show’s vehicles included a maroon 1935 Duesenberg convertible coupe by Rollston, lent to the show by the Singleton Collection; a silver 1972 Porsche 911 Targa, its topless design and gleaming hood epitomizing European luxury; a vintage Ferrari once owned by actor Steve McQueen, its estimated value between $5 and $7 million; and a built-for-California-summers 1959 Fiat Jolly.

Nick Clemence, owner of European Collectibles, exhibited a 1956 Ferrari 275GTB. The
vehicle was recognized with the “Steve McQueen Award.” Photo by Ryan Torok

The Jolly’s owner, Jonathan Burrows, said the car belonged to his late father. Now it was his.

What could be more appropriate than sharing it with the community on Father’s Day, he said?

Matt Goist, curator and collection manager at the Newport-based Singleton Collection, accepted the Chairman’s Award for the 1935 Duesenberg. In an interview, he described the Duesenberg as an enjoyable, occasionally challenging driving experience.

“It’s powerful, responsive for a car from the 1930s and not easy to parallel park,” Goist told the Courier.

Cradling a crystal trophy—which Leno had earlier joked resembled a cereal bowl—Goist said the Singleton Collection was grateful for the opportunity to showcase one of its own at the Beverly Hills function.

“We’re very supportive of the cause, and Bruce [Meyer] is a friend of ours,” he said. “It’s a great show. I love it. It’s always a great mix. I’ve come before as a spectator, and it brings out a lot of people.”

Along with recognizing the program’s outstanding cars, the event raised funds directly benefitting the community. Meyer and Gold presented the Beverly Hills Firefighters Association and the Beverly Hills Police Officers Association, respectively, with $5,000 checks. The two nonprofits support the city’s first responders and their families.

The event, supported by the city of Beverly Hills, the Rodeo Drive Committee and O’Gara Coach, among others, returns next year on June 16.

A 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Coupe by Dubos, from Nethercutt Collection, was awarded “Best of Show.” Courtesy of Kahn Media

The full list of award winners:
• Best of Show: Nethercutt Collection, 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Coupe by Dubos;
• Mayor’s Award: Most Elegant: Todd Blue, 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SC Cabriolet;
• Chairman’s Award: 1935 Duesenberg Model J LWB Convertible Couple by Rollston;
• Icon Award: Timeless Classic: Peter Brotman, 1968 Lamborghini Miura;
• Rodeo Drive Award: Most Stylist: Matt Katz, 1953 Fiat V8 by Vignale;
• Police Chief’s Award: Life in the Fast Lane: Tommy Drissi, 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Chaparral Trans-Am Racer;
• Rodeo Drive Award: Most Unique: Hiram Bond, 1980 Chevrolet Corvette/Cadillac Custom;
• Rodeo Drive Award: Most Fashionable: Maurice Moore, 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz;
• Carroll Shelby Award: Most Sporting: Mike Regalia, 1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4;
• Steve McQueen Award: Classic Sports Car: Nick Clemence, 1965 Ferrari 275GTB;
• Most Outrageous: Hunter Kim, 1961 Volkswagen FB County Micro Bus;
• Most Passionate Enthusiast: Philip Sarofim.

The 2023 Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance Courtesy of Kahn Media

A 1961 Volkswagen FB County Micro Bus, displayed at this year’s Concours d’Elegance,
garnered recognition as “Most Outrageous” vehicle. Courtesy of Kahn Media

Electric vehicle company Lucid Motors hosted a display at this year’s Concours d’Elegance. Courtesy of Kahn Media

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Firefighters Association Creates Award for Community Leader Judie Fenton

Ryan Torok — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Firefighters Association (BHFA) recognized longtime resident and civic leader Judie Fenton with the inaugural Judie Fenton Community and Volunteer Excellence Award during its 31st annual Backdraft Ball, held June 8 at the Beverly Hilton.

Fenton, president and founder of FTA Events, is no stranger to Beverly Hills civic life. In addition to her longtime support of the BHFA, she has served on the Recreation and Parks commission, helmed Mayor Dr. Julian Gold’s City Council campaign in 2020, co-chaired Councilmember Lester Friedman’s 2022 campaign and served on the Traffic and Parking Commission.

Approximately 30 years ago, Fenton created the event she is perhaps most proud of—the BHFA Backdraft Ball. Fittingly, this year’s event honoring Fenton set records in terms of ticket sales, silent auction and donations.

Beverly Hills’ firefighters established the new permanent award named for Fenton to spotlight her selfless acts of service, volunteerism, work ethic and impact on the community, Beverly Hills Fire Department (BHFD) Chief Greg Barton told the Courier.

“This was an opportunity to recognize Judie for all the selfless service she’s done for the fire family,” said Barton. “The Judie Fenton Community and Volunteer Excellence Award will be awarded once a year, and it’s a way to continue everything Judie’s done going forward.”

Speaking at the well-attended gathering at the Hilton, Barton told the crowd of approximately 400 people about Fenton’s decades of dedicated service to the Beverly Hills community. Addressing Fenton directly, he said, “I would like to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your unwavering support. Your contributions have far-reaching impact and will leave a lasting legacy.”

Barton said Fenton’s contributions to the city’s firefighting efforts were invaluable.

“She is 100 percent behind the Beverly Hills Fire Department and the Beverly Hills Firefighters Association,” Barton said in a phone interview after the event.

The Beverly Hills Firefighters Association is a labor organization representing 86 full-time professional employees of the BHFD, including firefighters, paramedics and battalion chiefs. The Backdraft Ball raises funds for the medical trust of the city’s retired firefighters who lose their medical insurance after they retire from years of dedicated service to the community. Members of the BHFA operate the city’s three fire stations 24-hours per day and respond to over 8,000 incidents a year.

Barton anticipates the new award will be put to good use in future years. Each year, any member of the BHFD will be eligible to receive the Judie Fenton Community and Volunteer Excellence Award. An awards committee will determine who is most deserving.

“It’s a standalone award that will be given out annually,” Barton said. “Whether that’s at the Backdraft Ball or another event, that still remains to be seen.”

Fenton and Barton have known each other for almost 30 years. Together they’ve shared both personal and professional ups and downs. In fact, Fenton credits the BHFD with saving her life. In October 2022, Fenton was enjoying dinner at Porta Via in Beverly Hills when she suddenly stopped talking. She was having a stroke. Her friends called 911, prompting an immediate response from BHFD, which provided her with an anti-coagulant, also known as a blood thinner.

That evening, Fenton was transported to the nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Today, she’s still in recovery and in speech therapy, but her loved ones say the rapid response of the local emergency responders played a significant role in minimizing harm.

“With strokes, if you don’t get to it fast, the person suffers more damage,” Fenton’s daughter, Jenny Smiley, told the Courier.

Smiley works with her mother at FTA Events, which specializes in event planning, creative marketing, business development and political campaign strategies. Like her mother, she attends the Backdraft Ball every year. This year, she was heartened and moved by Chief Barton’s announcement at the evening’s conclusion that they’d be creating an award in Fenton’s honor.

“It was a surprise, and it was really nice,” Smiley said.

Fenton has been supporting the BHFA and the Backdraft Ball since its inception—yet it’s far from the only city cause she supports. When her four children, who are now grown, were in BHUSD schools, she was active on Horace Mann Elementary School’s PTA. She’s also been involved with the Maple Counseling Center, a nonprofit community health center, as well as the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.

Her passion has always been the city of Beverly Hills, where she has lived since the 1970s, Smiley said.

“I think her thing has always been to just support the community. She’s been very involved. Her involvement in the city has always been there,” Smiley said. “Her big thing is, this is her city and anything she can do to better it has always been her forte.”

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City Council Reviews Upcoming Fiscal Year Budgets

Ryan Torok — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills City Council conducted a special budget study session on June 12 to discuss the city’s proposed capital improvement and operating budgets for fiscal year 2023-2024.

“The city of Beverly Hills is strongly committed to investing in capital and infrastructure needs,” Jeff Muir, director of finance for the city of Beverly Hills, said at the meeting. “This ongoing commitment differentiates the city from many of the cities that surround it.”

For fiscal year 2023-2024, the proposed capital improvement budget is $92.4 million, with funds dedicated to infrastructure, capital assets, parking, other internal services and enterprise projects. The sum is approximately $17 million higher than the approved budget for 2023-2024 in the 2022-2023 approved CIP plan.

The largest amount of capital improvement proposal funding for the coming fiscal year is for infrastructure, with $26.5 million appropriated to it.

The total capital improvement budget over the next five years, though fiscal year 2027-2028, is $426.3 million.

Shana Epstein, the city’s director of public works, spoke of the city’s 2022-23 accomplishments. She highlighted the water well project on La Cienega Boulevard, renovations to the City Hall tower—”We used 290 yards of concrete to stabilize the tower,” she said—and the ongoing reconstruction of Coldwater Canyon Drive.

She also highlighted 24,000 plants being planted on Burton Way. More than half have already been planted.

“This is a very exciting project where we’ll capture millions of gallons of stormwater, and we’ll be able to reuse it onsite for showing and demonstrating a green street for the community,” Epstein said.

For fiscal year 2023-2024, more than $3 million in the budget will be allocated toward the vehicle replacement program, Epstein said. There will be a replacement of 20 vehicles for the police department, eight for public works, five for the fire department, and one new vehicle for the police department. A total of 34 vehicles are in the budget.

“Each vehicle has its own prescribed life, and in many times once it gets to its prescribed life, we evaluate it if it can last a little longer—and we do that on a regular basis with each vehicle,” Epstein said. “Once the vehicle has been replaced, it goes out to public auction.”

When Mayor Dr. Julian Gold asked about “electrification of the fleet,” Epstein said the city has looked at alternative-fuel vehicles that are out there. This is something the city does whenever it acquires replacement vehicles. The public works director also spoke of the department’s intention to install “double the number of EV chargers in our parking structures.”

She also spoke of the proposed funding for streets, sidewalks and parking.

Gold inquired about the health of the parking fund. “In this budget have we put away enough money that we’ll be able to maintain the parking structured as we ought and not have to come back for another general fund infusion?”

Epstein said the projection for the parking fund moved from approximately $6 million to $3 million.

“We did want to make an emphasis to show that we give about $2.7 million in free transactions in free parking as part of what we’ve defined as a community value,” Epstein, the public works director, told Gold.

Stephanie Harris, director of community services, spoke about proposed funding increases—to the amount of $500,000—for park facilities renovation at Roxbury Park, covering improvements to the volleyball courts, the outdoor basketball courts and the trip-and-fall hazards around the park.

Highlighting proposed funding for technology and public safety, Chief Information Officer David Schirmer spoke of the city moving to a new encryption technology requiring an upgrade to the mobile radios in police vehicles. The proposed funding increase is $1.5 million. The proposed budget in the upcoming fiscal year for the IT equipment replacement program is $1.7 million, Schirmer said.

The cost of project management spread across all the CIPs, or “the cost of the people that plan and implement all the capital improvement projects throughout the city,” Schirmer said, is nearly $5.3 million.

Muir also presented an overview of the city’s operating budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, saying the city projects an estimated net revenue of $456.3 million. The largest portion is charges of current services, including utilities, development-related fees and community service activity charges.

The most significant appropriation in the operating budget is for city employees’ salaries and benefits, at $203.7 million, representing 44% of the city’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Capital improvements, meanwhile, with an appropriation of $87.1 million, account for 19% of the upcoming operating budget.

Providing remarks about the macroeconomic climate, Muir said the city must remain fiscally vigilant because of inflation and fears that rising interest rates could trigger a recessionary period.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Councilmember Lili Bosse thanked the city’s staff for making the budget more concise and understandable than in years past.

“I feel very confident any resident, any person, can read one of these books and very concisely understand what we’re talking about,” Bosse said Gold, for his part, agreed.

“This is really a presentable budget that we all easily understand,” he said. “So, that’s great.”

Councilmember John Mirisch praised the city’s efforts toward being fiscally conservative while saying he’d like to see more resources dedicated to creating affordable housing.

“We’re the envy, in terms of the kind of revenue we have, of many other cities,” he said. “But is it burning a hole in our pocket?”

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BHPD Responds to Purse Snatchings, Catalytic Converter Theft and Armed Robbery

Ryan Torok — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 10:30:00 +0000

In recent days, the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) responded to a flurry of criminal activity on the city’s streets.

On May 17, BHPD officers arrested three suspects in connection with the theft of a catalytic converter from a parked vehicle.

On June 4, two suspects were arrested for allegedly stealing purses and their contents.

And on June 6, BHPD officers responded to an armed robbery in the 200 block of South Hamilton Drive.

PURSE SNATCHING

The purse-snatching incidents occurred on June 3, between 8:50-10:10 p.m., at two restaurants within the 400 block of North Canon Drive. According to BHPD, a pair of perpetrators either crept behind the victims or used techniques to distract the victims before taking off with their belongings. The victims had set their purses down or hung them on the back of their chairs.

The stolen goods were valued at $10,200, according to BHPD.

While local police did not disclose the names of the restaurants where the thefts occurred, local news outlet KTLA posted video showing two people involved in a purse-snatching at Wally’s on Canon Drive.

BHPD identified the suspects as Jenny Carolina Pineda, 40, and Edeson Sebastian Ramirez, 18.

Cameras caught their license plate, which led to their arrest on June 4 in Fontana.

Authorities are charging the two with commercial burglary and criminal conspiracy. Pineda and Ramirez posted $20,000 bail and were released pending court proceedings.

BHPD Public Information Officer Lt. Reginald Evans advised Beverly Hills residents and visitors to be mindful of their belongings when enjoying the city’s attractions.

“The City of Beverly Hills welcomes residents and visitors alike to partake in the city’s stores and restaurants. While doing so, it is important that citizens are always aware of their surroundings and the location of their belongings,” Evans said. “This would aid in the prevention of opportunistic criminal behavior.”

CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT

Catalytic converter theft continues to be a problem, with the latest high-profile incident in the city occurring in broad daylight.

According to BHPD, a trio of “thieves were caught red-handed removing a catalytic converter by the [vehicle’s] owner. The suspects made a run for it, but our Real Time Watch Center and Virtual Patrol Officers located the vehicle from the victim’s description.”

While the suspects fled, BHPD said, a motor officer and additional BHPD units pursued in “a slow speed pursuit due to heavy traffic on the freeway. When the suspect vehicle tried to exit, our skilled BHPD units executed a flawless Pursuit Intervention Technique maneuver.”

The immobilization of the vehicle led to the suspects’ arrests.

BHPD identified the suspects as Francisco Perez, 44, of Toluca, Mexico; Elizon Munoz Hernandez-Munoz, 44, of Tijuana, Mexico; and Carlos Benny Castillo, 40, of Los Angeles.

Authorities are charging Perez with evading police, grand theft and an outstanding warrant, while Hernandez-Munoz and Castillo are being charged with grand theft and possession of burglary tools.

The victim, meanwhile, was described as a public-school teacher who needed help to pay for his vehicle’s repair. The Beverly Hills Police Officers Association stepped up and provided financial support.

Officers located the stolen catalytic converter inside the suspects’ car.

ARMED ROBBERY

The June 6 armed robbery incident occurred around 6:40 p.m.

Officers said a 29-year-old male victim was robbed at gunpoint while exiting an apartment building elevator near Hamilton Drive and Gregory Way.

BHPD Public Information Officer Evans told media the suspect approached the victim from behind, pointed a handgun and demanded jewelry.

The estimated loss was $100.

As of press time, no suspect was located, according to police.

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Council Considers Special Election, Fractional Ownership and Historic Property

Ryan Torok — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 09:00:00 +0000

At its June 6 regular meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council approved the certified results of the May 2023 special election in which Measures B and C were defeated by some 80 votes.

City Clerk Huma Ahmed appeared before the council with the results of the election. She also noted that a request for a recount had been filed on June 2.

“The county will coordinate the process and the requestor is responsible for all payments associated with the recount. However, the certification process for this evening can still move forward, and this is why we are here before you today with the resolution,” Ahmed said.

The council’s June 6 meeting also included lengthy discussion over a conditionally approved security fence around a locally designated historic single-family residence, at 910 N. Bedford Drive, owned by Daniel Negari. The Council reviewed the Cultural Heritage Commission’s April 12 issuance and conditional approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the property—which, known as the Anthony-Kerry House, was designed by master architects and siblings Charles and Henry Greene—to modify the external appearance of the historic landmark in compliance with historic guidelines.

Also known as the “Greene and Greene” house, according to Timothea Tway, director of community development, the property, constructed in 1901, incorporates a definitive Craftsman architectural style, distinguished by unique characteristics including a clinker-brick wall.

During the meeting, Tway gave a presentation to council regarding the Cultural Heritage Commission’s conditional approval to the current owner for external modifications. At issue was a security fence and gate being built as part of the construction of a two-story addition and swimming pool to the existing historic property.

The construction of the fence has been paused due to concerns from the Cultural Heritage Commission about its potential visual impact and protecting the residence during construction.

Additional speakers during this segment of the hearing included Cultural Heritage Commission Chair Craig Corman and Cultural Heritage Commission Vice Chair Marc Teren. The owner of the property was not in attendance. His representative explained he was currently on a trip in Israel.

Most council members expressed support for the certificate of appropriateness.

“I do believe this fence does look appropriate,” Councilmember Lili Bosse said.

“I brought this forward because I really did feel one’s safety within one’s home is paramount,” Mayor Dr. Julian Gold said. “We probably feel that more today than we did several years, but creating safety and the feeling of safety is important. At that point, there are really two questions—is it code compliant, which it is, and secondarily, does it meet the Secretary of the Interior’s requirements?”

“I agree with everybody the preservation of this house is a very good thing, and we do thank the owners for all it took to get there over the years,” Gold said.

Councilmember John Mirisch, however, took issue with the process through which the approval was given, saying the C of A, issued at the staff level, ought to have been brought before council and the appropriate commission before it was issued.

“Going forward it would be important for us to get our act together and be able to collaborate,” Mirisch said, adding the residence was “an architectural masterpiece that’s important to our community.”

The Assistant City Manager, Ryan Gohlich, explained city code dictated it be a staff-level decision.

The council did not deliver a final decision on the certificate of appropriateness. Rather, the council directed staff to prepare a revised resolution that will be brought to the council for consideration at its next meeting about approving, modifying or denying the certificate of appropriateness.

Also on the June 6 agenda was the second reading of a draft ordinance to prohibit fractional ownership of residential and commercial properties. The ordinance had previously been introduced during the council’s May 16 meeting. Ultimately, the council adopted the ordinance prohibiting fractional ownership, the practice allowing multiple parties to buy ownership shares in a single property.

The next council meeting is scheduled for June 27.

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Mayor Gold Attends U.S. Conference of Mayors Meeting

Ryan Torok — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 19:45:00 +0000

Beverly Hills Mayor Dr. Julian Gold participated in the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), 91st Annual Meeting, held in Columbus, Ohio from June 2-5.

The Beverly Hills mayor was one of more than 300 mayors from across the United States who attended the four-day convening of plenaries, breakout sessions, committee meetings and networking.

During the conference, USCM named Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass chair of the USCM Task Force on Homelessness.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Gold said in a phone interview the day after he returned. “I spent a fair amount of time with Karen Bass. I think we agree, and she and I have discussed this, the issues around homelessness are regional, and it’ll take a lot of people working together around city boundaries to solve the problem.”

Bass’ appointment was announced by USCM on June 5.

Gold has had a continuing dialogue with Bass as well as Los Angeles City Council Member Katy Yaroslavsky, whose district borders Beverly Hills, West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath on ways to build partnerships around addressing the growing population of unhoused people.

“We’re all on board,” he said.

Along with achieving “functional zero” homelessness, the mayors’ conference identified critical priorities for this country’s cities, including public safety, technology, innovation, climate resiliency and more. A major focus was also the mental health and fentanyl crises facing cities.

Also, cities’ chief executives shared concerns over to what extent federal dollars resulting from the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill will end up going to cities.

“The overarching conversation, I think, is about the federal infrastructure bill and the dollars that are sitting out there and how do we advocate for our city and region to get those infrastructure dollars,” Gold said.

During the conference, Gold spoke on a panel about his involvement in energy issues. He also joined a discussion on innovation and technology, with a focus on artificial intelligence and its potential utilizations and consequences.

“This was mostly focused on AI,” he told the Courier. “[We discussed] what we should be thinking about in terms of how we can use it and how we have to be aware of some of the things that can happen.”

The conference also examined the state’s preempting of city government. Gold and Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery had entered the conference believing this topic would be of concern exclusively to California cities, where the state has exerted outsize control over housing issues.

California cities aren’t alone, however. Across the country, state authorities have shown a willingness to reduce the size of city councils and cut back local police departments.

“As it turns out, the state’s preemption of city governments is a nationwide issue,” Gold said. “States are threatening to take away police forces from cities. There’s a sense there is a national movement for state preemption for local control.”

This was not Gold’s first time traveling to another city to participate in the USCM meeting. He previously attended conferences, which move from city to city, in Boston and San Francisco. The first time he attended he even met then-U.S. President Barack Obama.

His experiences attending these gatherings have proven beneficial if for no other reason they remind a city executive he or she is not alone in tackling challenges facing their city.

On June 6 during the latest City Council meeting, he reported back to his fellow council members about his experience at the conference.

“The biggest takeaway for me was everybody’s got the same problems we do,” Gold said. “They are a little bit different, but everybody’s got the same problems.

USCM is a non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Each city is represented in the conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. The annual USCM conference provides mayors from across the country an opportunity to engage with the White House and members of U.S. Congress to ensure federal policy addresses the priorities of cities. There are two USCM gatherings each year—the winter and annual meetings.

Beverly Hills leadership always participates.

“The net benefit of attending is two-fold,” Gold said. “I think it’s good Beverly Hills participates in these things. I think it’s important. We’ve done some things that are cutting edge, that others can learn from, and I’m pleased to show we’re there, engaged and participatory.”

Next year’s conference is taking place in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Commencement Ceremonies Bring Joy and Closure

Ryan Torok — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Horace Mann Elementary School, Beverly Vista Middle School and Beverly Hills High School held their 2023 graduation ceremonies between May 31-June 2.

On May 31 at Horace Mann, school officials and students embraced the festive occasion by sporting leis of purple flowers. Attendees at the “promotion” ceremony included BHUSD Superintendent Michael Bregy; Assistant Superintendents Raphael Guzman and Dustin Seeman; School Board Member Rachelle Marcus; Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells; and School Principal Craig Bugbee.

“Horace Mann fifth grade, are you ready?” Bugbee said at the start of the event. It was a joyous affair despite the overcast skies. Attendees were all smiles as the graduating fifth grade Huskies spoke about their positive experiences at the school. There was purple everywhere, from the balloons to the step-and-repeat to Bregy’s sportscoat. Judging from the excitement of the young faces, students were ready to begin their summer and be promoted into sixth grade, their first year of middle school.

On June 1, continuing the week of commencements, Beverly Vista Middle School held its graduation ceremony.

“You have shown up, persevered and achieved,” Beverly Vista Middle School Principal Dr. Kelly Skon said.

For Beverly Vista, the 2023 graduating class experienced a share of challenges. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the class began middle school three years ago on Zoom. Students didn’t meet in person until the conclusion of sixth grade. However, the class of 272 students came together and gathered on the campus’ outdoor field along with family and friends to mark the completion of eighth grade.

School Board Member Vice President Amanda Stern spoke; Beverly Vista’s student string ensemble performed Maroon 5’s “Memories;” and BHHS Co-Principal Stewart said he looked forward to having students at the high school next year.

Beverly Hills High School’s 2023 commencement was held June 2 on Nickoll Field. Photo courtesy city of Beverly Hills

“Today you are officially a Norman,” Stewart said, referring to the high school’s mascot. “Congratulations.”

On June 2, the BHHS commencement ceremony was held on the high school’s Nickoll Field. At 10:20 a.m., the 301 members of the BHHS senior class moved the tassels of their caps from right to left, signaling they were officially high school graduates. Celebrating, they threw their caps in the air.

The turning of the tassel ceremony marked the conclusion of the students’ four-year high school career as well as a new beginning, BHHS Co-Principal Kim Decatrel said.

“Go into the world and do well, but more importantly go into the world and do good,” Decatrel said.

The high school’s ceremony began with Student Body President Amelia Teschner welcoming attendees and leading the Pledge of Allegiance. She was followed by student commencement speakers Ashley Jourabch, Alexandria Bakshian and Chloe Sooferan.

Jourabch quoted rapper Nicki Minaj’s lyric, “Forget the haters, just get the money,” saying it was aspirational.

Sooferan underlined the Jewish concept of tikkun olam (Hebrew for “healing the world”), saying her experience participating in March of the Living, an education program that brings students to Poland to learn about the Holocaust, affirmed “the importance of standing up to hate.”

Student speakers at Beverly Hills High School’s 2023 commencement from left: Chloe Sooferan, Amelia Teschner and Ashley Jourabch Photo by Colby Gilardian, KBEV

BHUSD Board of Education President Noah Margo was a speaker and discussed what it meant to become “great.” While the students had surely accomplished great things, they weren’t great—not yet.

“The diploma we hand you today is an invitation to do that, to keep trying,” Margo said.

After BHHS Co-Principals Decatrel and Drew Stewart offered the official presentation of the high school senior class—“It’s our recommendation that today they are awarded their high school diplomas,” Decatrel said—Margo gave the response, granting the request. A roll call of graduates followed, prompting parents from their seats to take photos of the children walking onstage.

A quote by novelist Janet Fitch, author of the celebrated book, “White Oleander,” provided the theme for the graduation ceremony: “You’ve got to let go of who were, to become who you will be.”

During the ceremony, Ilan Nickfardjam became the fourth member of his family to graduate from the high school. His mother, Debbie, watched as Ilan accepted his diploma. She said her son’s graduation was “bittersweet.”

“It’s another milestone,” she told the Courier. “This chapter is closed, and he’ll go on to another chapter of his life…It’s time to move on.”

The commencements wrapped a bustling school-week filled with end-of-year programs. Along with the graduation ceremonies, the district organized informal and private events, including the BHHS Senior Scholarship Evening and the BHHS Department Awards.

The week also included a much-delayed graduation for the high school’s class of 2020. When they were supposed to accept their diplomas, in June 2020, the city was on lockdown because of the pandemic. Then-BHHS Principal Mark Mead and Bregy drove to each graduate’s house to hand deliver diplomas.

Beverly Hills High School Co-Principals Drew Stewart and Kim Decatrel Photo by Colby Gilardian, KBEV

But on June 2, following the class of 2023’s commencement ceremony, 30 students from the 2020 class finally had their moment, walking onstage in white caps and gowns with parents and loved ones looking on. There was music, tacos and former BHHS Principal Mead spoke with “Pomp and Circumstance” playing in the background.

In lieu of a diploma, everyone was handed a BHHS hat by the Board of Education and cabinet members as they walked across the stage. Parents and siblings cheered followed by many hugs and a few tears.

After the ceremony, BHHS Co-Principal Stewart led the graduates and their families on a tour of the new buildings they never got to see.

“We know kids are resilient and can overcome so much, but it’s nice to be able to provide some closure for some of those events they didn’t get to participate in,” BHUSD Governing Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells told the Courier. “It’s the least we can do, it’s an easy thing we can do, and it was meaningful for those who wanted and needed it.”

It was JR Dzubak’s idea to have the ceremony. A parent of a 2020 graduate, Dzubak observed how much his son, Nolan, was impacted by not taking part in the usual activities marking the end of a typical senior year. He and his wife wanted to give him an ordinary graduation experience.

From left: Horace Mann Elementary School Principal Craig Bugbee and BHUSD Superintendent Michael Bregy Photo courtesy city of Beverly Hills

Involved in civic matters, Dzubak, who is also president of the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills, brought the idea of a ceremony for the 2020 class to the head of the high school’s PTSA, Rose Kaiserman, and district leaders. To his delight, they were receptive.

So, on the day of the commencement ceremony, the Dzubaks, who also have a daughter who’s a 2023 graduate, took pride in having two children graduating.

“I remember the way my son looked when he was 7 years old, getting excited for Halloween, what that look looked like—I saw that look when he graduated last week when they organized the graduation,” Dzubak said in a phone interview. “To reconnect with friends, to walk the stage and take pictures with his mom and dad, that was amazing.”

The ceremony, he said, underscored the city’s unique commitment to nurturing community.

“We’re lucky to be in Beverly Hills, in a caring tightknit community like this. LAUSD, Culver City, none of the other school districts had the ability to pull it off the way this district worked together.”

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Rabbinical School Announces Plans to Relocate to Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:30:00 +0000

American Jewish University’s (AJU) Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies is relocating to the Beverly Hills area, according to a recent announcement by the organization.

The new 7,700-square-foot space will be located at 350 S. Beverly Drive, on the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Beverly Drive, and will feature a library, private offices for tenured faculty, shared workspaces, classrooms, conference room and a Beit Midrash (a hall dedicated for Torah study).

There will also be space allowing for collaboration and communal gathering.

The Ziegler School’s new location will be a short distance from the predominately Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood, near multiple kosher restaurants, synagogues and Jewish institutions.

In an interview with the Courier, AJU President Dr. Jeffrey Herbst said bringing its rabbinical school program to Beverly Hills made the most sense for their students and faculty, many of whom live nearby in Pico-Robertson.

“It’s really part of our efforts to meet the Jewish community where it is rather than expect people to show up to Bel-Air,” Herbst said. “And so, it’s very important for us. We view this as a critical element of our future where instead of being beholden to a particular piece of real estate, we’re dynamic and nimble and go where it makes the most sense to be.”

In September of 2022, the AJU board of directors approved the sale of the university’s Familian Campus—set on 27 acres in Bel-Air, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Los Angeles—to EF Education First, a family-owned international education organization. Under lease-back terms reached as part of the agreement, AJU’s administrative offices are continuing to reside on the campus until 2028. As of press time, the deal was in escrow.

In a statement announcing the news of the Ziegler School’s relocation, Herbst said AJU was moving its rabbinical school to the “heart of Jewish life in Los Angeles.”

“With this move, American Jewish University begins a new chapter for the Ziegler School, providing our students with innovative opportunities to flourish in the heart of Jewish life in Los Angeles,” Herbst said in the statement. “We are paying close attention to the shifting needs of the Jewish community, our offerings, and our students, and making important changes that will enable AJU’s programs to thrive for generations to come.”

According to AJU, renovations are in the planning process. This includes the combining of office suites in the building as well as work on restrooms.

The decision to relocate was based on comprehensive research into L.A. Jewish life, feedback from Zeigler students and faculty and the recommendations of an external Blue-Ribbon Commission that AJU convened in January 2022, the AJU statement says. According to Herbst, continuing to operate a rabbinical school in Bel-Air—where AJU’s Familian Campus, the current home of the Ziegler School, is based—made little sense for a student body that’s largely based elsewhere.

Ultimately, AJU’s board of directors approved the move. AJU’s regional accreditor, the WASC Senior College and University Commission, approved the additional location “through a substantive change process for the Ziegler School,” according to AJU.

The Ziegler School is expected to begin occupying the new space in early to mid 2024.

AJU’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies ordains rabbis in the Conservative movement. The nonprofit school’s current location is 15600 Mulholland Drive. Along with degrees in rabbinic studies, AJU operate a School for Jewish Education and Leadership, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Jewish education and Jewish early childhood education along with professional development programs for educators. Earlier this year, AJU announced its appointment of Dr. Bruce Powell as interim dean of the School for Jewish Education and Leadership, effective July 1. Additional AJU programs include the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, serving those in interfaith relationships, rediscovering their Jewish heritage or seeking to convert to Judaism.

AJU also operates the 2,700-acre Brandeis-Bardin campus in Simi Valley, home to an overnight Jewish summer camp, among other programs.

The move of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies to Beverly Hills follows AJU’s announcement last year that it was restricting the Ziegler curriculum to better serve the needs of the future rabbinate. It transitioned from what was five-to-six-year program to an accelerated four-year program culminating with an innovative residency during the final year. The curriculum development joined other changes that included setting Ziegler tuition at $7,000 per year as part of an effort to promote educational transparency and accessibility.

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‘Critical Conversations’ Event Sparks Antisemitism Debate

Ryan Torok — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:27:00 +0000

Whereas Jewish people in America were once outsiders, they’ve become insiders, and whereas antisemitism in the U.S. continues to be a problem, it is nowhere near the level it was in the 1930s when antisemitic figures like Father Charles Coughlin had large followings.

Jewish journalist Rob Eshman shared that view during the May 31 program, “The Jewish Contribution to the American Fabric of Life,” a panel discussion convened as part of the city’s ongoing “Critical Conversations” series in commemoration of Jewish American Heritage Month.

Others disagreed. While Beverly Hills is a “pocket” and “haven” from antisemitism, Jew-hatred remained a “rampant” problem plaguing the country, Gina Raphael, chair of the Women’s International Zionist Organization in California, said during the in-person discussion.

Raphael pointed to the recent performance by Roger Waters, an internationally known musician who appeared onstage wearing what resembled a Nazi uniform.

This back-and-forth was held in the City Hall Municipal Gallery. Six dynamic leaders in the Jewish community participated in the discussion, co-presented by the Beverly Hills Human Relations Commission in partnership with the Community Services Department.

Approximately 100 people, including all five City Council members, attended the discussion.

Noelle Freeman, chair of the Human Relations Commission, moderated the 80-minute conversation, which featured Eshman; Raphael; attorney and nonprofit leader Sam Yebri; writer Jacob Savage; Israeli American art historian and curator Sagi Refael; and Holocaust survivor Severyn Ashkenazy.

Asked by Freeman to weigh in on the Jewish impact on media throughout contemporary history, Eshman, former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, said it was challenging—how does one underscore the active role Jews have had in the industry without fueling stereotypes about Jews?

The idea of Jewish control of the media,” Eshman said, “has been an “antisemitic canard from Henry Ford to Kanye West.”

While Jewish entertainment professionals once changed their names to hide their Jewishness— “Has anyone here heard of David Kaminsky?” said Eshman. No? Well, you might know him as Danny Kaye, the well-known actor from the 1940s and 1950s— Jewish entertainers today no longer feel the need to do that.

And in the fledgling days of Hollywood, films often examined themes of tolerance and bigotry—the 1947 movie, “Gentleman’s Agreement,” concerning a journalist who poses as a Jew to expose antisemitism, is one example—Jewish filmmakers today are less concerned with tackling anti-Jewish sentiments in their work, Eshman added.

However, perhaps they ought to be. During a Q&A with the audience, Councilmember John Mirisch, seated in the front row, asked how to effectively respond to antisemitism coming both from the political far-right and the far-left.

In response, Savage highlighted how hatred against Jews unfolds on college campuses. The contributing writer at online Jewish magazine Tablet cited an incident at his alma mater, Princeton University, where Jewish students walking into a campus building to pray on Friday night faced opposition by pro-Palestinian activists.

If Jewish students had spoken out against Muslim students while they were entering a mosque, they would have been rightfully vilified as bigoted, Savage said, prompting a nod of agreement from Eshman.

One audience member asked what the panel thought of U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the Jewish husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. Emhoff speaks publicly about his Jewish identity and has been tasked by the Biden Administration to support its effort combating antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad.

“I think it’s exciting to see him take on the mantle of antisemitism…and to have him speak so personally about his Jewish identity,” said Yebri, co-founder of 30 Years After, a nonprofit dedicated to engaging Iranian-American-Jews on civic issues.

The program was a collaborative effort between city government officials and commissions. Councilmember Lili Bosse, while serving as mayor, proposed the idea of a “Critical Conversations” series, garnering the support of the entire City Council.

Bosse participated in a 2022 conference in Greece about combating antisemitism. The experience led to the Council’s decision to mark Jewish American Heritage Month— held every year in the month of May—with a series of programs this year.

The “Critical Conversations” discussion was the final event in the monthlong series of happenings. Human Relations Commissioner Vered Elkouby Nisim and Commission Ad Hoc Chair Freeman turned to their network of community members and thought leaders when selecting speakers for the program. Ultimately, the event illustrated the city’s longstanding commitment to celebrating its sizable Jewish community.

“Our community has a large Jewish American population, so it seemed like a very fitting celebration,” Harris said. “We just recently celebrated various cultures at our Festival Beverly Hills event as a way to promote diversity and inclusion. It’s important to promote diversity and inclusion in differences between cultures, and we hope to help foster a greater understanding and appreciation of people from all backgrounds. By celebrating various cultures, we hope to bring about awareness, understanding, appreciation and respect of people from all backgrounds.”

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Graduations and Celebrations Mark End of School Year in Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:15:00 +0000

The last week of the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) 2022-2023 school year brought no shortage of heartwarming moments.

All four of the schools in the district— Hawthorne Elementary School, Horace Mann Elementary School, Beverly Vista Middle School and Beverly Hills High School—marked the achievements of their graduating classes and outstanding faculty with festive events for the BHUSD community.

On May 31, Hawthorne Elementary School held a commencement ceremony for its fifth-grade class. Parents cheered on their children; Beverly Hills Police Department officers offered the students high fives; and students applauded for their fellow graduating peers during a lively event held under a massive tent on the schoolyard of Hawthorne’s Rexford Drive campus.

Ensuring there was safety and security for the large crowd of attendees, BHPD Sergeant Jeff Newman, who heads the department’s community relations unit, was on the scene. He was joined by several BHPD officers.

Around 11:30 a.m., Hawthorne Principal Sarah Kaber welcomed the hundreds of parents in attendance. “Okay, paparazzi,” Kaber said, referring to the sea of parents photographing their children as the kids walked in lines toward bleachers at one end of the tented area.

Kaber then went on to deliver words of praise for the graduating class, which numbered approximately 120 students. The Hawthorne principal said it was particularly meaningful for her to be speaking at the ceremony because the last grade she taught before becoming an administrator was fifth grade.

She addressed a crowd that included BHUSD Board President Noah Margo, Board Clerk Mary Wells and Board Members Rachelle Marcus and Judy Manouchehri.

One of the student speakers, bidding his peers a bright and successful future, expressed excitement about what was ahead—specifically beginning middle school.

“Get ready to be bulldogs!” he said, referring to the mascot for Beverly Vista Middle School.

Another student speaker declared, “Today we are all very lucky to be Hawthorne Vikings.” A helper held up a sign behind him that read, “Vikings.” When this person removed the last five letters of the word so that it spelled “Vi,” the speaker noted that it stood for six—as in, they will all soon be entering sixth grade. Judging by the enthusiastic applause from all the students seated in the three rows of bleachers, they were also looking forward to the year ahead.

Bringing a musical vibe to the affair, several students sang and performed on the ukulele.

Parents beamed with pride as their children walked the length of the stage and collected their graduation certificates.

“We’re so proud of her and all of her accomplishments,” the parents of 2023 Hawthorne graduate Audrey Sabzerou said.

“We’re so incredibly proud,” Eli Nikravesh’s mother and father told their son. “The world is yours for the taking.”

The parents of another student, Chloe, told the Courier how much it meant to them to see their daughter on the stage, undergoing the transition from elementary to middle

school. “We couldn’t be more excited for her,” her mother told the Courier. “When she accomplishes something, it feels like we’ve accomplished it too.“

The Courier’s June 9 issue will feature end of the year news from Horace Mann Elementary, Beverly Vista Middle School and Beverly Hills High School.

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Longtime Resident, Educator Gloria Mae Boraz Passes Away

Ryan Torok — Sat, 27 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Longtime Beverly Hills resident and educator Gloria Mae Boraz died on May 21 at the age of 94.

Boraz was known throughout the Beverly Hills community for her 42 years of dedicated service to the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD), including nearly three decades as a second-grade teacher at Horace Mann Elementary School. After retiring in 1998, she worked an additional 14 years as a substitute teacher for the district, until 2013.

Boraz was born on March 11, 1929, in St. Louis, the only child of a divorced piano teacher and typist. She grew up with her mom, grandmother and aunt.

She attended Washington University in St. Louis and earned a degree in Business Administration.

She was married to Martin Boraz for 30 years. When they met, Martin, 10 years Boraz’s senior, was an Air Force captain. While Martin was in the service, the couple lived in Chicago and Fairbanks, Alaska before relocating to California, where Martin transitioned to the liquor sales business. In 1963, they moved to Beverly Hills—a stone’s throw from Beverly Vista—where they educated their three daughters in the sought-after school district.

Boraz first became involved with BHUSD in a volunteer capacity, through the PTA and as a teacher’s aide. The then-principal of Beverly Vista observed the beneficial role Boraz had on the school and urged her to seek a graduate degree in education.

Over the course of Boraz’s lengthy teaching career at BHUSD, the school district recognized her with several awards, including the “Apple Award” for Teacher of the Year in 1987.

Following in their mother’s footsteps, her daughters, Barbara, Leslie, and Nancy, also became BHUSD educators; Barbara taught first grade at El Rodeo Elementary School, Leslie became a speech therapist at Horace Mann, and Nancy taught middle school at Horace Mann.

After Boraz’s husband, Martin, died in 1984, Boraz went on to have long-term relationships with Izzy Seigal, Bob Udkoff and Stanley Goldblatt. Goldblatt was the most significant union of the three. The two were college sweethearts in St. Louis who, 60 years after their initial courtship, reconnected over Facebook. Goldblatt described their late-in-life relationship as bashert, Yiddish for “destiny” or “soulmate.”

Boraz lived in Beverly Hills for 60 years. Her family said she loved the community, the trees and flowers that lined the city’s streets and the public parks. She loved to play tennis and walk. In her years as an older adult, she became active with the Roxbury Park Community Center and participated every Tuesday in the Music Mends Minds program with her daughter, Nancy.

“The city from the minute she moved here until to the end of her life,” Nancy said, “brought her joy.”

Nancy described her mother as a perpetual optimist, someone who saw beauty in the simple things—her rose garden, a bird’s song and good food.

“Beverly Hills is my home,” Boraz told the Courier in a 2015 interview. “It’s where my children grew up, it’s where I’ve lived all these years. All my friends, the students, the children…I feel such an integral part of this City. And to feel part of something so whole and wonderful like Beverly Hills is such a gratifying feeling.”

Boraz is survived by her three daughters, Barbara (David) Zarider, Leslie Boraz and Nancy (Lenny) Friedman; four grandsons, Matt Zarider (Amber), Evan Zarider (Maddie), Jason Friedman and Justin Friedman; and three great-grandchildren, Joseph and James Zarider and Rowan Zarider.

Funeral services for the deceased are being held May 28 at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary.

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Rec and Parks Commission Provides Pickleball Pilot Update

Ryan Torok — Fri, 26 May 2023 14:00:00 +0000

The latest Recreation and Parks Commission meeting included an update on the Beverly Hills pickleball pilot program, with city staff saying the dedication of several local tennis courts into pickleball courts has led to high usage and consistent revenue.

Since Jan. 2023, nearly 5,000 pickleball reservations at Beverly Hills facilities have generated more than $75,000 in revenue for the city. On weekdays, the cost to play pickleball is $8.50 for residents and $12 for non-residents. On evenings and weekends, the cost is $9.50 for residents and $13 for non-residents.

The revenue from pickleball is comparable to the funds generated from tennis reservations, which, since January, generated approximately $101,000 for the city, according to Matthew Brown, the city’s recreation services manager.

“The figures are pretty comparable when you look at how many people are playing tennis versus how many are playing pickleball,” Brown said during the May 23 Recreation and Parks meeting. “I think it’s fair to say tennis and pickleball, in terms of popularity, are pretty similar, and they both occupy the space in about the same way… Pickleball continues to trend up and up.”

Presenting the pickleball pilot update, Brown also discussed the challenge of securing reservations due to the game’s exploding popularity as well as the possibility of identifying permanent pickleball courts.

“We are finding when they are booked and during heavy usage periods, two out of four, three out of four, often four out of four [pickleball courts] on one tennis court are being used, and the demand continues to increase,” Brown said. “We are not at the point yet where we have too many pickleball courts. We’re in the opposite position.”

Recreation and Parks Commissioner Amie Sherry is taking weekly pickleball lessons at Roxbury and calls herself “pickleball commissioner.” During the meeting, she asked Brown whether the city’s pickleball courts will eventually be striped for permanent use.

Because the pickleball program is still in its pilot phase, courts are currently painted on top of existing tennis courts, with two pickleball courts drawn on each side of the tennis net.

The city is considering finding space for permanent courts, according to Commission Vice Chair Susan Mishler. Possibilities include underutilized areas of Roxbury Park and the city’s dog park property, which, as it’s underused, could be repurposed, Mishler said.

Additionally, the La Cienega Park Master Plan could include the development of indoor pickleball courts, Patty Acuna, assistant director of community services, said.

Recreation and Parks Commissioner Julian Javor, however, suggested the city continue examining usage of the city pickleball courts before undertaking any expansion of the pilot program.

“I hope we can start to advertise more about Beverly Hills embracing the pickleball sport and how active the pickleball community is here and see if that yields any additional usage,” he said.

Currently, Beverly Hills’ pickleball pilot follows a reservation-only model. Drop-in play is not available. And based on staff remarks, securing a pickleball reservation is about as easy as getting Taylor Swift concert tickets.

“For non-residents, it’s near impossible to get a reservation during the peak windows,” Brown said. “For residents, it’s very competitive.”

Pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, is a paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. The pandemic saw the social distance-friendly game growing in popularity, drawing those looking for a low-impact fitness activity that could be done while safely adhering to COVID-19 policies.

Beverly Hills has dedicated tennis courts for pickleball usage since early-2020. The pilot was launched in Jan. 2020. La Cienega Tennis Center has dedicated two tennis courts for pickleball play. Roxbury Park has one tennis court assigned to pickleball play. For Myra Demeter, it’s become an everyday activity. Before the pandemic, the city’s Planning Commission Chair transitioned out of a long day of city business by attending dance classes at her local studio. When the lockdown made that impossible, friends recommended she give pickleball a try.

At first hesitant, she went from playing three times a week to becoming a daily player.
“Once I started playing pickleball, I just fell in love,” Demeter told the Courier. “It provided for me the same escapism I got from dancing. I call it my ‘mindfulness hour.’ I play for the joy of playing. I’m in the moment. It provides me with a mental and a physical outlet that also involves a social element.”

The game’s simple rules, which are available on the Beverly Hills city website, make it easy to pick up. And when Demeter’s on the court, the typically mild-manner commissioner becomes a more outspoken version of herself.

“On the pickleball court,” Demeter said, “I have a sailor’s mouth.”

Other locals with a proclivity for pickleball include Andy Licht, a film and television producer who previously ran for City Council and is a former Planning Commission Chair. Licht calls himself, “the father of pickleball in Beverly Hills. In a phone interview, he said he raised the idea of dedicating city courts to pickleball before the Recreations and Parks Commission as a non-agendized item in the summer of 2019. At the time, little was known about the obscure game with the funny name.

“Five out of five commissioners said, ‘What’s pickleball?’” Licht recalled to the Courier.

Since then, much has changed. People of all ages in the city are embracing the sport enthusiastically. Licht, for his part, is hoping to seize on that enthusiasm with a forthcoming business venture. The Beverly Hills resident is planning to open a private pickleball club in the city. It’s called the Beverly Hills Pickleball Club. He and his partners have identified a site for the club and trademarked the name.

As of press time, Licht wasn’t prepared to share where the site of the club will be.

The post Rec and Parks Commission Provides Pickleball Pilot Update appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Beverly Hills 50th Anniversary Art Show Draws Thousands

Ryan Torok — Thu, 25 May 2023 19:30:00 +0000

More than 230 artists participated in the Beverly Hills Art Show, which celebrated its 50th anniversary and showcased artists from around the world working in a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, printmaking and ceramics.

An estimated 20,000 attendees turned out over the course of two days, May 20-21, to the event held at Beverly Gardens Park.

The free and public community program provided an opportunity for people to absorb culture in a welcoming, accessible environment. For the artists, meanwhile, it was a chance to spread awareness about their creative endeavors.

“The goal is to sell,” fine artist Niki Sands told the Courier.

Wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt featuring Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, Sands displayed her abstract and surrealist pieces in one of dozens of tents dotting the four blocks

of Beverly Gardens Park. This was her first time at the city’s biannual art show, which is held every year in the spring and fall. Sands was among 83 new artists exhibiting work in this year’s program.

For the show’s contest, a jury of eight judges critiqued artists in 11 categories. This year’s first-place winners were Benjamin Gordon (mixed media, 2D); Gunnar Turnbull (sculpture); Nick Leonoff (glass); Taman VanScoy (watercolor); Brian Blackham (painting); Elayne Bryn (digital art); Sean Hill ( jewelry); Sharon Austin (drawing and printmaking); Youngbok Park (photography); Annie Quigley (ceramics); and Isaac Anderson (mixed media, 3D).

The winners of the four specialty categories, Best of Show, Best Display of Art, Best New Artist and the Gil Borgos Originality Award, were VanScoy, James Aarons, Peyton Burnett and Richard Lee, respectively.

City Councilmembers John Mirisch and Sharona Nazarian, along with Arts and Culture and Recreation Commissioners, presented ribbons to the first place and special category winners.

The weekend-long program drew participation from 11 local Beverly Hills artists as well as a handful of international artists from Ukraine, Thailand and Mexico. For classically trained Ukrainian artist Igor Koutsenko, originally from Crimea, this was his 23rd year exhibiting in the show. Throughout the two days, his drawings and inked-in woodcuts attracted impressive crowds.

“It’s a good show,” Koutsenko told the Courier.

The price for works ran the spectrum. A small, unframed still-life painting of a flower would set one back $65. The asking price of an ambitious, wall-spanning mixed-medium work, meanwhile, was $25,000. The latter’s unlikely materials, including aluminum cans, dirt and pebbles, came together to depict a slum in South Africa.

Many people found parking spaces on the palm tree-lined Beverly Drive, then walked to the grounds, where they caught up with friends and browsed the seemingly infinite collection of pieces. They pushed strollers, and walked their labradoodles—this reporter’s companion even spotted someone who had brought a cat along.

As they took in the work, many guests offered strong opinions and criticism. As people packed a tent displaying photographs of train model figures in comical settings, scaled in a manner to make the circumstances appear lifelike, an amused man commented about a piece showing a pair of figurines skiing atop a roll of toilet paper.

“Put this in a bathroom in a ski report,” he said to his wife and two sons.

Amidst the maze of tents, there were artists conducting live demonstrations, offering glimpses into their respective creative processes. One artist, standing above her canvas, splashed her piece with speckles of white paint as if inspired by the frenetic, free-for-all techniques of expressionist Jackson Pollack. Another artist completed a plein-air painting before a crowd of admiring people passing by.

While attendees shopped and perused, others relaxed in chairs beside the park’s iconic lily pond and noshed at an outdoor-eating area. Food trucks served a variety of culinary options, including lobster, chicken wings and pizza. Kids ran around the grass, their playful shrieking mixing with the gentle sounds of lounge music soundtracking the pleasant scene.

At a children’s activities section, little ones busied themselves with jewelry-making and watercolors. Nearby, representatives of the Beverly Hills Fire Department and Just in Case BH fielded questions about their services and initiatives.

Attendee Erica Lauren of the San Fernando Valley learned about the festival during her daily commute, seeing workers erecting the tents in the park.

“As a first-time attendee to the Beverly Hills Art Show, I didn’t know what to expect—I saw the signage for it and thought, ‘Let me stop by this weekend and see,’ because I’ve been looking for art for my place,” she said. “There were cool pieces—from mixed media to ceramics—and I ended up buying a piece I’m going to frame. It’s the first piece of art I’ve ever bought, which I’m really excited about.”

The festival’s high visibility, said Dana Beesen, the city’s communications and marketing coordinator, explained why it attracts not only tourists staying at Beverly Hills hotels but residents from across the city as well.

“People come from the hotels that are in town, and people in town come out because it’s so visible,” Beesen said. “I spoke to a few artists who said there were people from all over the place.

“It’s very popular in our community as well as throughout all of Southern California,” Beesen continued. “People look forward to it all the time.”

The post Beverly Hills 50th Anniversary Art Show Draws Thousands appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Israeli Paramedic Shares Relief Work Stories

Ryan Torok — Thu, 25 May 2023 19:30:00 +0000

When Felix Lotan, head of Magen David Adom’s disaster preparedness department and a senior paramedic, was leading an Israeli search-and-rescue effort following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Turkey in February—the catastrophic event left more than 50,000 people dead and millions homeless—the mission was clear: save as many people as possible.

In Turkey, “we had pretzels and we had Nature Valley [bars],” Lotan said. “This was our food for the next 48 hours. And we went to look for survivors.”

Lotan was speaking to an intimate crowd of approximately 30 Magen David Adom donors at the Beverly Hills home of Indre and Barak Raviv. Held May 16, the event was organized by American Friends of Magen David Adom, the U.S.-based fundraising arm of the Israel-based organization. The goal was to increase awareness about the work of MDA, Israel’s national emergency medical service and representative to the International Red Cross.

Founded in 1930, 18 years before Israel declared official statehood, Magen David Adom—literally “Red Star of David”—has played a critical, lifesaving role throughout Israel’s history. During the country’s War of Independence, Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulances and blood collection vans provided treatment for soldiers and civilians injured in attacks. In 1950, the Israeli government mandated MDA provide all emergency medical, ambulance and blood services. It is an apolitical group and is not funded by the Israeli government.

AFMDA Senior Paramedic Felix Lotan speaks in Beverly Hills. Photo by Ryan Torok

The organization, instead, relies on donor support. Historically, American supporters have sponsored the majority of MDA’s emergency vehicle fleet.

“Without philanthropists like you,” Lotan told the crowd gathered in the backyard in Beverly Hills, “MDA could not exist.”

Because there’s nationalized health insurance in Israel, when MDA evacuates someone to a hospital, the organization bills the insurance company. During a normal shift, MDA operates between 350-500 ambulances around Israel.

During the recent Operation Shield and Arrow, a recent exchange of attacks between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip—after several days of rocket attacks, a cease-fire was declared May 13—MDA operated approximately 1,000 ambulances. As rockets rained on Israel, the group continued providing routine emergency response services to the country’s civilian population.

Dorin Esfahani (left) and MDA medic Felix Lotan (far right) in Beverly Hills

“We needed to continue to provide services to people who had heart attacks, to people who had strokes, to deliver babies,” Lotan said. “In Israel, we deliver a lot of babies. Most of our paramedics are half-midwives, especially those working in the religious areas—they are experts at delivering babies.”

Because the organization is a member of the Red Cross, Lotan said, “we’re not only doing EMS [emergency medical services] things; we’re doing humanitarian things as well.”

Lotan has been involved in several of MDA’s international relief missions, including in Haiti and Nepal, following devastating earthquakes in those regions. Additionally, he was among the Israeli delegation of aid workers dispatched to Texas after Hurricane Harvey. He was also one of the MDA paramedics sent to Moldova, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to support Ukrainian refugees.

A paramedic with MDA for more than 23 years, he characterized the work of MDA as vital to Israel’s existence.

“Magen David Adom is not the second line. It’s the first line,” Lotan said. “IDF will fight outside borders, but our enemies today are aiming inside the borders of Israel.”

Barak Raviv (fourth from left) hosted the AFMDA event at his Beverly Hills home.

Discussing his recent time in Turkey, he said the first rescue mission involved an 11-year-old boy, Arda, who was trapped in his bedroom. The relief workers had to drill small holes in the ceiling and called out to the boy asking if he saw any light from their holes. Eventually they realized he was on his bed. They drilled a hole large enough for him to fall through. He fell right into relief workers’ arms.

Ultimately, the Israeli rescue team extracted 19 people from under the rubble, an unprecedented amount for a foreign delegation. It happened, Lotan said, because of the team’s motivation and willingness to work in conditions that were sub-ideal.

The MDA organization has approximately 30,000 volunteers, contributing more than 1 million combined man-hours per year. Each volunteer is trained in a variety of specialties.

It is not only Jewish people who are volunteering for MDA, Lotan said.

“When you want to see coexistence,” he said, “you see coexistence at MDA.”

Lotan’s appearance at the Beverly Hills home was one of several engagements he had in town. On May 19, he delivered an introduction at an AFMDA emergency response training at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles offices. He also addressed the Beverly Hills-based synagogue, Nessah, on May 20, and he spoke with Beverly Hills City Council members in a closed session.

The post Israeli Paramedic Shares Relief Work Stories appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Council Considers Fractional Ownership Prohibition Ordinance

Ryan Torok — Fri, 19 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

At its May 16 regular meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council approved additional consulting services funds for the police department’s technology-based public safety initiative and addressed concern over fractional ownership of residential and commercial properties, among other topics.

During the meeting, the five-member council unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s agreement with consultant Julius Guay, Ph.D. A former LAPD detective lieutenant, Guay was retained by the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) in December 2022 to provide project management and consulting services for the department’s public safety technology initiative, the Real Time Watch Center. The approved amendment authorizes a change in the purchase order for Guay’s continued services for an additional $70,000.

The police department’s Real Time Watch Center places BHPD technology, including drones, automatic license plate readers and CCTV cameras, under one roof.

Additionally, the council heard a first reading of an ordinance establishing prohibitions on fractional ownership of residential and commercial property that correlates to an agreement to use or occupy the property for a period of less than one year. In the case of residential properties, fractional ownership schemes involve multiple parties purchasing a single-family home and taking turns living in it during the year for various lengths of time based on ownership percentage. According to previous reporting by the Courier, the practice of fractional ownership can lead to people using properties as short-term rentals, leading to a greater probability of noise, loss of privacy and the potential decline in property value.

Newport Beach is among other cities that have implemented regulations on fractional ownership of single-family homes—regulating them as if they are timeshares.

Fractional ownership refers to shared ownership of a property. The ordinance is attempting to prohibit fractional ownership schemes leading to short-term use of the property for vacation, or similar, purposes. It’s not intended to limit all fractional ownership schemes.

The city’s senior planner, Chloe Chen, explained the council’s interim urgency ordinance, adopted in July 2021, expires this July. The Planning Commission had reviewed the draft language of the permanent ordinance on Feb. 9 and March 9 and recommended the ordinance for council approval.

The ordinance under consideration by the council would permanently adopt existing regulations into the city code. Before it can be adopted, it will need to go for a second reading at the next council meeting. It will become effective 31 days after its adoption.

Asked if there have been any instances of fractional ownership in Beverly Hills, city leaders said they were not aware of any. The objective of the ordinance was proactively addressing the issue before it occurred, they said.

Councilmember John Mirisch supported the ordinance but urged the city to investigate related housing ownership issues, including corporations buying up single-family homes to rent them out, thereby preventing families from becoming homeowners. Mirisch described the effort as the financialization of housing, “with Wall Street becoming the landlord.”

“People are concerned that Wall Street, private equity, global capital are increasingly buying up single-family neighborhoods, making it almost impossible for first-time homeowners or other people to purchase homes to actually live in,” Mirisch said. “That’s a separate issue and it’s something I would like for us to look at.”

Vice Mayor Lester Friedman echoed Mirisch’s suggestion that the city continue examining these issues.

The council also adopted a resolution amending the comprehensive schedule of taxes, fees and charges for the upcoming fiscal year.

The latest council meeting began with Mayor Dr. Julian Gold leading a moment of silence for community member Brenda Rubins, who died on May 5 at the age of 72.

Afterwards, the council honored Beverly Hills-based charity Tower Cancer Research Foundation. Those in attendance for the ceremony included Tower Cancer Research Foundation Executive Director Steve Abramson and Deputy Director Kelli Sargent.

Additionally, city leaders recognized National Public Works Week, shining a light on Shana Epstein, director of public works.

“You are the heart and soul of our community,” Councilmember Lili Bosse told Epstein. “Not only are we grateful but this entire community thanks you.”

Epstein, for her part, took the opportunity to publicize Public Works Day, taking place May 21 at the Farmers’ Market, from 9 a.m.-noon.

As part of a consensus item, Epstein delivered a presentation about the city’s water conservation plan. While there was some back-and-forth between Epstein and Councilmember Sharona Nazarian about restrictions over residents watering their lawns or trees between 9 a.m.-6 p.m., ultimately the five-member council said they were supportive of the city’s water plan.

“I was the ‘drought mayor,’” Gold said of serving as mayor in 2015. “I talked about drought for a year. That was a very dry year. So, I think this is great. I think people have gotten into the routine. If it works, why fix it?”

The Council’s next meeting is scheduled for June 6.

The post Council Considers Fractional Ownership Prohibition Ordinance appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

BHPD Holds Free Catalytic Converter “Etching” Event

Ryan Torok — Fri, 19 May 2023 10:00:00 +0000

In response to the ongoing thefts of catalytic converters, the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) held an “Etch and Catch” community event, during which Beverly Hills residents marked their catalytic converters with their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

The May 13 program drew 60 vehicle appointments.

BHPD and their partners also applied a high-temperature spray paint on the catalytic converters in the hope of deterring any future burglaries of an auto part commonly targeted by thieves.

“Our goal today is to get as many of our residents etched and spray-painted as possible,” BHPD Sgt. Jeff Newman, head of the department’s community relations unit, told the Courier during the in-person program, held from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the intersection of Foothill Road and Civic Center Drive.

Pre-registration was required for the free event, which was open exclusively to the city’s residents. All appointment slots filled up quickly, Newman said.

While Beverly Hills is not leading other areas of the city in the theft of catalytic converters—called “cat” for short—it remains a serious issue of concern in the area, Newman explained. There were approximately 8,000 reported catalytic converter thefts in Los Angeles in 2022, according to a recent Los Angeles Times story. Statistics for Beverly Hills were not immediately available.

Having a VIN etched onto the catalytic converter enables law enforcement to trace and identify the stolen part and can ultimately help with prosecution. If a VIN is displayed on a catalytic converter, it indicates to the auto part’s potential buyer that it’s been stolen.

For those who’ve been fortunate enough not to have been a victim of the crime, BHPD’s event provided basic information about how and why it takes place. Most catalytic converter thefts, Newman explained, occur at night when a car’s engine has likely been off for some time; otherwise, it will be too hot for the thieves to steal the part.

The device, which is used to control emissions, is mandatory for all vehicles with gas-powered engines. It is often targeted because of its external location and because it’s made of precious metals, including platinum, which can be sold for up to $1,000 per ounce.

A BHPD officer on a mechanics creeper etches a VIN into a catalytic converter. Photo by Ryan Torok

Using a portable saw, a thief can steal a “cat” in minutes.

“You’ve heard of ‘Gone in 60 Seconds?’” Newman said, referring to the Hollywood action film. “With catalytic converters, it’s gone in about two minutes.”

Vehicles commonly targeted for their catalytic converters include the Toyota Prius, Toyota Sequoia and Honda CR-V. Of course, electric vehicles don’t have the device.

By 11:15 a.m. on the day of the event, several cars lined up on Civic Center Drive, with the drivers waiting to provide their VIN to Newman. After the driver gave the number, he or she was asked to exit their car so that it could be loaded on the rear of a tow truck. The vehicle’s bottom was lifted in the air, allowing a crew member to slide underneath to laser the VIN onto the converter.

The entire process took just a few minutes.

Those who turned out included Sami Sharone, a resident of the community for more than four decades. Sharone, who works in advertising, had his VIN etched into his Toyota Tacoma.

“I think it’s a great event for the community and a terrific service they’re doing,” Sharone told the Courier. “I decided to come and take advantage of that service.”

Another resident, who declined to be identified, came with his Audi. His wife, who is involved with the city’s neighborhood watch program, alerted him to the program.

This was the first time BHPD held an “etching” event. The police department organized the program in partnership with the Taskforce for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP), a state-funded, multi-agency group created to promote a coordinated effort and encourage cooperation between law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies in LA County regarding auto theft.

For those who couldn’t be in attendance, BHPD plans to hold similar events in the future.

And for DIYers, a high-temperature spray paint like the one used during the program can be purchased for cheap at any auto parts store, Newman said.

The post BHPD Holds Free Catalytic Converter “Etching” Event appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Mayor Dr. Julian Gold Addresses Inaugural ‘Office Hours’

Ryan Torok — Sat, 13 May 2023 10:30:00 +0000

The inaugural “Office Hours with Doctor Gold,” a monthly virtual event providing Beverly Hills residents with the opportunity to engage Mayor Dr. Julian Gold on city issues, drew approximately 30 participants.

During the online discussion, local business owner Tara Riceberg asked about the pro-Trump demonstrations held on Saturdays at Beverly Gardens Park. She’d like them moved to Sundays as they’re disrupting the busiest shopping day of the week. What can be done?

Beverly Hills resident Daniel Batista said he’s seen the tents on San Vicente Boulevard, just like everyone else has. “Is the city entering into any regional partnerships to address the situation?” he asked.

Dressed in a suit and tie and seated comfortably behind his desk, Gold, who was named mayor in April, listened closely to the questions, then provided thoughtful, detailed responses. He agreed with Riceberg that the weekly demonstrations likely disturb business owners on Canon Drive, but there wasn’t much the city could do because of free speech.

As for the encampments, Gold offered background on the situation on San Vicente. He recently had a meeting with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, he said, where he told the Los Angeles leaders that if it’s a matter of securing funding for housing, the city of Beverly Hills was happy to partner with them.

Solving the homeless problem will require regional cooperation, Gold said.

“We’ve been accused of pushing them [the unhoused] in that direction, and that’s not true,” Gold said during the “Office Hours” Zoom. “This is a problem we’re not going to be able to avoid, nor should we.”

This was the first “Office Hours with Doctor Gold”—a “monthly check-up,” Gold said in a video promoting the program. Providing access to the recently appointed mayor, the event underscored an effort by Gold to connect directly with residents about what is and isn’t working for them in the city.

“We want an engaged population,” Gold told the Courier afterwards. “I thought it was worthwhile to try this.”

The recent one-hour meeting was held on May 9 from 7-8 p.m. During that time, Gold provided an update on news from city hall, then opened the meeting for attendees to ask questions and share what they liked—or don’t like—about Beverly Hills.

An attendee asked if the city was continuing a plan to create a metaverse of Rodeo Drive.

“It could happen,” Gold said, “but it’s progressing pretty slowly.”

Speaking about the policing of the two forthcoming Beverly Hills Metro stops at Wilshire/La Cienega and Wilshire/Rodeo, Gold said city leadership is currently having discussions about hiring additional officers that would be tasked with patrolling the stations.

Gold took the opportunity to discuss two issues that are of importance to his agenda: increasing the city’s water supply and expanding its public health programs.

The Nurse Practitioner Program allows the city’s most vulnerable residents to receive urgent medical care without having to be transported to a hospital. Gold said he’s pleased with the model of the city’s nurse practitioners and firefighter paramedics collaborating with primary care providers to optimize long-term health and wellness.

In fact, other cities were envious of the Beverly Hills Nurse Practitioner Program, Gold said.

Meanwhile, discussing the water situation, Gold explained the city provides for about 20% of its own water supply—the remainder is purchased wholesale from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California—and is currently looking for additional wells to produce more water. That way, in the event of an earthquake or another catastrophic event affecting Los Angeles infrastructure, Beverly Hills could continue to supply its residents with water.

“This is really for us an insurance policy,” Gold the Courier. “The water from the state water project is all gravity-driven [meaning it’s susceptible to disruptions]. In a critical situation, we want to become as water independent as we can.”

The establishment of additional wells would reduce the city’s dependency on the Metropolitan Water District. On May 8, as part of an effort to increase the city’s water resiliency, Gold and City Council members cut the ribbon on a new water well on La Cienega Boulevard, between Guthrie Avenue and Sawyer Street. The city plans to build three more wells in the La Cienega area in the hope to produce as much as 25% of the city’s total water supply.

Gold explained there might be water under La Cienega Park, but it is something the city has yet to explore.

“Are there any other questions?” Gold said, as the sun set outside his Beverly Hills office windows and the electronic picture-frame on his shelf cycled through portraits.

The debut event in the ongoing series drew Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Johnson, City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, and Deputy City Manager Keith Sterling, among others.

Attendees tuned in on Zoom or called in to join the mayor in the special conversation.

For future sessions, Gold is hoping to shine a light on individuals and foundations in the community engaged in valuable work.

He credited “an army of IT folks” who helped make the program possible. Aside for them, he said, “It’s me, my computer and a ring light.”

For information on upcoming “Office Hours with Doctor Gold” events, visit Beverlyhills.org/officehours.

The post Mayor Dr. Julian Gold Addresses Inaugural ‘Office Hours’ appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

School Board Approves Hiring of Drew Stewart as New BHHS Principal

Ryan Torok — Fri, 12 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of Drew Stewart as the next principal of Beverly Hills High School.

“I have worked with Mr. Stewart since 2017 when he was a teacher at Beverly Hills High School,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy said in a statement. “Shortly thereafter he was appointed Assistant Principal and most recently, co-principal. Over the past six years, he has demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities, an unwavering commitment to our community, and above all he has built a foundation of trust through genuine relationships with students, staff, and parents…there is no better candidate to helm Beverly Hills High School.”

The school board and superintendent worked together closely to identify Stewart as the high school’s next principal. Stewart, who will assume the position in July, holds a master’s degree in education, teaching and learning from Point Loma Nazarene University and a bachelor’s degree in political Science from the University of California, San Diego.

For the 2022-2023 school year, Stewart, along with Kim Decatrel, were named interim co-principals after former Principal Mark Mead became the school district’s director of safety.

Stewart’s appointment is the culmination of a year-long and “rigorous” search and vetting process, according to Bregy. A consulting firm, community members, alumni, parents, staff and board leadership were involved.

The school board announced his hiring during a two-hour meeting on May 9, with Board President Noah Margo calling it a “celebratory” moment.

“We are so pleased to have Mr. Drew Stewart joining our administration team with his terrific staff,” Margo said.

The latest school board meeting began on a more somber note, however, as the board president led a moment of silence commemorating schoolgirls in Iran who were victimized by a mass poisoning.

With the bulk of the meeting focused on the work of school faculty and students, the board approved proclaiming the week of May 7-13 as “National PTA Teacher Appreciation Week.” The week is set aside to honor the district’s outstanding teaching staff.

The board also approved the proclamation of “Classified School Employee Appreciation Week” from May 21-27, a week set aside to recognize secretaries, clerks, instructional assistants, custodians and other support service employees.

“We have a deep debt of gratitude to you for all the passion and care you give our children,” Board Member and Clerk Mary Wells said. “So, thank you very much.”

During the “Student Spotlight” segment, the board recognized seventh-grader Simon Johnson, highlighting his achievements in cross country. Johnson, a BHUSD faculty member said, can run a mile in approximately six minutes—no small feat. Additionally, the board celebrated eighth grader Iana Ahn, who was named an international Tae Kwon Do champion.

“It looks like we have half of the Justice League in our room right now,” Margo joked.

Beverly Vista Middle School social studies teacher April Silva delivered a thorough presentation on Claim, Evidence and Reasoning (CER) writing and how it is being incorporated into curriculums at Beverly Vista Middle School. Its implementation has led to higher-quality writing among students, according to Beverly Vista instructors. Students, meanwhile, said CER has improved their critical thinking skills.

The recurring “Now Noah Knows” portion of the meeting, a prerecorded video with Margo, featured Beverly Vista history teacher Marissa Long.

Midway through the meeting, the board unanimously approved the purchase of two educational services products, i-Ready, which provides data about the instructional needs of students, along with NEWA’s Measure of Academic Progress, an assessment tool for determining achievement and growth in K-12 math, reading, language usage and science.

The cost of i-Ready is $56,213, and the cost of NEWA’s Measure of Academic Progress is $56,277.

In connection with the ongoing construction projects of several BHUSD facilities, including the high school and El Rodeo Elementary School, the school board approved an amendment increasing the project budget by $810,000, through the end of fiscal year 2024-2025, for construction work performed by Sandy Pringle Associates, a Division of State Architect inspection services firm. The fee will be paid out of Measure BH.

Bregy, meanwhile, gave an update on the district’s strategic plan, and Wells provided a preview of upcoming programs and events in the district. She spoke of, among other things, May being Mental Health Awareness Month.

In concluding remarks, Margo said he was heartened by the latest meeting’s emphasis on issues happening inside of the district’s schools.

“I was very proud of us tonight,” the school board president said. “We spent over an hour on kids, teachers and education. When the board is focused on those things in their work, it reflects back into the schools in the communities, so I applaud my colleagues tonight in indulging in our collective focus on education and what’s going on in our schools.”

The post School Board Approves Hiring of Drew Stewart as New BHHS Principal appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Simms/Mann Family Foundation Rewards Nurses

Ryan Torok — Fri, 12 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Recently, Christopher Lee, a clinical nurse in the medical-surgical unit at UCLA Health, was called into the office of the hospital’s chief nursing executive, Karen Grimley. Once there, Grimley presented Lee with a letter and asked him to open it. Its contents left the healthcare professional utterly amazed.

“It told me I’d be the recipient of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation ‘Off the Chart’ campaign award,” Lee said. “That, in itself, was shocking to me…I told Karen, ‘I’m speechless. I’m usually more emotional than this, and I can’t get the words out.’”

Lee is one of 30 nurses from three leading Los Angeles-area health systems who was recognized by the Beverly Hills-based Simms/ Mann Family Foundation. The organization’s inaugural campaign, “Off the Chart: Rewarding Nursing Greatness,” provides extraordinary nurses with a first-of-its-kind $10,000 unrestricted financial gift in recognition of their nursing excellence.

The gift is being offered at a time of uncertainty for nurses in the healthcare industry, with the pandemic exacerbating the challenges of the job, leaving nurses feeling overwhelmed and burned out. This has created an unprecedented nursing workforce shortage on a national and global scale. According to a recent survey conducted by AMN Healthcare Services, almost a third of the nurses in the U.S. are considering leaving their profession and only 20% report feeling valued.

Led by Beverly Hills resident Victoria Mann Simms, Ph.D., the Simms/Mann Family Foundation is attempting to shine a light on the critical role nurses play, emphasizing their expertise in clinical care, research and innovation and their part in holding together the increasingly strained healthcare system.

The campaign, in essence, is a call-to-action to reverse the alarming trend of nurses exiting the profession.

“Everyone is so grateful to nurses, but I don’t think they’re aware they are the glue of our health systems,” Mann Simms, president of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, said in a phone interview. “We thought a lot about what we can do to accelerate the understanding of what nurses do and how important it is for us as a society, as a nation, to get more nurses. So, we put together this ‘Off the Chart’ program.”

In launching this campaign, the foundation partnered with three healthcare systems—City of Hope, UCLA Health and Keck Medicine of USC—and asked them to nominate outstanding nurses from their respective institutions. Nominees were considered based on five criteria: a bias toward action; capacity for self-direction; instincts; courage and bold thinking; and potential to achieve more.

When COVID-19 started to overwhelm hospital capacity, Lee, for his part, demonstrated his ability to act quickly and decisively. He worked with colleagues on decompressing the emergency unit, which was unequipped to handle the sudden increase in patients, by helping convert the medical center’s surge unit into a COVID relief center. Additionally, he and other bedside nurses familiarized themselves with the usage of Personal Protective Equipment so they could educate their colleagues.

“We were that go-to resource in case any of our bedside nurses needed help inside the room, outside the room, and to bring general awareness about how to protect ourselves so we can take care of others,” the 29-year-old told the Courier.

Other recipients were similarly dedicated to excelling in their roles. Salena Agadier, a pediatric ICU nurse at City Hope, is known for the close attention she gives to her young oncology patients. Her effervescence in the patient room is known throughout the medical center as “the Salena Factor.”

Janet Kim, a regional operations director of ambulatory care at Keck Medicine of USC, is admired for her patient-centered approach and her care for her colleagues. During the pandemic, while working in a testing tent, she noticed nurses were at risk for exposure to the virus and created a protective barrier from tent material that offered better protection.

Spotlighting nurses who have a diverse set of skills and responsibilities was part of the objective of the campaign. Additional goals include informing the public about the several “hats” a nurse wears in a healthcare setting.

“We’re giving them a financial gift we hope will be individually impactful for them,” Rachel Barchie, director of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, told the Courier. “And we’re hoping that sharing the stories of these nurses will help to broaden the public understanding of the role they play.”

The announcement of the “Off the Chart” campaign foundation coincides with National Nurses Month, held every year in May, along with National Nurses Week, which is observed from May 6-12.

The Simms/Mann Family Foundation was established in 1984 as a private organization dedicated to strategically funding innovative educational programs and services that promote well-being and economic self-sufficiency. With the latest campaign, it has committed to funding the project for three consecutive years, through 2025. It amounts to a nearly $2 million commitment, according to Mann Simms, as the foundation is hoping to increase the amount of health system partners as well as recipients over the next two years.

On May 22, the foundation is holding an event formally recognizing this year’s recipients at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The program will feature a conversation with Sarah DiGregorio, a journalist and author of “Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World.”

Lee said he plans to use some of his gift to travel while donating a portion of it to a local food bank. Ultimately, his hope is the new campaign raises awareness about how much nurses give of themselves to their patients, colleagues and toward the betterment of healthcare outcomes.

He, like the leaders at the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, would like to see a greater societal investment in the profession.

“I want people to know a nurse can be more than just one thing,” he said. “The more people recognize that, the more they can see nurses have a place in every part of our community, and if we invest in our nurses, we’re investing in the health of the community.”

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Council Approves Fiscal Year Budgets for Marketing, Chamber and Tourism Activities

Ryan Torok — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills City Council approved the 2023-2024 fiscal year budgets for the Rodeo Drive Committee, the Conference and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce during its May 2 meeting, allocating nearly $5.5 million to their programs and initiatives.

The council authorized more than $4.8 million to the Conference and Visitors Bureau, in addition to $150,000 in unused funds carried over from last year; more than $450,000 for the Chamber of Commerce; and approximately $211,000 for the Rodeo Drive Committee.

“We’re very grateful and lucky that the city of Beverly Hills has supported our activations, our proposals and our programs,” Rodeo Drive Committee President Kathy Gohari told the Courier in a phone interview after the hearing.

The Rodeo Drive Committee’s budget for the upcoming year includes $26,000 for banners and advertising for a new undertaking dubbed “Rodeo Drive Celebrates.” A branding opportunity for shops on Beverly Hills’ most iconic retail street, “Rodeo Drive Celebrates” consists of two upcoming weeks of activities–Rodeo Drive Celebrates Fashion, held August 7-13, and Rodeo Drive Celebrates Timepieces and Fine Jewelry, scheduled for Oct. 1-7.

The group’s approved budget also includes approximately $185,000 for continued digital marketing, social media management and website maintenance. At the meeting, members of the Rodeo Drive Committee spoke of their successful efforts engaging audiences on TikTok and Instagram, saying they preferred utilizing social media that can capture the visual appeal and unparalleled aesthetics of Rodeo Drive. They said Instagram continues to be the number-one channel for the Rodeo Drive Committee.

Meanwhile, the Conference and Visitors Bureau’s (CVB) work plan for the year ahead includes attending marketing events across the country and international trade shows, pursuing a new merchandise partnership and strengthening its marketing by launching an email acquisition campaign.

“We really want to build up our international business,” CVB CEO Julie Wagner said, addressing the five-member council.

“We’re very excited about the refresh for the Visitors Center,” Councilmember Lili Bosse said. “The [CVB] board consists of the best of the best in terms of visionaries, in terms of marketing.”

Similarly ambitious, the Chamber of Commerce’s proposed programming for the upcoming year includes participation in the annual New York Business Attraction and Retention Mission, during which Chamber leaders and City Council members meet with businesses in the hope of bringing them to Beverly Hills while enhancing relationships with businesses already operating in the city. The Chamber is planning approximately 24 meetings with companies in New York–6-8 for retention purposes and 16-18 with new businesses.

While the Council approved the Chamber’s budget request, Councilmember John Mirisch said he’d like the group to reevaluate what kinds of businesses it pursues.

“I’d love to see us not just go for low-hanging fruit, but I’d like to see us broaden the approach,” Mirisch said.

Mirisch also said the Chamber ought to focus on businesses that are physically located in Beverly Hills not just those that use the Beverly Hills name.

The meeting kicked off with the council introducing Robert van Leer, the recently named executive director and CEO of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Council members spoke about the close relationship between the city and The Wallis, which recently hosted the installation ceremony for Beverly Hills Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and Vice Mayor Lester Friedman.

Van Leer, who assumed his post with The Wallis on April 1, said he looked forward to strengthening the partnership between Beverly Hills and the performing arts center.

In an ongoing effort to spotlight successful and valued businesses in the community, council members also spotlighted the Drago brothers, who own and operate several high-end Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills and often cater city-run events.

Standing beside the restauranteurs in the council chambers, one councilmember after another gushed over the food at Il Pastaio, one of the Drago family establishments. Councilmember Bosse likened them to “family,” saying dining at their restaurants consistently felt like being “home.”

The two-and-a-half-hour hearing concluded with Michael Hensley, deputy director of public works, providing a brief customer relations program update.

The City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for May 16.

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Debate Continues Over Spring Place Rooftop

Ryan Torok — Thu, 04 May 2023 19:45:00 +0000

A recent Beverly Hills Planning Commission meeting highlighted the ongoing controversy surrounding exclusive private club and coworking space Spring Place.

Located at the vertex of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in the Gores Group building, which is owned by billionaire Alec Gores, the self-described “home for the creative class” has elicited complaints among its neighbors and garnered repeated rebukes from city officials due to noisy rooftop parties, among other violations of the club’s conditions of operation.

Under current provisions, no more than 30 members can use the rooftop at a time, nor can the club offer food and beverage services on the roof. Each of the club’s members is permitted to bring three guests. The Commission previously granted the coworking space the right to hold “occasional” rooftop events that go no later than 10 p.m. and with 72-hour notice to the city.

During the at-times contentious April 27 hearing, the commissioners conducted a conditionally approved development plan review that regulates the rooftop usage of the coworking space, which also houses amenities including a restaurant, bar and lounges. The entity has behaved more like a private event rental venue than a coworking space, commissioners argued.

The company, which has an additional location in New York City’s Tribeca area, has experienced significant turnover. Christian Toraldo, who became CEO in late 2021, no longer works for Spring Place.

A decision on the development plan for Spring Place was continued until the Planning Commission’s June 8 meeting.

During the lengthy meeting, the exchanges between the Spring Place representatives and the commissioners grew heated. Karim Elfeky, vice president of member care at Spring Place, runs day-to-day operations of the company. He said Spring Place has conducted outreach to neighbors and invited feedback on the activities at the club.

“We’ve done a lot of work because we knew trust had to be earned,” he said. “I hope actions will speak louder than words.”

During public comment, several Spring Place members said they valued being part of the coworking space.

“Nothing quite compares to Spring Place,” Joline Nazarian, co-founder of Beverly Hills Lingerie, said. “There’s a lot of value in this place.”

“For me it’s been an experience that’s very professional,” interior designer Raven Vermeil said.

While public comment participants praised the activities, networking opportunities and programs of the space, the commissioners said they weren’t restricting what happens downstairs at the club. The meeting, the commissioners said, was focused exclusively on the decked-out rooftop.

“We are focusing this hearing on those things,” Demeter said.

Debate ensued over what Spring Place, at its essence, was–a co-working space, party venue or social club.

“From day one, we were told this was going to be an office,” Commissioner Peter Ostroff said. “From day one, we were told there wasn’t going to be anything on the roof.”

Attorney Mark Egerman and Giovanni Palacardo, chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Spring Place, also represented Spring Place at the meeting.

“Spring Place is not a place where people come and have parties,” Palacardo said. “It is a place where people come and work.”

“Our business is struggling,” he continued. “We are recording losses month after month, and one of the reasons is because we cannot use the space in its full capacity, so it’s key we find a solution to this. Otherwise, we’ll have to consider a painful decision. We are open to working with the Commission.”

A decision on Spring Place’s future was continued until next month because Planning Commission Vice Chair Gary Ross had a time constraint.

PARAKEET CAFÉ

During the April 27 meeting, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a permit for open-air dining along with extended hours for Parakeet Café, a San Diego-based restaurant known for health-conscious organic foods, coffee, tea, freshly baked pastries and even matcha elixir drinks.

Parakeet Café is set to open within a couple of months at 206 S. Beverly Drive, between Charleville Boulevard and Gregory Way, in the former home of Chin Chin.

Planning Commission Chair Myra Demeter said the cafe, which started in La Jolla in 2017, would be a “welcome addition.”

The post Debate Continues Over Spring Place Rooftop appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

SCE Phone Scam Targets Beverly Hills Residents

Ryan Torok — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 10:30:00 +0000

The Courier has learned of a phone scam with individuals pretending to be from Southern California Edison (SCE) targeting residents of Beverly Hills. Local law enforcement and SCE representatives are advising SCE customers in the Beverly Hills area to be aware of what is happening.

The utility has received complaints from at least 10 Beverly Hills customers since the beginning of the year. The customers reported attempted scams totaling $3,500, according to Jeff Monford, a senior advisor in corporate communications and philanthropy at SCE.

“Fortunately, none of these customers have paid the scammers any money,” the SCE advisor told the Courier.

In 2022, there were 15 complaints received from customers in Beverly Hills, Monford said. But the actual numbers could be significantly higher.
“We’re certain many instances of scams go unreported,” he said.
“Sometimes people will call us, but they won’t make a report,” Beverly Hills Police Department Officer Kevin Orth told the Courier. “There are obviously people out there doing this, so we always want people to let us know when it’s happening.”

According to Monford, the most common scenario involves the perpetrators telling the SCE customers that they are behind on payments and have only 45 minutes to pay, or face disconnection. The main method of requested payment is Zelle, the digital payment network used by customers of major banks, or Bitcoin.

Monford reminded customers that SCE will never, under any circumstances, call and threaten disconnection from its service while demanding immediate payment. Furthermore, SCE will never phone a customer to ask for credit card or SCE account information. SCE does not accept prepaid cash cards, bitcoin or payments through third-party mobile apps such as Zelle. The utility does not have a “disconnection department” and SCE employees in the field neither request nor accept payments.

Lt. Reginald Evans, an executive officer with the Beverly Hills Police Department’s media relations, said imposters are constantly updating their deceitful tactics to cheat money out of vulnerable individuals.

“These are cyclical scams with no particular pattern,” Evans said. “Fortunately, when the public starts to contact the real entities at a legitimate phone number, the scam artists move to a different form of scam as the potential victims grow more wise. They do, however, oftentimes revisit the scam at some point in the future, hence the cycle.”

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Beverly Hills School Board Addresses Student Behavior Crisis

Ryan Torok — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:30:00 +0000

Beverly Hills United School District (BHUSD) Board of Education members are concerned about bullying and considering discipline strategies for students demonstrating behavioral problems.

In a comprehensive presentation delivered during the Board of Education’s April 25 meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy discussed the ways in which student behavior has worsened since before the pandemic.

“We are going through a shifting environment in our school district–not only here but all over the country,” Bregy said.

Bregy suggested strategies for responding to disruptive students, including offering alternatives to suspension, holding weekly or biweekly classes for parents and improving lines of communication.

He spoke of a brief video clip showing students at Westfield Century City mall whose behavior was “horrendous.” He also discussed a student who reportedly stole a tip jar off a cash register from a store on Beverly Boulevard.

The Century City video shows Beverly Hills middle school students engaging in a fight with students from schools outside the district. The 30-45-second clip was taken a couple of weeks ago and also captures a young person reacting disrespectfully to a parent who attempted to intervene.

“These are the types of things we take so personally because they are our students,” Bregy said. “We feel that responsibility.”

The BHUSD superintendent recommended collecting data that will support the objective of reducing student suspensions. He recommended the formation of an advisory council composed of faith leaders, business owners, school staff, parents, and other community members to address the problem.

“We’re recognizing increased behavior issues out there with the kids and not just in school but out in the community and we are going to be addressing that in a more focused way by having this advisory committee and looking at our procedures at the school,”Board Member Mary Wells said.

Echoing Bregy’s report, several local parents during the public comment segment offered personal examples of classroom bullying. They discussed the spread of antisemitic slurs and bullying at the district’s Horace Mann Elementary School and Beverly Hills High School. One mother appeared in person with her fifth-grade son and said he witnessed a classmate at Horace Mann drawing a swastika. The son spoke before the school board, saying he was hurt by the experience. The mother suggested bringing Holocaust survivors into classrooms to educate students about history.

The meeting kicked off with the recurring Teacher/Student Spotlight segment. Horace Mann Elementary School independent study teacher Ellen Kwon appeared in a “Now Noah Knows” video with Board President Noah Margo and discussed effective learning techniques used by fourth graders when doing addition, subtraction and multiplication.

Several board members and district staff persons–including Bregy and Margo–participated virtually in the three-hour meeting because they were in Washington D.C. for the Coast2Coast Federal Advocacy conference, held April 24-26.

The Beverly Hills school leaders were in the nation’s capital pushing for an increase in federal funding for special education in the district. Currently, 5%of funding for special education in BHUSD is provided federally. District leaders are seeking an increase and have been advocating for it in Congress, they said.

“We’re representing our community, our district, in Washington,” Margo said.

During the session, the school board approved a resolution allowing the body to continue holding virtual meetings in light of COVID-19. Each month, the Beverly Hills school board must pass a resolution to continue to hold virtual meetings because of the statewide Brown Act that says local legislative agency meetings must be open and public so that anybody can attend.

The approved resolution says the California governor’s “declaration of a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic remains active.”

“I’m a ‘yes,'” Margo said when voting on the resolution, “and if it had been a ‘no,’ I wonder if this Zoom would’ve shut off.”

The board also approved a five-year contract with Vantage Technology Consulting Group, a technology services consultant, in connection with bond programs Measures E and BH. The approval followed the issuing of a request-for-quote to procure a firm to provide necessary technology consulting for ongoing and future bond programs. The associated costs will be paid by Measure BH funds.

“Thank you very much for going out for this RFQ so that we have competitive pricing,” Wells, an outspoken advocate for more efficient management of Measures E and BH, said. “I really appreciate it.”

Additionally, the board approved an amendment allocating more than $400,000 in additional funds for materials testing and inspection services for Beverly Hills High School’s renovation; rejected bids for the Wellness Center project at Beverly Vista Middle School; and expanded the scope of services listed in the rate sheet for the El Rodeo Elementary School construction project.

The purpose of updating the El Rodeo rate sheet, assistant superintendent Raphael Guzman explained, is to match services listed in the contract with what’s eventually included on the invoice.

“We wanted to be clearer in our invoicing protocols,” he said.

The board, meanwhile, authorized architectural firms as well as materials testing and inspection services for as-needed deliverables associated with Measures E and BH over the next five years. A selection committee, which featured district employees and team members from bond manager Fonder Salari, were involved in narrowing 14 architectural firms down to the final ten included in the pool. In the case of the materials testing firms, seven companies submitted qualification packages, and the selection committee selected all seven.

The district does not have any contractual obligation to utilize the services of any of the selected firms nor does it bear any fiscal impact from the procurement of the pools.

“We’re trying to build a good pool of architects for us to be able to select from, so if we have any projects that need to be designed, we have this group of architects,” Guzman said.

The contract approvals gave Wells confidence in the processes surrounding the construction projects associated with Measures E and BH, which allocated $334 million and $385 million, respectively, for renovations and modernization of the district’s schools.

“From a construction standpoint, our new construction management team is really working and evidence of that is the approval of the RFQ [Request for Qualifications] for all these different vendors, which ultimately provides a better quality product at better pricing [along with] better oversight and transparency,” Wells said, “which is what we wanted.”

With only two more meetings left in her role on the school board, student member Alix Bodden provided an update on recent happenings in the district, from a “Women in Leadership”‘ panel to an instrumental music concert with high school students. Meanwhile, board member Rochelle Marcus spoke of upcoming community events, including the Beverly Hills Police Department’s annual pancake breakfast, on May 7, and an open house with the Beverly Hills Fire Department, on May 13.

Upcoming Beverly Hills school board meetings are scheduled for May 9 and May 23.

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Chamber Presents Work Plan and Funding Requests for Next Fiscal Year

Ryan Torok — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce is requesting more than $450,000 in funding for programs associated with its work plan for the upcoming fiscal year, 2023-2024, along with the waiving of fees for a variety of permit-requiring activities.

Beverly Hills Chamber CEO Todd Johnson and Brittany Ganson, the Chamber’s director of economic development and government affairs, presented the group’s work plan and funding request during an April 26 Beverly Hills City Council Liaison/ Chamber of Commerce Committee Meeting. They addressed Mayor Dr. Julian Gold and Councilmember Lili Bosse, who served as the council liaisons during the meeting.

For the upcoming year, the Chamber’s proposed programming includes participation in the annual New York Business Attraction and Retention Mission, during which Chamber leaders and City Council members will meet with businesses in the hope of bringing them to Beverly Hills while enhancing relationships with businesses already operating in the city. The Chamber is planning to set up approximately 24 meetings with companies in New York–6-8 for retention purposes and 16-18 with new businesses.

The proposed cost of the 2023-2024 New York mission is $115,000.

At $120,000, the costliest item on the Chamber’s proposed work plan for the upcoming year is Now Beverly Hills Shop Local Marketing and Promotional Program, also known as “Now Beverly Hills.” The program focuses on connecting businesses and residents while encouraging residents to shop locally. The Chamber has proposed retaining agency Symblaze, a branding and advertising firm, to manage the creative and design aspects of the program and to ensure an elevated aesthetic.

The Chamber’s packed proposals for the year also include the managing of four regular meetings, occurring quarterly, of the Beverly Hills Commercial Property Owner’s Task Force in the hopes of spurring dialogue with commercial landlords on issues concerning commercial properties. The Chamber will also conduct 12 monthly webinars and facilitate 60 one-on-one conversations with El Camino College as part of the Small Business Development Center Partnership and undertake a feasibility study on business attraction targets within Miami. The study will be presented February 2024.

Gold, for his part, expressed tentativeness about the possibility of drawing businesses from Florida’s second-most populous city.

“I’m lukewarm on the Miami concept,” the Beverly Hills mayor said.

Bosse, however, was more open to the possibility, saying she’s aware of many people who’ve relocated to the state of Florida for tax purposes. There might be opportunities there, the councilmember suggested.

The Chamber’s budget request for 2023-2024 comes after its previous budget was revised when not all work was completed by agreed-upon deadlines. The Chamber’s original budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 was more than $540,000. The revised budget was approximately $330,000.

At the meeting, Johnson expressed confidence the Chamber is equipped to handle the responsibilities of the upcoming year. “We put some hard thought and process into this with much more identifiable due dates and clarity and whatnot,” the Chamber CEO said. “I think it’s going to be that much better.”

The council liaisons during the recent meeting praised the work of the Chamber and indicated they’d approve their latest funding request.

“I completely support your request,” Bosse said. “I think you’ve done an extraordinary job. I know under Mayor Gold’s leadership it will continue to be even more extraordinary.”

Bosse also indicated that she’d approve the Chamber’s request for the waiving of permit fees–the Chamber is asking permit fees to be waived for Chamber meeting ribbon cuttings while requesting place-of-assembly fees for special Chamber events also be waived. The Chamber also requested flat parking rates for specific Chamber events.

“From my perspective, I think that the waiving of the fees and the permits is something you should continue to ask for,” Bosse said. “I think it should be embedded in the budget going forward.”

On May 2, the Chamber’s proposed work plan and associated funding request will go before the full City Council for approval.

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Coldwater Canyon Road Project Causing Traffic Delays for Commuters

Ryan Torok — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Motorists cruising on Coldwater Canyon Drive these days are confronted with an all-too dreaded site: orange cones in the middle of the street; a sudden change from multiple lanes to one; and construction crews in the 10-mile road.

What they’re encountering as their vehicle slows when entering the canyon from the Beverly Hills side is a long-needed public works project in Coldwater Canyon to replace aging pipeline and install new pipeline. Commuters who rely on the winding canyon road to drive from Beverly Hills to Studio City are likely already experiencing the traffic impact of the effort.

The water main replacement project commenced in February and is expected to continue through Spring 2024. Coldwater Canyon Drive from Rexford Drive to Monte Cielo Drive is impacted. That stretch of the of the road will have only one lane in each direction. In certain locations, however, only one lane will be available for both directions.

According to the city, “Replacing these pipelines is critical to maintaining the city’s water infrastructure as they were installed in the 1920s to 1960s and have been the site of several water main breaks in recent years.”

Last fall, some residents in Beverly Hills who reside around the canyon were out of water for over 24 hours because of the antiquated pipelines.

Shana Epstein, the city’s director of public works, strongly recommends that motorists seek alternate routes, such as Laurel Canyon Boulevard or Benedict Canyon Drive.

“If you don’t live there, you shouldn’t be driving there,” Epstein said. “If you insist on going down there as a commuter, we hope people will be cognizant of residents who need to get in and out of their driveways.

“We hope they’re respectful,” Epstein said, “not honking out of frustration.”

Work hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding holidays. The precise impact the project has on lane closures is changing week by week, and the city is notifying residents of the changes throughout the process.

Epstein called the road work a “complex project.” Along with approximately one-dozen people on the construction crew, there’s a project manager, an inspector, a city engineer and an engineering manager.

Samer Elayyan, the city’s engineering manager overseeing the project, said the equipment involved includes a concrete truck that backfills the trench up to a certain level with cement and sand.

An additional machine performs the excavation work, and approximately one dozen workers, including traffic control employees and construction crew, are on the site at any given time.

If motorists are commuting on Coldwater Canyon Drive before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., they won’t see workers or the heavy equipment, but they will see signs of construction.

During non-work hours, a seal plate is laid over the excavated part of the road so cars can drive over it safely.

With narrower lanes running in each direction, the traffic commute “should be slower because of the construction zone,” Elayyan said.

Williams Pipeline Contractors, the city’s contractor, is carrying out the construction. The company secured the job following a competitive bidding process.

As those who’ve driven the canyon road recently have seen, construction crews are currently digging up the street. And after the piping is replaced, the workers will have to reconstruct the street, an elaborate effort that Epstein anticipates will take months.

The road work is only the latest obstacle drivers are facing when taking Coldwater. During the heavy rains this past winter, the road, where it intersects with Rexford, was closed altogether because of mudslides and a sinkhole, prompting residents to complain on social media neighborhood app Nextdoor while recommending the 405 Freeway as an alternate route.

The project has already caused major inconvenience for traffic-weary commuters. In March, the city issued a traffic advisory. A sign on Coldwater Canyon Road at Ventura Boulevard now informs motorists to expect delays as long as 60 minutes.

Students and faculty from Harvard-Westlake School on Coldwater Canyon told the school’s student newspaper they are worried it will affect arrival times at the school. The school plans to make adjustments based on how the project affects students’ driving routes.

Epstein stressed the importance of driving respectfully through the area because it is a construction site right now.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience,” she said. “Ultimately, this will be an improvement in terms of reliability for our customers on the hillside.”

The post Coldwater Canyon Road Project Causing Traffic Delays for Commuters appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Yom HaShoah Marked with Poignant Ceremony

Ryan Torok — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 19:00:00 +0000

At a candle-lighting ceremony for Yom HaShoah, six candles were lit for the six million murdered Jews during the Holocaust; one candle was lit for the non-Jews who perished; and one was ignited for those whom Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, described as “victims of Palestinian terrorism.”

“Remembering the Holocaust is a priority to each one of us in this room tonight,” Rothstein said. “We are all here together to remember, to share our grief, to learn something new, to be inspired, and hopefully to recommit to sharing information about the Holocaust with others, to help fight the dangers of ignorance.”

Rothstein was speaking before nearly 400 attendees of a Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) ceremony at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. Pro-Israel education group StandWithUs organized the April 17 program in partnership with Temple of the Arts.

“Memories fade and we cannot allow the memory of the six million to ever fade from our consciousness and memories,” Temple of the Arts Rabbi David Baron said at the event.

The candle lighting kicked off the evening, followed by a screening of the 2020 feature film, “Resistance,” starring Jesse Eisenberg in the true World War II story of Marcel Marceau, a French-Jewish mime who joins the French Resistance and smuggles Jewish orphans over the Swiss border, saving dozens of young lives.

“Marking Yom HaShoah with an educational film like ‘Resistance’ helps inspire people with the heroic acts performed by courageous people like Marcel Marceau, who fought for life and survival in the face of racism and murder,” Rothstein said.

Former Israeli soldiers from Brothers for Life, an organization dedicated to supporting wounded combat soldiers, participated in the event. Speakers included Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman and Consul General of Germany in Los Angeles Stefan Schneider. Musician Jenna Parris performed “Eli, Eli,” followed by Hatikvah.

A post-screening Q&A featured “Resistance” writer-director Jonathan Jakubowicz and producer Claudine Jakubowicz. Seated onstage at the Saban with StandWithUs Los Angeles Executive Director Erinn Alcabes, the filmmaking team spoke about the current state of antisemitism in the United States, with Jonathan Jakubowicz pointing to antisemitic statements from rapper Kanye West as evidence that Jew-hatred exists not only on the margins.

Thus, he said, it’s important to support organizations like StandWithUs.

The movie, “Resistance,” argues the ultimate form of resistance against antisemitism during the Holocaust was survival. Originally released during COVID-19, the film was financed, in part, by a German film fund, which provided two million euros.

Jakubowicz, a Jewish filmmaker who grew up in Venezuela, said he never imagined Germany would support a Holocaust movie, despite Germany being actively involved in Holocaust remembrance efforts for decades.

Filming took place in Germany and Prague, with students from the Lauder Schools of Prague–the only Jewish school in the Czech Republic–portraying the orphans in the film.

Before he started writing the movie, Jakubowicz met with Marceau’s cousin, Georges Loinger, to learn more about Marceau’s story. Loinger, who died in 2018 at the age of 108, proved to be an invaluable resource.

“A lot of what you see in the film came directly from his testimony,” the writer-director said.

The film begins in the French city of Strasbourg, Marceau’s place of birth. By day, Marceau works in his father’s kosher butcher shop. By night, he performs mime in a brothel. As the Nazi conquest of Europe reaches France, Marceau’s priorities shift. He joins the French Resistance, where he develops a tight bond with a group of Jewish orphans, including one portrayed by actor Bella Ramsey of HBO’s recent drama “The Last of Us.”

Tense scenes ensue, including one on a train where Marceau is escorting a group of children as they head toward the Swiss border. Their plans are nearly thwarted when the story’s villain, a sadistic Nazi, boards, searching for Jews.

Putting his acting skills to use, Marceau pretends to be a Boy Scout leader taking his young troop on an innocent day hike in the mountains.

At the conclusion of the film, Marceau performs before a regiment of U.S. soldiers. Filming occurred at Congress Hall in Nuremberg, a grand venue that Hitler had apparently built for himself but never completed.

Shooting the film’s closing scene there, Jakubowicz said, “really felt like creative vengeance against the Nazis.”

As the final question during the Q&A, Maya Werthein, a senior at YULA Girls High School and a StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal high school intern, asked how she and her peers could proactively resist antisemitism today.

Claudine Jakubowicz, a mother of Jewish children, said embracing your Jewish heritage, coupled with taking pride in who you are, goes a long way.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, it was an appropriate message for anyone of any age.

Wounded IDF soldiers light candles with StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein, Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman and Consul General of Germany in Los Angeles Stefan Schneider

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Beverly Hills City Council Ends COVID-19 Emergency Declaration

Ryan Torok — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:31:00 +0000

At its April 18 regular meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council adopted a resolution to terminate a proclamation of a local emergency in response to COVID-19, effective April 19.

The city declared a local emergency in March of 2020 in the face of public health concerns presented by the pandemic. More than three years later, the threat of COVID-19 has decreased, and as state and countywide leadership have ended the state of emergency, Beverly Hills is following suit.

“The termination of the local state of emergency will end the city’s pandemic response, but it should be noted that the threat posed by COVID-19 will continue,” reads a city document recommending approval of a resolution ending the state of emergency.

To date, Beverly Hills has had more than 11,500 cases of COVID-19. There have been 56 local deaths caused by the coronavirus.

For repayment of costs associated with COVID-19 emergency response activities, the city has submitted $2.7 million to Federal Emergency Management Agency for review and reimbursement.

At this point, it is unknown how much of that sum will be reimbursed by FEMA.

During the session, the council also approved an ordinance preserving housing protections established under the emergency declaration. The deadline for paying forborne rent because of COVID-19 continues to be May 31, and a 3.1% cap on rent increases for the current fiscal year remains.

Appearing before the council, Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton provided an update on the city’s Emergency Medical Services program and Nurse Practitioner Program, asking for additional appropriations.

The council members said they admired the fire department programs and approved an approximately $506,000 increase to the budget for the Nurse Practitioner Program.

“You are defining the future of community-based medicine in real time,” Mayor Dr. Julian Gold said.

Expressing support for the program, Councilmember John Mirisch said he’d like to see more data collection about the kinds of calls they receive.

“This is about efficiency,” Mirisch said. “This is about providing the best kinds of services we can for our residents.”

During the two-hour meeting, Beverly Hills residents continued to voice strong opposition to the controversial removal of Ficus trees lining Robertson Boulevard.

Though the issue of Ficus tree removal was not on the agenda, a handful of people addressed it during the public comment segment of the evening. Resident and activist Wendy Klenk was choking back tears while discussing the ongoing saga of the trees, which has led to a court battle.

“I really want us all to sit together and just find a resolution so we can move forward,” Klenk, founder of the Robertson Boulevard Special Task Force, said. “We want to work with you. We really do.”

The council session began on a somber note, with Gold leading a moment of silence to commemorate Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), which took place from April 17-18. Hate and prejudice continue today, the Beverly Hills mayor said before calling for a more loving and kinder society.

“We have to continue to promote all human dignity and confront all forms of hatred, persecution, tyranny and injustices in the world,” he said. “We have to stand united, loud and clear, and say this is just not the world we want.”

As has become customary, the five-member council offered special shoutouts to deserving businesses and organizations in the community. First, they presented the award-winning professional theater company, Theater 40, with a special proclamation honoring its upcoming 57th anniversary season in Beverly Hills.

Then, city librarian Karen Buth accepted a proclamation for National Library Week, celebrated this year from April 23-29. She said this year’s Library Week theme, “There’s More to our Story,” highlights the many activities performed by the Beverly Hills Public Library, including passports services, issuing parking passes for national parks, and holding writing workshops.

“Libraries provide communities with the opportunity for everyone to pursue their passions and engage in lifelong learning,” Mirisch said.

Another recipient of a city proclamation was Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman. He attended the council meeting as the State of Israel prepares to celebrate 75 years of statehood in May.

“This is just another expression of the very special relationship between the State of Israel and the City of Beverly Hills,” Newman said.

Councilmember Lili Bosse agreed, saying, “No one celebrates and appreciates Israel more than we do here in Beverly Hills.”

During public comment, Beverly Hills resident and former City Council candidate Vera Markowitz discussed the success of Just in Case BH. Markowitz, co-founder of the all-volunteer program, which trains residents in emergency preparedness, said the program’s recent kickoff event at La Cienega Park was a resounding success.

“The object of Just in Case BH has always been to save lives in major emergencies,” Markowitz said. “Our city leads the way for the entire country in emergency preparedness.”

Beverly Hills resident Marc Maretsky shared about the 123rd U.S. Open coming to Los Angeles Country Club in mid-June for the first time in the tournament’s history, urging city leadership to publicize the event more proactively.

“The excitement is building,” Maretsky, a self-described golf fanatic, said. “I hope the city recognizes this tremendous publicity opportunity.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian took a moment and congratulated Bosse on a successful term as mayor. She also offered words of praise for Gold–the April 18 meeting was the recently installed leader’s first in his third term as mayor–and for Vice Mayor Lester Friedman.

The City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for May 2.

The post Beverly Hills City Council Ends COVID-19 Emergency Declaration appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Spago Seder Delights Nearly 300 Guests in Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000

So delighted by the unusual taste of the matzah, an attendee at Spago’s recent Passover seder remarked it was “matzah made cool again.”

He was one of nearly 300 guests who turned out in Beverly Hills for Spago’s 39th annual interfaith seder on the second night of Passover, April 6.

The elegant evening included a service led by University Synagogue’s Rabbi Arnold Rachlis and Cantor Ruti Braier.

The chefs prepared an array of dishes, including braised beef short ribs, Alaskan salmon, and matzah ball soup. But among guests, the biggest hit might’ve been the garlic-and-thyme matzah, which was baked in the restaurant’s pizza ovens.

Spago Beverly Hills Co-owner Barbara Lazaroff, who hosts the annual interfaith seder at her restaurant

“We take great pride in making sure we do it right every year,” Spago’s chef de Cuisine Areg Avanassian said of the matzah. The evening lasted several hours. Around 5:45 p.m., guests filed in. Barbara Lazaroff, co-founder and owner of Spago, went table to table making small talk with guests, which included artists, designers, publicists, tech leaders and even singer-songwriter Carol Connors, co-writer of the theme from the original “Rocky” movie.

As the evening went on, guests swapped business cards and stories over plates of gefilte fish about how they ended up at the one-of-a-kind annual seder, a benefit for Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

The evening concluded with Lazaroff expressing gratitude to the many people who turned out.

“From the bottom of my heart,” the restauranter said, “it means so much to me that you chose to celebrate your holiday here.”

The post Spago Seder Delights Nearly 300 Guests in Beverly Hills appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Plans Underway for Arts and Culture Programs

Ryan Torok — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000

During the Beverly Hills Arts and Culture Commission’s regularly scheduled April 11 meeting, the city demonstrated its ongoing commitment to art, highlighting a plethora of programming and providing updates on various arts and culture events around the city.

The meeting began, however, with an update from Interim Human Services Administrator Christopher Paulson on enhanced services for the unhoused population. In addition to existing services such as the Beverly Hills Outreach Team hotline, a new software system, Apricot 360, went live on March 1. The system collects data on the city’s unhoused population.

The city’s park rangers are actively involved in homelessness activity, Paulson noted. Every weekday, they conduct an early-morning outreach in the city’s parks. It started in Beverly Gardens Park, which is 22 blocks long, and has since expanded to all the parks, including Roxbury Park and La Cienega Park.

“The challenge with homelessness is it can take 25-200 times approaching a person to persuade them to accept services,” Paulson said. “It’s very challenging, and we don’t get results immediately.”

Beverly Hills, he explained, is situated in the middle of downtown and Santa Monica two areas that attract homelessness. Wilshire Boulevard is used as a thoroughfare between those two areas.

Turning to upcoming events, the Commission noted that an important anniversary for the city is coming up on April 24. That date marks the 100th anniversary of the pivotal election that kept Beverly Hills an independent city. To commemorate the historic date, the city’s Community Services Department is partnering with the Beverly Hills Historical Society for screenings of the historical society’s new documentary, “The Stars who Saved our City.”

The film chronicles one of the earliest examples of celebrity politics. It highlights the efforts of local residents Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Mary Pickford and Will Rogers in the campaign against annexation. Screenings are taking place on April 24 and 27 at newly renovated Greystone Theatre at Greystone Mansion and Gardens; on April 23 at the Farmers’ Market and April 24 at Roxbury Park. For more information, visit beverlyhills.org/april24.

The commission meeting also shared details about the upcoming Music in the Mansion festival, which will be celebrating its 29th year of showcasing extraordinary music. It takes place from April 20-23 at Greystone Mansion and Gardens. Tickets for the event, which typically sells out, can be purchased at beverlyhills.org/musicinthemansion.

Additional discussion during the meeting focused on the upcoming Beverly Hills Art Show, taking place May 20 and 21 at Beverly Gardens Park. The 50th anniversary show will showcase 235 artists, each selected from over 500 applications.

“I think Beverly Hills has one of the best art shows, and I say that because I continually get feedback from the community about our art shows,” Commissioner Karla Gordy Bristol said. “With this being the 50th, I am very excited, and I hope everyone that has not had the opportunity to come out, will make it out.”

The meeting’s participants also offered an update on Jewish American Heritage Month, which begins May 1 and recognizes Jewish contributions to American culture, history, the military, science, government, and other areas. Paul Paolone, interim recreation services manager, described it as “a council-driven initiative to celebrate Jewish heritage.” Beverly Hills is one of many cities around the country that marks the month-long tribute.

In Beverly Hills, residents will kvell over the variety of Jewish-themed programs, including a lively concert with Zetz Klezmer Ensemble, along with a rugelach-baking competition, at the Farmers Market on May 14. City officials expect a fun and family-friendly morning.

Additionally, there will be the screening of Jewish films every Thursday all month long at Roxbury Park Community Center, and the Beverly Hills Public Library will highlight notable works by Jewish-American authors.

The month-long nod to Jewish culture will provide an educational opportunity for residents and city officials alike. When a commissioner expressed excitement about eating arugula, the healthy salad green, Stephanie Harris, director of community services, clarified they would be eating rugelach, the Eastern European pastry.

Also around the corner is the city’s inaugural MADE in Beverly Hills arts festival, a four-day exploration of the art, architecture, design, and landscapes that have made Beverly Hills a world-class city. The program kicks off May 3 with a reception at Greystone Gardens and features more than 20 events throughout the city, including films, lectures, and spectacular tours. Tickets are available at Made.modtix.com.

“This is the first time the city of Beverly Hills is having a unique program like this,” Paolone said.

The post Plans Underway for Arts and Culture Programs appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Commission Approves Wording for Latest Golden Shield Plaques

Ryan Torok — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission on April 12 approved the final wording for plaques associated with the latest Golden Shield nominees.

The Golden Shield program highlights Beverly Hills locations, including businesses, people and landscaped areas, of historic and cultural significance.

The most recent nominees are Beverly Hills Nurseries, Beverly Hills Speedway, Warner-Beverly Theatre, and the Rachmaninoff Residence.

“The way we see this program, it fosters a public appreciation and civic pride in the character and quality of the city and reinforces a sense of place associated with Beverly Hills,” Cultural Heritage Commission Chair Kimberly Reiss told the Courier. “It gives us something to touch that’s part of our past and reminds people where we come from.”

Established in 2019, the Golden Shield Recognition Program authorizes the Cultural Heritage Commission to review and recommend nominees to the City Council for the City Council to award Golden Shield recognition plaques. The first site honored was the Don?a Maria Rita Valdez de Villa Homestead, considered the first home built in Beverly Hills.

The commission recommends 12 sites each year. To date, the program has nominated 31 sites, including the original Giorgio Beverly Hills Boutique; Morocco Junction, the original train station in Beverly Hills; and Polynesian-themed restaurant the Luau, a favorite hangout of the Rat Pack.

Twelve of the 31 nominated locations are currently awaiting council approval – though Reiss said she expects them to be approved. Since the program was launched approximately four years ago, the commission has overseen the installation of six bronze plaques designating Golden Shield recipients. A dozen more just arrived from the bronzer, Reiss said.

Golden Shield awardees exist not only in history books and archives. Case in point: Edelweiss Chocolates, a Golden Shield recipient, continues to operate at 444 N. Canon Drive, just as it did when the shop opened in 1942. What’s more, the decadent chocolate shop which inspired the famous conveyor belt scene from “I Love Lucy” still has its original fac?ade.

The Beverly Hills Speedway, among the latest nominees waiting City Council approval, was a 200-acre wooden automobile racetrack. Built in 1919, it featured banked turns and a 70,000-seat stadium. It operated for four years. Increasing land prices, however, meant the acreage became too valuable for use in auto racing, and the speedway’s last race was held in 1924. It was the first speedway designed with banked turns. Today, banked turns, where the outer edge of the track rises above the inner edge, are incorporated into racetracks everywhere.

Two Golden Shield plaques will be installed for the speedway, one marking the main public entrance and the other indicating the location of the VIP and driver entrance. Approved plaque language for the speedway says, “This marks the location of the main public entrance to the legendary, 75,000-spectator capacity Beverly Hills Speedway. The oval-shaped, 1.25-mile racetrack was located south of Wilshire between Beverly and Lasky Drives from 1919 to 1924… The 200-acre site was later sold and redeveloped into a residential subdivision.”

Meanwhile, approved plaque language for the Rachmaninoff residence, the Beverly Hills home of the virtuosic composer, symphony conductor and pianist, is equally descriptive. “This was the seventh and final home Sergei Vailyevich Rachmaninoiff… Although he did not compose any music here, he and his wife hosted evenings of music and conversation.”

Reiss described the language-approval process as “a community effort,” involving historic preservation consultant Jan Ostashay; city staff people Mark Odell and Minjee Hahm; and all five current members of the Cultural Heritage Commission: Reiss, Vice Chair Marc Teren, Jill Tavelman Collins, Craig Corman and Josh Flagg.

The commission’s latest meeting lasted nearly four hours and included the review of potential changes to portions of the Historical Preservation Ordinance. Possible alterations include increasing the frequency of meetings, procedural adjustments, and refining criteria for landmarking properties.

“It’s a very preliminary effort,” Reiss told the Courier. “We’re just getting started.”

The group also weighed a Certificate of Appropriateness for a residence located at 910 N. Bedford Drive, known as the as the Anthony-Kerry House. Designated a local historic landmark, the residence is considered the best example of high-style Craftsman architecture in the city, and the current property owner has requested to add a structure on the property. The commission approved the owner’s request.

The Cultural Heritage Commission is one of four Beverly Hills commissions that drive the design and functionality of the city. Established in 2012, it is relatively new compared to the city’s other commissions. Among other responsibilities, the commission is tasked with connecting Beverly Hills residents and visitors with the city’s deep roots.

“My favorite part of being a Cultural Heritage Commissioner is being able to bring the past into the present and make it relevant,” Reiss said. “And sharing the history of the city with the community.”

The post Commission Approves Wording for Latest Golden Shield Plaques appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

New BHPD PIO Discusses Job Challenges, Rewards and Off-Duty Life

Ryan Torok — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) Lieutenant Reginald Evans describes himself as a private person. Yet since February, he’s served as the primary communication source between the police department and the public.

“I’m the most private public information officer there is,” Evans told the Courier. “Workwise, you’ll see me doing everything I need to do, but you won’t see me sharing my vacation pictures on social media.”

Evans assumed duties as BHPD’s public information officer (PIO) earlier this year, succeeding Captain Giovanni Trejo. In this role, he oversees the department’s social media accounts and media relations, which requires appearing in public to deliver statements, composing press releases, and managing the department’s social media while relaying the particulars of police investigations to the city’s approximately 30,000 residents.

When a member of the media contacts Evans for information about, say, a home burglary, auto theft or antisemitic vandalism, he provides all the details that can legally be shared. He ensures timely, fact-based, and reliable information is being conveyed by the city’s law enforcement to the wider, concerned community.

“In the end,” he said, “it’s all just pushing information out.”

The information-sharing of the BHPD’s PIO is complemented by the department’s alert and notification system, which residents can sign up for by texting “BHPDalert” to 888777. Since the alert system was introduced, the department has fielded far fewer non-emergency calls– helicopters overhead typically generate a call into the dispatch center–ultimately making Evans’ job easier.

“By providing pertinent crime information via the alerts,” he said, “there has been a noticeable decrease in non-emergent calls to the police department’s dispatch center, which allows our staff to focus on emergency calls.”

Along with freeing up police officers to focus on more urgent duties, the alerts have led to a more informed public which Evans is in favor of. He spoke positively of mobile apps like Citizen that provide members of the public with real-time safety alerts.

“Applications such as this have their purpose,” he said.

There’s also the risk of misinformation being spread. It’s both real and inevitable, leading one to ask how the PIO pushes back on that.

“There is no formula to combat the spread of misinformation,” Evans said. “Combating the spread of misinformation on social media requires a multifaceted and nuanced approach that balances the First Amendment’s principles with the need to protect individuals and society from harm caused by false information. It is crucial to balance efforts with the principles of free speech and not use them to suppress legitimate dissent and criticism.”

Evan’s no stranger to protecting and serving others. Before joining the police force, he was a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy–the military’s equivalent of a medic.

“It was good,” he said of his time in the military. “Everyone serves for different reasons. I enjoyed my time.”

To date, he has spent 15 years in law enforcement, including 12 years with the BHPD–though he declined to say where he worked before joining BHPD.

At BHPD, he works alongside more than 200 highly skilled professionals–145 sworn police officers and 98 full-time non-sworn personnel–ensuring the safety and security of the city. In addition to his posting as PIO, he’s also an executive officer with the department’s Professional Standards Unit, which oversees internal affairs.

Familiar with the inner workings of the local department, Evans spoke with the Courier about policing at a time when the profession is highly stigmatized and facing unprecedented recruitment challenges, saying the challenges of recruiting entry-level talent is one all professional fields are currently experiencing.

“It’s no different from what every other profession is facing,” he said.

He acknowledged the need to bring new officers into the fold and highlighted BHPD’s attempts to remain competitive with other city’s police departments. This effort includes offering a signing bonus for applicants: $15,000 for entry-level officers and $20,000 for lateral police officers.

Additionally, under the leadership of BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook and with the support of former City Mayor Lili Bosse, the department has joined the national movement–known as 30×30–to increase the representation of women in law enforcement. The goal is to have 30% representation of women in public safety by the year 2030.

The husband and father of two young children, ages seven and nine, Evans is grateful for the time he spends not in uniform. When he’s not reading, writing, exercising, he’s spending quality time doing fun activities with his family.

“Everything centers around family,” he said.

He’s similarly dedicated to the city of Beverly Hills.

“It’s nice to be in the community and serving the people,” he said.

The post New BHPD PIO Discusses Job Challenges, Rewards and Off-Duty Life appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Just in Case BH Kickoff Draws Residents, Volunteers, First Responders

Ryan Torok — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000

An estimated 100 people gathered at La Cienega Park on March 26 for the installation of Just In Case BH‘s first emergency supply box.

City officials and community members attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse, Vice Mayor Julian Gold, Just in Case

BH Co-Founder Vera Markowitz, City Councilmembers Lester Friedman and Sharona Nazarian, Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton, Just in Case BH Volunteer South Zone Coordinator Shirley Reitman, Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Michael Bregy and Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Johnson.

“It was absolutely a smash,” Markowitz said about the event. “It was great.”

The emergency box contains a variety of supplies, including bandages, tourniquets and defibrillators. It is designed to be a valuable resource for the community in the event of a flood, fire or other emergency.

The emergency supply box is 5 feet long and cemented into the ground. Just in Case BH zone coordinators, emergency services personnel and city staff have access to unlock it.

In the coming months, additional emergency supply boxes are planned for the city’s eight other geographical zones. According to Markowitz, supply boxes for Zones 4 and 5 will be installed during the city’s fall art show on May 21; boxes for Zones 6, 7 and 8 will be installed on May 28 over Memorial Day weekend at Roxbury Park; and emergency supply boxes for Zones 1, 2 and 3 will be unveiled by the end of August.

La Cienega Park falls in the city’s 9th zone.

The outdoors event, held from 2-4 p.m., marked the official kickoff for Just in Case BH, a citywide initiative and public safety campaign that trains neighbors in emergency and disaster preparedness through the national program, Community Emergency Response Team while ensuring residents, schools and businesses have access to doctors, medical supplies and a central location for food and water.

The all-volunteer program was co-created by Markowitz and Fire Chief Barton. Three years ago, they envisioned the idea when protests connected to the death of George Floyd poured into Beverly Hills.

The resulting program is comprised of residents and members of the business sector who are disaster volunteers and serve as backup to the city’s first responders in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. The goal is to ensure self-sufficiency among residents of the community.

At the festive park event, families participated in hands-on activities–literally–as kids enjoyed putting their hands in wax to get a mold, along with face painting and storytelling with author Patti Tanenbaum.

“The kids loved that,” Markowitz said. “There were a lot of things for kids.”

For the adults, there was CPR, first aid and “Stop the Bleed” demonstrations.

Judging by the afternoon’s impressive turnout, Just in Case BH leaders are successfully generating enthusiasm about their all-volunteer, citywide emergency training program.

“It’s so exciting for all of us involved in Just in Case,” Markowitz said, “and it should be exciting for every citizen.”

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Scoping Meeting Held for 9600 Wilshire

Ryan Torok — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

As Beverly Hills preps a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed 9600 Wilshire Boulevard Specific Plan–a major development project with the potential to dramatically transform a significant section of Wilshire Boulevard–members of the public participated in a preliminary meeting in which they commented on environmental issues. “This project is the most intense commercial project use outside the [Golden] Triangle ever proposed in Beverly Hills,” resident Ken Goldman said during the March 29 meeting, which was held in person in the Municipal Gallery and was accessible virtually.

The 9600 Wilshire Boulevard Specific Plan would facilitate the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Saks Fifth Avenue Women’s Building–a historic building–on Wilshire; the retention of the existing commercial building at 9570 Wilshire–the former Barneys New York Building–for continued commercial use, and the development of new uses throughout the plan area, including residential, retail, offices, hospitality, a social club and a boutique hotel.

If the project were to move forward, construction would begin in 2024 and continue until 2028. It would occur over nine phases, beginning with the demolition of the Saks Shoe Building. The estimated duration of the construction is approximately 50 months: 14 months of utility relocation and 36 months of construction.

The four-acre site spanning two blocks is located south of Wilshire Boulevard, between Bedford Drive to the west and Camden Drive to the east, in the southwestern portion of the city. There are three commercial structures currently on the project site, including the Saks Fifth Avenue Women’s Building and former Barneys New York Building. There’s also an ancillary loading facility and two surface parking lots.

The Specific Plan Area would permit up to 642,000 square-feet of total floor area. It would be divided into two Districts: a Wilshire Boulevard District fronting Wilshire and a Neighborhood District to the south. The plan would include the development of multi-family residential developments, small retail uses and publicly accessible open space in the Neighborhood District.

Before construction begins, those involved are examining the potential environmental impact of the project–while noting there will be a lot of planning and dialoguing ahead.

“This is very early on in the process,” Andre Sahakian, principal planner for the city’s planning division, said during the meeting. “There will be numerous opportunities for future input on the project itself. This is an opportunity for the community to have a say in what we want to study.”

An initial study prepared for the Specific Plan–a 137-page report available on the city’s website–said the project would have “less than significant impacts” to environmental considerations including Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Hydrology and Water Quality.

The draft EIR will include further analysis on how the project might impact air quality, energy, geology and soils, noise, transportation and land use.

The meeting was one of the first introductions of the 9600 Wilshire Boulevard Specific Plan Project in a public setting, and residents were eager to share their concerns.

Jordan Geller lives on S. Peck Drive, which bisects the Specific Plan area between S. Bedford Drive and S. Camden Drive. Addressing the group, the longtime Beverly Hills resident said developers of the Wilshire project are disregarding the potential traffic impact the construction will have on the surrounding neighborhood.

“We cannot imagine what it would be like to have a project of this scope in our neighborhood,” Geller said. “I hope you guys will consider significantly scaling this project back or not allowing it to occur because it will forever destroy our neighborhood.”

Other participants in the meeting echoed Geller’s concerns related to the height of the buildings associated with the project, the density of the development and traffic.

“Those are definitely issues that will come up,” Sahakian said in an interview after the meeting.

Speaking on behalf of the Southwest Beverly Hills Homeowner’s Association, Goldman said, incredulously, “Despite many, many concerns about this intense proposed overdevelopment, we are addressing tonight only what we see as environmental issues.”

The scoping period, which provides an opportunity for the public to express input regarding the environmental issues associated with the project, began March 9 and lasts 30 days. April 10 is final day to submit comments on the project’s environmental issues to Sahakian at asahakian@beverlyhills.org.

After the Draft EIR has been prepared, it will be released for a 45-day public review and comment period. Sometime in the winter, the Planning Commission will then hold a public hearing on the Draft EIR and on the 9600 Wilshire Boulevard Specific Plan Project.

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BHUSD Board Considers Varied Agenda

Ryan Torok — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Agenda items at the March 28 Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) ranged from shade structures to computer science programs to teacher salaries and classroom instructional time.

A 94-page audit report was also a topic of discussion.

According to auditors from the firm Christy White, the district did not meet a minimum of 55% of expenses allocated toward teacher salaries in 2021-2022. There was a $2 million deficiency due to the district receiving COVID-related funds, which increased the total pool of funds used in the calculation.

Additionally, because of a change in start time in the school day, there was a slight shortage of instructional minutes in the 2021-2022 school year. The district had a total of 64,082 instructional minutes, short 718 minutes.

Neither infraction was serious enough to warrant a fine or any kind of penalty, however. In both circumstances, a waiver would explain the reasons behind the deficiencies.

The three-hour meeting began with brief remarks and a moment of silence dedicated to the six victims of the Nashville, Tennessee school shooting, the latest incident of gun violence to affect the nation’s schools.

“At some point, we as a country may actually answer a question which we already know has an answer at zero–and that is, how many children have to die before we take action,” BHUSD Board President Noah Margo said.

During the teacher/student spotlight portion of the meeting, Beverly Hills High School math teacher Jennifer Hegley, an educator in the district for the past 15 years, delivered a presentation spotlighting student achievement in computer science classes, where skills including HTML and JavaScript are taught.

High school students Ohad Levi, Jordan Meller, Gaddiel Noveck, Timmy Munkhbat, Joseph Kim, Dylan Van Rossum, and Akira Carey joined Hegley to share the positive experiences they’ve had this school year learning programming and coding skills while designing websites, developing side-scroller games and creating complex algorithms.

Acknowledging March is Women’s History Month, Hegley said 20 out of 76 coding students this year were women, “which is something to celebrate, absolutely!” she said.

“We’re especially proud being two girls in a typically male-dominated field,” one of these women, high school senior Dylan Van Rossum, said at the meeting, referring to herself and Akira Carey. “And it’s been really nice to have a female teacher to look up to.”

To wrap up the presentation, board members took a picture with Hegley and her students.

While everyone agreed the achievements in coding were praiseworthy, Margo spotlighted another kind of technology less enviable. The board president spoke of the “Wait Until 8th” movement, which urges parents not to succumb to outside pressure to provide their children will cell phones before they’re ready. The movement calls for no cell phones until eighth grade.

Those on hand also spoke about recent district programs, including a well-attended “Parent Ed Night” as well as the high school’s recent theatrical production of “Mean Girls”–which debuted on March 23 at the Saban Theatre and was an overwhelming success, those involved said.

“It’s a production we can really be proud of as a school district and as a high school,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy, who was one of several school officials to have a role in the production, said.

Board President Margo also appeared in the show. He added it was the rare instance when students in a Beverly Hills High School theater production were portraying characters their own age.

Pointing to Bregy’s appearance in the show, “I’m sitting next to star-power here,” Margo said.

The meeting also included discussion of Measures E and BH, which each authorize the school district to issue general obligation bonds in amounts around $350 million for the purpose of modernizing the district’s school facilities. A performance audit for fiscal year 2021-2022 found the district had taken steps to address two out of six issues that had arisen with previous management of the bonds, including payment procedures.

Board member Mary Wells has in the past been critical of previous management of the bond program. She was supportive when in 2022, a new company, Fonder-Salari, took over for the bond’s management. After hearing the latest performance audit, she expressed confidence in the new team that had been assembled to oversee the bonds.

“We can already see the difference,” she said.

Other features included a pre-taped episodic segment, “Now Noah Knows,” with Hawthorne kindergarten teacher Jocelyn Bresnick and Margo.

The lengthiest portion of the evening was a proposal to add more shade structures to Horace Mann. Representatives of the school’s PTA said the school, post-modernization, is equipped with two shade structures. A review of the students’ needs has suggested additional shade structures are needed. The three proposed structures would cost $139,000, $245,500, and $69,500, respectively.

Additional participants in the meeting included members of the Associated Student Body, which recently held elections for the 2023-2024 school year. Student Body President Ashley Jourabchi introduced the new ASB members.

While Jourabchi in remarks sounded ready to pass the torch, Bregy reminded Jourabchi and other current ABS members their work wasn’t quite done yet.

“We still have a long way to go,” Bregy said. “We’re not closing out the year yet.”

The post BHUSD Board Considers Varied Agenda appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Foundation Provides Financial Support for BHPD Family

Ryan Torok — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 13:30:00 +0000

Chasia Elzina Jeffries is a second-year Ph.D. student at UC Irvine. She’s juggling higher education pursuits, which include heavy coursework, teaching assistant duties and a master’s thesis, with an on-campus job.

This year, she received a scholarship for on-campus housing costs that has helped relieve her financial burden while freeing her to spend more time on her studies.

“This scholarship was essential to my staying on track with my studies without becoming overwhelmed,” Jeffries, who is completing a graduate degree in feminist studies and critical theory, said. “I am very grateful to the BHPF for their support of my academic endeavors and career goals.”

Jeffries–the daughter of Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) traffic control officer Rodney Jeffries–is among the approximately 20 people to receive recent scholarships, ranging from $1,000-$5,000, from the Beverly Hills Police Foundation (BHPF).

In its most recent cycle, the BHPF awarded more than $56,000 in scholarships to BHPD employees and their children. In one family alone, three young people received scholarships.

Additional recipients included BHPD’s Giovanni Trejo. The police captain has long wanted to pursue a degree that would supplement his policing skills, and he’s using his scholarship toward a Doctor of Education in organizational leadership at the University of La Verne.

“The scholarships are really generous,” Trejo told the Courier. “It’s such great financial support.”

Anita May Rosenstein, a board member at the Beverly Hills Police Foundation, told the Courier the scholarships make a significant difference in the lives of police department employees and their family members.

“It’s amazing,” she said in a phone interview. “We’ve affected a lot of young people’s lives by allowing them to go to college and pay for their tuition.”

Created in 1987 during the tenure of former police chief Marvin Iannone, the Beverly Hills Police Foundation is a nonprofit charity that provides financial grants to members of the Beverly Hills police family, including sworn officers and civilian professionals, as well as their spouses, widows and children.

The foundation’s primary purpose is to underwrite expenses of higher education or vocational training for employees and the children of employees. No repayment of any kind if required.

When the fund was initially launched, it didn’t offer scholarships, but when the foundation’s leaders, including longtime Beverly Hills resident Mike Schwab, formed the organization with bylaws, they broadened its scope. The foundation started awarding scholarships about five years ago. Each year, the foundation receives about 25 applicants. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $250,000. Over the years, the pool of available funds has grown because of strategic investments.

The foundation is required to donate a certain percentage of its funds each year. Low overhead allows a greater proportion of money to be dedicated to scholarships and grants, according to the foundation website.

Schwab, a foundation board member and BHPD reserve officer, oversees the project. He recruited donors to the project, and each year arranges for the chief of police, also the president of the board, to notify whoever is awarded a scholarship.

“It’s a fabulous feeling to let someone know they were awarded a scholarship,” Schwab said.

Each year, Schwab and the other board members spend an estimated 75 hours going over scholarship requests, discussing who is eligible and most deserving. Those involved include Rosenstein, a longtime foundation board member and Beverly Hills resident. She has a long track record of philanthropic involvement in the community, and her son, Brian, who sits on the foundation’s scholarship committee, has served as a reserve in the city’s police department.

“We’ve always been interested in helping the police,” Rosenstein said.

In a phone interview, BHPD Captain and Foundation Secretary Max Subin said the program owes its success to the dedication of the board members.

“They’re members of the community,” Subin said. “They care about the welfare of the officers, and they care about the scholarships.”

While providing scholarships is a central part of the foundation’s work, it also provides emergency grants. Last year, along with providing more than $50,000 in scholarships, the foundation awarded more than $21,000 in emergency grants.

Deann Lewis, a communications dispatcher at BHPD, received a grant from the foundation to offset the expenses of her daughter’s medical and therapy bills. Her 7-year-old daughter, Natalie, was diagnosed at four months old with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect that makes the heartbeat faster than normal. While a typical heart rate beats at 60 to 100 beats per minute, Natalie’s heart rate was 300 beats per minute. She underwent an ablation, an outpatient surgery that slows down the heart’s rate. However, during the procedure something went wrong, and her heart was consequently perforated. She suffered brain damage as a result and is currently dealing with the ramifications.

The financial assistance from the foundation, Lewis said, has allowed the family to focus on Natalie’s care without worrying about expenses.

“It’s been a huge blessing that the finances are not what’s holding us back from helping our daughter,” Lewis said. “The foundation makes you feel like part of a family and feel support that most businesses and organizations aren’t able to offer.”

Subin, a liaison between the board and grant recipients, worked hard ensuring Natalie’s family was given the support they needed.

“I heard their story, it was heartbreaking, and I knew the board would be receptive to a grant request,” Subin said. “The foundation was able to support her for medical expenses.”

In an ideal world, the foundation wouldn’t have to dedicate funds to emergency grants and could instead focus exclusively on scholarships, Subin said.

BHPD Police Chief Mark Stainbrook told the Courier that he relishes sharing the news with an employee that they or a family member have received a scholarship. (The recipients are determined in December of each year, timed for the holidays.)

“One of the best things I get to do is help them in their education,” he said. “Literally, when they come into my office their eyes light up. It takes the burden off them financially. Some of these folks are now pursuing doctorates and master’s degrees.”

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Spago Seder to Serve Memorable Passover Experience

Ryan Torok — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Barbara Lazaroff can still smell her grandmother’s matzo ball soup from childhood seders.

Nostalgic over that familial memory, she concedes the food didn’t compare to the the seders she presently hosts at Spago, her high-end restaurant in Beverly Hills, which pairs cuisine with charity by supporting a nonprofit dedicated to fighting food insecurity.

“The food is infinitely better, and it’s nice to generate goodwill in the community and most importantly give money away to an important cause,” Lazaroff, co-founder and owner of Spago Beverly Hills, said in an interview. “Bless my grandmother, but the food is a lot better.”

This year, the 39th annual Passover seder at Spago Beverly Hills, an interfaith evening benefiting Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, is expected to draw more than 300 attendees. Taking place April 6 and costing $250 per person, the luxurious seder includes homemade gefilte fish, roasted Alaskan salmon, braised beef short ribs, vegetable ratatouille and Moroccan carrots. Of course, chicken and vegetable matzo ball soup will be provided.

All the food is served with fine Israeli kosher wines, coming from vines dating back thousands of years, from Taub Family Selections.

While the meat isn’t kosher, those who do not mix meat with milk products will be pleased to know the desserts, which include matzo toffee, fromage blanc cheesecake, Passover puffs with caramel sauce and sorbet, don’t contain any dairy.

The annual seder draws members of the Jewish community observing the holiday along with Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and those without any religious affiliation.

“Basically, the idea is to put community together, dispel the notion of the other and create commonality as we support people in L.A. who can’t afford a meal like this and some of whom who can’t afford to eat, period,” Lazaroff said. “We have a very diverse community here in Los Angeles.”

A memorable experience helping others has been the objective since the inaugural Spago seder took place more than three decades ago. Recently, the seder raised money for HIAS, an international humanitarian organization that supports refugees and asylum seekers. When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Lazaroff knew she wanted to support Ukrainian refugees.

This year, by raising funds for Mazon, she is aiding food-challenged families. The national organization is dedicated to eradicating hunger in the U.S. and Israel. The group promotes systematic change through better anti-hunger policies at the federal, state and local levels. This includes strengthening federal nutrition programs.

Beverly Hills residents and those from outside the city are expected to attend. Many of the guests will be unfamiliar with Passover rituals, which Lazaroff welcomes.

“Every year, there are people who have never been to a seder,” the restauranteur said.

Organizing the seder in a popular restaurant requires closing the entire establishment for the night. The culinary team includes Executive Chef Ari Rosenson, Chef de Cuisine Areg Avanassian, and Executive Pastry Chef Della Gossett.

During the height of the pandemic, the restaurant offered to-go seder meals for their guests. Last year, the seder was held in the restaurant’s outdoor pavilion on N. Canon Drive, extending from Clifton Way to the public art wall. It made for a unique, festive experience.

This year’s seder will be held indoors.

Even with the time and energy it takes, Lazaroff is happy knowing people look forward to it.

“It’s a very important event to me, and it means a lot to other people,” Lazaroff said. “I try to make it as warm and festive as it can be.”

Leading the Haggadah service this year will be University Synagogue in Irvine’s Rabbi Arnold Rachlis and Cantor Ruti Braier, who have taken part for years. Also, guests enjoy live musical performances by the Klezmer Kings and the West Los Angeles Children’s Choir.

After a satisfying evening, you’ll take home a bag of the restaurant’s incomparable shallot-and-thyme matzah along with a to-go bag of macaroons.

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Fundraiser Will Support BHHS Student’s Cancer Treatment

Ryan Torok — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) student Zoe Suder is accustomed to tough opponents on the soccer field, but her latest fight, combating cancer–specifically, osteosarcoma cancer, which starts in the bones–wasn’t one she was prepared for.

Helping her with the challenge, a community fundraiser is taking place next month to support Zoe’s cancer treatment.

“I still can’t believe we have been chosen for this journey, but for whatever reason, Zoe has taken on this challenge like the champion and warrior she is!” Zoe’s mother, Leslie Suder, said in an Instagram post publicizing the upcoming event.

The fundraiser is taking place April 8, from 9 a.m.-noon, at the high school’s soccer stadium. Join the community in Coach Michael Holzer’s Soccer Camp Fundraiser. The cost is $100 per player, with proceeds benefiting Suder’s treatment.

The event is open to anyone ages 6-18.

For additional information, call 213-663- 6486 or visit coachmichaelholzer.com.

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Two Beverly High Students Named Music Center Spotlight Semifinalists

Ryan Torok — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000

The Music Center’s recently announced semifinalists for its 35th annual Spotlight program–a free, nationally recognized arts learning initiative–include two Beverly Hills High School students.

Senior Emily Gorin and sophomore Bradyn Prisand were among 112 high school students from Southern California to advance to the next stage of the Spotlight competition, which provides scholarships and artistic development for teens. This year, more than 1,300 teens from more than 245 schools, 170 cities and eight counties auditioned for the prestigious program.

Gorin is participating in the program’s acting emphasis, while Prisand, a member of Beverly’s acclaimed dance company, is focused on non-classical voice skills.

Launched in 1988, Spotlight is a program of the Music Center’s TMC Arts, which aims to create inclusive arts and cultural experiences that support the diverse voices and communities of Los Angeles. Semifinalists, including Gorin and Prisand, receive $500 cash scholarships while grand prize finalists each receive $5,000 cash scholarships. Semifinalists attend special mastery classes within their discipline with highly regarded artists before auditioning before a panel of judges.

A total of 14 finalists, two selected from each discipline, perform in the Music Center’s Spotlight Grand Finale on June 8 at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

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Jewish Federation Leadership Concerned About Israel

Ryan Torok — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 19:07:00 +0000

Social turmoil roiling Israel because of controversial judicial reform is causing angst among Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles leadership.

“I think the thing most American Jews do not realize is the depth of this separation, the depth of this discord, how torn apart Israel is over this issue really is more than political in that it is deeply existential about what it means to be a Jew, about what it means to be an Israeli, about what it means to be a Zionist,” Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, said in an interview after returning home from a two-day trip to Israel with other Federation leadership. “It really has uncovered some fault lines in the Israeli community that need to be addressed.”

Those on the Federation mission, held in Jerusalem from March 14-16, included Farkas; Orna Wolens, chair of the board at the LA Federation; and approximately 20 Jewish Federation leaders from Boston, Chicago, Southern Florida, Denver, Washington D.C., and San Francisco.

“There was a lot of questioning about what it means to be an Israeli, a Zionist, a Jew–what it means to be a democracy. There were a lot of questions,” Wolens shared. “With that being said, as American Jews, we always tread lightly, but this is a moment where we felt we had to go and express our concerns.”

Jewish Federations of North America, an umbrella organization for 150 federations, organized the mission, during which Farkas, Wolens and others met with protestors, business leaders, civic leaders and scholars to discuss the highly polarizing judicial reform being proposed in Israel, one which has prompted protests across the country.

“We are part of a global Jewish community and what’s happening in Israel is really challenging and troubling, no matter what your political views are,” Farkas told the Courier.

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles President Rabbi Noah Farkas (third row, sixth from left) and LA Federation Board Chair Orna Wolens (third row, second from left) join Jewish Federation leadership from several major cities for an urgent two-day mission in Israel addressing the country’s current domestic crisis. Photo courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

Mass street protests in Tel Aviv and other cities have been taking place since early-2023, galvanizing hundreds of thousands of people from all sectors of Israeli society, including the religious, Modern Orthodox, women, Arabs and the LGBT community. The unprecedented display of opposition is calling out the government of recently elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s far-right ministers have proposed plans to reform Israel’s judiciary. The effect would, essentially, limit the power of the country’s Supreme Court while giving members of the Israeli Knesset–Israel’s version of parliament–the power to appoint judges and overturn court decisions, thereby eliminating checks and balances between the legislative and judicial branches of the government.

With emotions running high, Farkas characterized the demonstrations as evidence of a healthy and vibrant democracy. Protestors, he said, have been waving Israeli flags instead of burning them, even selling flags to pay for their organizing efforts.

Critics of the plan have said the current reform proposal goes too far. Many have embraced a compromise proposal put forth by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, but events inside of Israel are evolving rapidly.

Farkas declined to share what version of compromise the Federation supports, likening the role the Federation plays to a bridge-builder.

“We went to advocate for compromise,” he said. “What happens in Israel matters to the American-Jewish community.”

His visit to Israel was a whirlwind of activity.

“I was literally there on the ground for a day,” Farkas said, describing meetings with top-level Israeli officials, the country’s president and civil society activists.

“The purpose of the mission was to show that Diaspora Jewry cares about Israel, express our concerns about the ramifications of the judicial reform process and to advocate for compromise,” Wolens said.

Asked if they tried meeting with Netanyahu during their brief visit, “I’m not going to speak to that,” Farkas said. “We tried meeting with as many people as we could.”

Having returned from the trip, the Federation leadership is now attempting to inform the community about events in Israel. This effort includes organizing a three-part webinar series. The first discussion was held March 22, featuring two of Israel’s leading tech titans and social activists.

“The whole purpose of these webinars is to teach people, connect them to what’s happening in Israel on all sides of the issue,” Farkas said. “We just think LA Jews, the LA Jewish community, and I suppose the Angeleno community writ large, before they make assumptions about what’s happening, they should hear from people directly.”

Rabbi Michal Morris Camille is a “sabra”–a Jewish person born in Israel–and she’s distraught over what’s happening there.

“This isn’t about partisanship,” she said. “This is about the future of Israel’s
democracy.”

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Council Liaisons Recommend Revised Budget for Chamber

Ryan Torok — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0000

A City Council Liaison/Chamber of Commerce meeting recommended amending an agreement between the city and the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce that will reduce funding for the Chamber by $213,505 for the current fiscal year. The revised new total is not to exceed the amount of $327,025 for fiscal year 2022-2023.

Those present at the March 13 meeting, led by Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse and Vice Mayor Julian Gold, explained that two of the significant programming items on the work plan developed by the Chamber of Commerce for this year–the New York Business Attraction and Retention Mission and the Miami Attraction and Retention Mission–did not occur.

Each year, the Chamber, in partnership with the city, travels to cities, including New York and San Francisco, to scout new businesses to bring into Beverly Hills. Representatives of the Chamber, along with the city’s elected officials and city manager, also meet with businesses currently operating in the city for retention purposes. The trips are a flurry of activity, typically with 24 meetings occurring over the course of three days with high-end companies including LVMH, Ralph Lauren, and Chanel.

This year, the Chamber was unprepared for the New York trip, which was scheduled for October 2022, as well as the Miami trip, which was scheduled to take place this month, according to Todd Johnson, the President and CEO of the Chamber. Speaking of the New York trip, he said, “we weren’t on track” to meet the needs for a successful trip; regarding Miami, “I was in the midst of hiring personnel,” Johnson said.

“We want to over deliver and under promise,” Johnson told the Courier. “We have a good reputation; we want to maintain that. Our partnership with the city is very important. We always make sure we deliver on what we say we’re going to do, or adjust accordingly. At the end of the day, we will make it work.”

In addition to the trips, the the budget was reduced because of an early termination of a contract with Buxton Economic Development Support Database, which provides data from Visa and mobile analytics for targeted business attraction outreach efforts.

The original budget for the New York trip was $112,300; the original budget for the Miami trip was $79,500; and the original budget for the Buxton contract was $42,550. The revised budget for the Buxton contract is $20,925.

“We’re on track to be caught up,” Johnson said.

Johnson delivered a brief presentation that also offered details about the Chamber’s revised work plan for the fiscal year.

Providing an update on Now Beverly Hills, a Chamber and city program that encourages residents to shop locally, Johnson said the Chamber has completed more than 275 social posts, highlighted 21 business profiles, distributed more than 10 newsletters and executed half of its marketing campaign goals.

The Chamber has thus far facilitated half of its proposed property owner task force meetings as well as half of the small business task force meetings, he said.

To date, the Chamber has received $191,411 for programs and duties that include marketing and outreach support for city and partner events, functions and services, property owner and small business task forces, broker’s roundtables and regional business attraction.

With the amendment and subsequent revised budget set to take effect, the remaining balance in the Chamber’s budget this fiscal year is $135,614.

The new work plan also includes a revised payment schedule. Whereas prior payments were provided before programs were completed, future payments owed to the Chamber, with the amendment put in place, will not be paid as an advance; instead, it will paid based on actual work completed and schedule to be completed by June 30.

“Any portion of work not completed … will not be invoiced by the chamber or paid by the city,” the amended agreement says.

Additionally, any funding unused by the Chamber will be returned to the city, the amendment states.

Asked by Gold if he was okay with the revisions in the agreement, Johnson–who has led the Chamber on eight previous business recruitment trips–answered in the affirmative.

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Just In Case BH to Hold Kickoff Event March 26

Ryan Torok — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000

On an upcoming Sunday afternoon, families, concerned residents of all ages and emergency service providers will gather together outdoors for a fun-filled, informational event designed to prepare everyone in the community for how best to respond to an urgent situation.

The City of Beverly Hills, the Beverly Hills Fire Department and the Beverly Hills Police Department are holding the family-friendly function, during which Just In Case BH will install its first emergency supply box.

The March 26 community gathering at La Cienega Park will feature a kosher food truck; kid’s games; CPR trainings; “Stop the Bleed” demonstrations, police dogs and fire department officials on-hand to meet with attendees who are invested in better serving their neighborhoods by learning what to do in the event of a flood, fire, earthquake or other critical emergency event.

“Everyone is coming out to be supportive of making the city safer,” Vera Markowitz, co-founder and director of Just In Case BH, told the Courier in advance of the free community program, which will be held from 2-4 p.m. at 8400 Gregory Way. “We’re looking forward to bringing everyone together for a worthwhile cause.”

Markowitz is more than a little passionate about keeping the city’s estimated 36,000 residents feeling secure and prepared for any emergency it may face, be it flood, fire, earthquake or even a public health pandemic.

Working in close partnership with Beverly Hills Fire Chief Gregory Barton and Mayor Lili Bosse, she envisioned the Just In Case initiative about three years ago when demonstrations prompted by the death of George Floyd spilled into Beverly Hills. The program equips people to handle an emergency when the city’s response services aren’t immediately available because they’re overwhelmed by calls.

Implemented over the past three years, the program serves schools, businesses, and residents of the 17,000 homes in Beverly Hills by splitting the city up into nine geographical zones, each designed to support itself during times of emergency or disaster.

The initiative trains neighbors in emergency and disaster preparedness through the national program, Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.), while ensuring residents have access to doctors, medical supplies, and a central location for food and water.

Recent heavy rainfall in Southern California reinforced the need for the Just In Case initiative, Markowitz said. Beverly Hills neighborhoods, including Trousdale Estates, experienced ongoing power outages and were having trouble with basics such as accessing WiFi.

With Just In Case being fully implemented, that will be less of a problem as it supplies block captains with walkie talkies to communicate during power and internet outages. Residents of the area can turn to each other for critical support and assistance, making them feel a little less alone during a challenging time.

“We’re trying to get away from technology because technology will be one of the first things that go down,” Markowitz said. “We’re making an effort to not rely on technology.”

The March 26 event will include a demonstration with the emergency supply container, a brief emergency preparedness discussion and, for camera-ready folks, photo-ops with Beverly Hills Fire Department and Beverly Hills Police Department personnel.

Bosse said the emergency supply boxes, which contain basic first aid items, such as bandages, tourniquets, stop the bleed supplies and defibrillators, will be a “valuable resource” for community members in times of emergencies.

The boxes, said Markowitz, will be cemented into the ground. They are five feet long and only zone coordinators and head of Just in Case BH will have access to them.

In the coming months, the city plans to install additional supply boxes in each of the

Just In Case BH nine geographical zones. The upcoming event will see the box installed in Zone 9.
“We’re really looking forward to the kickoff,” Markowitz said. “We hope people will come out to learn more about a critically important program for our Beverly Hills community.”

To learn more about Just In Case BH, visit justincasebh.org.

The post Just In Case BH to Hold Kickoff Event March 26 appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Planning Commission Votes Against Fractional Ownership

Ryan Torok — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission unanimously passed a motion supporting a draft ordinance that would establish permanent prohibitions on fractional ownership of residential and commercial properties in the city.

“In a time in which we’re all very concerned about providing housing, this–the fractional ownership vehicle–really takes housing off the market because they would be used as second homes, and that’s another reason I favor this ordinance,” Commissioner Peter Ostroff, one of the five commissioners to support the draft ordinance, said during the March 9 meeting.

Fractional ownership is an ownership scheme when a property is owned by multiple owners. Similar to a timeshare, it’s a practice whereby multiple people own a single property and use it for different amounts of time. Fractional ownership often takes place in single-family homes.

According to city staff, Beverly Hills is aware of companies that handle management duties for such properties’ multiple owners.

Proponents of regulating fractional ownership argue the properties essentially function as short-term rentals; there’s high turnover for occupancy turnover and they exacerbate an already-existing housing shortage.

The ordinance, if passed, would prohibit only those fractional ownership models that correlate to a time-based occupancy agreement.

In 2021, the City Council passed an urgency ordinance prohibiting fractional property ownership. That ordinance, which has been extended the maximum amount of times, is set to expire in the summer. Therefore, the Planning Commission moved to adopt a permanent ordinance to replace the urgency ordinance regulations.

The debate over fractional ownership was prompted in 2021 by the announcement of condos designed as shared vacation homes as part of One Beverly Hills, a $2 billion hotel and residential complex proposal. City Council was enthusiastic about the project but expressed concern about the precedent being set by the proposed fractional ownership concept.

This month’s meeting followed up discussions from a Feb. 9 Planning Commission meeting, during which the Commission debated how to draft an ordinance that’s tough on the practice while maintaining pathways for exemptions in certain scenarios.

On March 9, all of the commissioners spoke in favor of the ordinance, including revisions made by city staff to the ordinance since the Feb. 9 meeting. Those revisions included a provision allowing anyone to request a City Council hearing regarding their intention to enter into a fractional ownership scheme.

While there was no public comment, several of the commissioners had questions and input on the latest iteration of the ordinance. Commission Vice Chair Gary Ross suggested a minor language amendment.

“I think this was a really good idea,” Commissioner Jeff Wolfe later said. “It was thought out well and implemented appropriately.”

Commission Chair Myra Demeter, for her part, expressed concern about young affluent men who go in together on the purchase of a residential property and use the residence as a place for parties. Demeter wanted to know if the passage of the ordinance would prohibit that kind of behavior–which, she said, was detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood.

In response to the chair’s concern, city staff said that homes used primarily for partying is already addressed by an ordinance prohibiting noise nuisances which assuaged Demeter’s concerns about the ordinance not being broad enough in its prohibitions.

Ostroff interjected it was not only young men who were responsible for purchasing or renting homes and using them for partying but people of all ages and backgrounds. He was also concerned about the possibility of a lawsuit against the city that would prevent enforcement of timeshare regulations, similar to a current suit in St. Helena, a community in Napa Valley.

With each of the members voting in favor of the draft ordinance, it is now set to go before City Council for a final vote.

The meeting also included discussion of a development plan review to allow for the construction of a third-story addition with an outdoor terrace on an existing commercial building. The companies at the center of the project and represented at the meeting were Rolex/Patek Philippe, which are housed in the Gearys Beverly Hills store location on Rodeo Drive.

Each of the commissioners spoke in favor of the proposal, saying they looked forward to the ways in which it would contribute to the luxury business community in Beverly Hills.

“I think this is a beautiful project,” Commissioner Terri Kaplan said. “It will certainly enhance Rodeo Drive and the surrounding area.”

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Wide-Ranging UCLA-Haaretz Conference Examines Israel’s Role on Global Stage

Ryan Torok — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Is the two-state solution dead, Amir Tibon asked Tony Blair, referring to the uncertain prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians?

“I don’t know what the alternative scenario actually is,” Blair said. “The reality is the State of Israel is here to stay,” and the Palestinians aren’t leaving. So, you can have a debate about what a two-state solution means, but any agreement will be some form of a two-state solution.

The pragmatic back-and-forth between an Israeli journalist and a former prime minister of Britain occurred during “Israel and the New World (Dis)Order,” a virtual conference that featured a variety of speakers–journalists, security experts, elected officials and diplomats–discussing Israel’s foreign policy, foreign relations and the soon-to-be-75-year-old country’s expanding role on the global stage.

The conference streamed live on March 5 and was organized jointly by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation underwrote the program.

While the agenda did not explicitly include an examination of current events unfolding inside Israel–the country is immersed in domestic conflict over a proposed overhaul of the judicial system; many, especially those on the political left, are worrying about Israel’s future as a democratic country–the topic proved unavoidable for many conference participants.

“The gap between the two different parts of Israel now, the two different camps, is very wide and very deep,” Tzipi Livni, one of the program’s high-profile speakers, said.

Blair, a longtime, prolific supporter of the Jewish state–his organization, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, has an office in Israel–is an ardent observer of events in the region. During the conference, he highlighted the importance of the peace agreements between Israel and several Arab countries, signed during the Trump administration.

“I think the Abraham Accords was a hugely significant agreement and event,” Blair said. “The path is now open for Israel to become an accepted member of the region.”

He spoke about the essential role religious tolerance and an embrace of world markets play on the international stage.

“The world belongs to the open-minded today,” Blair said.

The event marked the second time the UCLA Nazarian for Israel Studies and Haaretz partnered on a virtual conference. In 2021, the two held a similar virtual event focused on Israeli national security, drawing an estimated 20,000 people that watched the event live or viewed a recording available on several platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.

Viewing numbers for this year’s conference were not immediately available.

While many of the speakers expressed criticism of the current Israeli government, which is comprised of a political party considered far-right, Professor Dov Waxman, director of the UCLA Nazarian Center, dismissed the event as biased against the Jewish State. Any negative feedback about the conference’s content would stem from a misunderstanding of the Nazarian Center’s mission, he explained.

“It’s not about Israel advocacy,” Waxman said in a phone interview. “It’s about providing informed, nuanced conversation about Israel and anyone who watched the conference would’ve come away with that. These are serious issues being given serious attention. It’s not about Israel advocacy, and it’s not about Israel bashing either.”

This year’s program included a conversation with Livni, a former member of the Israeli Knesset (parliament).

Tackling current issues facing Israel head-on, Livni said for years she felt alone when speaking out against threats to Israeli democratic values. But with the protest movement in Israel galvanizing significant portions of the public, she no longer feels that way.

“Now it’s so good to see hundreds of thousands of people taking the streets,” she said. “It’s wonderful.”

Additional speakers included Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog, who emphasized the continuing strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

“We do not have a closer ally than the United States,” Herzog said. “We help each other and do a lot together.”

Other participants discussed the foreign policy issue consuming much of the international community: the ongoing war in Ukraine, an unprecedented global event. The UCLA conference featured a one-on-one conversation between Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk and Haaretz Senior Correspondent/Columnist Anshel Pfeffer.

The two discussed Israel’s controversial stance of neutrality toward Russia’s invasion. While countries including the U.S. and Germany have provided defense equipment to Ukraine, Israel has been reluctant to help beyond humanitarian support, not wanting to alienate Russia.

Korniychuk signaled Israel’s position might be evolving.

“Israel is slowly changing its policy towards UkraineWe are grateful for the humanitarian aid, but you can’t win the war with bandages and antibiotics,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Additional speakers at the morning-long conference included Susan Glasser, a journalist at the New Yorker; Daniel Gordis, the Koret distinguished fellow at Shalem College in Jerusalem; and Eva Illouz, a professor of sociology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

While Gordis is a steadfast supporter of Israel, and Illouz more willing to criticize the Jewish State, the two shared the view that Israel’s on a dangerous path if it moves forward with plans to reform its judicial system plans that would give Israel’s legislative branch override power over Israeli supreme court decisions.

Waxman welcomed the unexpected consensus between the two influential thought leaders, saying, “That really surprised me.”

“Israel and the New World (Dis)Order” continues to be available for viewing on the UCLA Nazarian Center website. To watch the conference, visit international.ucla.edu/Israel.

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City Council Addresses Parking Program, Trees and Israel Celebration

Ryan Torok — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 19:00:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills City Council’s March 7 formal meeting addressed a variety of topics, including the city’s Preferential Parking Program, the ongoing tree removal on Robertson Boulevard and a request for the use of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts for Israel’s 75th Independence Day celebration.

The council approved the request from the Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles for one of the city’s free-use days at The Wallis. Israel’s Independence Day is commemorated on April 25-26.

During the meeting, the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) provided an update on the city’s Preferential Parking Program. BHPD Lieutenant Robert Maycott and BHPD Sgt. David Tomlin were in attendance and delivered a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on conducting outreach efforts about the program at city events, including the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market on Sundays. They also shared about efforts to register residents for the program through community workshops, customer services staff, warning citations, physical mailers, and email reminders.

Warning citations for those who haven’t registered for the program have been issued as of March 1. Full enforcement of the program is planned to take effect April 1.

“Success is based on education and continued support,” Maycott said.

The recently introduced program uses license plate reading technology as an alternative to hangtags for vehicle verification. The automated parking system program, the police officers said, is an opportunity to provide more flexibility, access and convenience to residents, visitors and businesses through a new parking citation and permit management system with technological service provider Data Ticket, Inc. It will enhance security measures that have already been in place in conjunction with the city’s effective Real Time Watch Center.

Addressing the council with Tomlin by his side, Maycott said the police department is striving to make the parking program “fair and equitable.”

“I can assure you we’re striving to ensure this is fair and equitable across the board for every resident here in the city–for all 76 [parking] zones,” the BHPD officer said.

As of Feb. 27, the police department has issued more than 7,500 parking passes under the new program, including daytime legacy hangtags, caregiver passes, and overnight passes.

At the beginning of the bimonthly meeting, many audience members commented over the phone, in person and via email about a non-agenda item: the ongoing controversy over the removal of 87 Ficus trees on Robertson Boulevard. In one comment after another, individuals, including those representing the Robertson Boulevard Special Task Force, spoke in opposition to the tree removal.

Attending the meeting in-person, Tiffany said the trees provide a much-needed shading canopy in a warm climate.

“I’m here on behalf of the trees on Robertson Boulevard,” she said. “And I can’t help but thinkingthey’re needed in this urban city.”

Another speaker, Laura, a self-described sustainability advocate and native Angeleno, called into the council and spoke in protest of the removal.

“These removals are aberrant and discrimination against stakeholders who can’t contribute more profoundly to your campaign coffers, plain and simple,” she said. “This must stop.”

During a segment devoted to councilmember comments, Councilman John Mirisch expressed a desire to pass a resolution against antisemitism. His comment led to a debate among councilmembers. Councilmember Lester Friedman said the council’s stance against Jew-hatred has been made clear; he did not think it necessary to pass a resolution. The conversation was prompted, in part, by Mayor Lili Bosse sharing an experience she had walking into the meeting: a community member gifted her a book about the Holocaust that contained details about her family.

The Beverly Hills City Council’s next formal meeting is scheduled for March 21.

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New Complex at West LA VA to House Senior Military Veterans

Ryan Torok — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 19:45:00 +0000

“Welcome to your New Home!” read a greeting card displayed on an end table in a fully furnished one-bedroom apartment unit.

The apartment was one of nearly 60 units inside Building 207, a new residence for senior veterans on the sprawling West Los Angeles VA campus. The building recently opened as part of a large and multifaceted effort to provide affordable, subsidized housing to at-risk veterans.

Elected officials, nonprofit leaders, military veterans and advocates as well as members of the media gathered at the VA on Feb. 28 for the grand opening of the building.

Southern California housing developer Thomas Safran and Associates won a competitive bid to develop the affordable housing residence on the West L.A. VA. The organization spent $32 million on the project, which involved refurbishing an 80-year-old building on the VA and transforming it into a desirable housing complex for senior veterans.

The three-story building has 59 units of housing: six one-bedroom apartments and 53 studios. On the first floor, there’s a common room with computers, television, pool table, and a piano. Amenities include laundry facilities and a gym.

Onsite mental health and case management services will be offered to the veterans living at the facility, said Stephen Peck, president and CEO of U.S. Vets, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive services for at-risk and homeless veterans and families.

The common room at the VA’s Building 207 residence for veterans bustles with activity during the grand opening.

“The beauty of this campus is we’re right up the street from the hospital,” Peck said, referring to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

At the time of Building 207’s opening, nine apartment units were occupied by veterans. The remainder had not yet been filled.

Glistening floors, new kitchen countertops, fully equipped bathrooms–with fresh dispensers of toothpaste by the sink–welcome each of the veterans when they move into their fully furnished apartments. In a one-bedroom unit toured by a media group, a greeting card taped to the refrigerator read, “Dear Veteran, Thank you for your service. Hope you have a great day. God bless you.”

While Thomas Safran and Associates, the Veterans Collective and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles have worked to make the apartments affordable, tenants are required to pay 30% of whatever income they have toward rent.

The apartments are painted fresh coats of white. Sunlight pours in from large windows looking out onto the far-reaching VA campus, where the development company has broken ground on three additional permanent supportive housing complexes toward the goal of eventually offering more than 1,200 housing units on the 70-acre VA campus near Westwood.

“The apartment itself represents the present and the view outside represents the future,” Parisa Roshan, senior project manager at Thomas Safran and Associates said, providing a tour of Building 207 on a recent afternoon. “We are trying to create a beautiful home that veterans deserve.”

While forthcoming housing projects will not be age restricted, the immediate priority at Building 207 was providing housing opportunities for seniors over the age of 62.

“What we realize is senior veterans are the fastest-growing homeless population, and we wanted to make sure to meet their urgent needs more quickly,” Roshan said.

In one of the building’s apartments, greeting cards displayed on the refrigerator and side table welcome the future tenant.

Those who drove by the VA around San Vicente Boulevard during the pandemic might have seen the growing number of encampments surrounding the campus. Indeed, there are an estimated 4,000 homeless veterans in Los Angeles County, according to published reports. For that reason, there was tremendous urgency surrounding the completion of the project.

The media tour of the building was followed by a tented ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the housing complex. Local leaders and veteran advocates in attendance included City Councilmember Traci Park and representatives from the offices of Congressmen Brad Sherman and Ted Lieu. Steve Braverman, director of VA Greater Los Angeles health care, also spoke. A flag ceremony kicked off the festivities, and food was served while speakers shared words about the significance of the grand opening.

According to The Veterans Collective, a partnership comprised of Century Housing, Thomas Safran and Associates and U.S. Vets, the launch of Building 207 marked “a major step in the construction of the country’s largest supportive housing development for veterans and families.” The project, Roshan said, “will fundamentally change the world of homeless services for veterans.”

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Planning Commission Discusses ADU Draft Ordinance

Ryan Torok — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 19:45:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission held a lengthy hearing that weighed regulations pertaining to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in single-family residential areas of the city.

A future ADU-focused draft ordinance could, among other things, allow for an increase in the allowable height for ADUs–which are commonly known as “second units,” “granny flats,” or “mother-in-law units”–in Beverly Hills.

The three types of ADUs are Junior ADUs, which are created inside an existing single-family dwelling; attached ADUs; and detached ADUs. While they cannot be sold separately from attached or detached main residences, ADUs can be rented. In Beverly Hills, ADUs are allowed on any property zoned for single-family or multi-family development.

“The whole reason that the state has been fooling around with ADUs and making them easier and easier and easier is the policy they are working in aid of is creating more housing units,” Commissioner Peter Ostroff said during the Feb. 23 meeting. “That’s the point of this–to address the housing crisis, and I don’t think we should lose sight of that. That’s the point of the new ADU rules.”

Increasingly, statewide elected officials view ADUs as a viable source of housing due to low barriers to production. The California Department of Housing and Community Development calls ADUs an “innovative and effective option for much-needed housing in California.”

In Beverly Hills, the Planning Commission has examined the topic of ADUs several times since 2021. In 2022, the city began drafting an ordinance.

Meanwhile, ADUs are growing in popularity. In 2018, there were seven ADUs citywide. In 2022, 25 ADUs were permitted in Beverly Hills. The majority are located within the central area of the city. Of those, the majority are located south of Santa Monica Boulevard.

If trends continue, the city is on track to meet its target of permitting 150 new ADUs by 2029, city staff said.

Beverly Hills residents have expressed a desire for regulations permitting ADUs at least 20 feet high. The current statewide height restriction–of 16-20 feet for a detached ADU–does not typically allow for the construction of a two-story ADU. If a property owner wants to build an ADU on top of a garage or carport, which can be 10 feet high, a 16-foot-tall ADU isn’t a practical option, residents say.

Current ADU regulations in Beverly Hills change depending on where the property is located. Areas outside transit proximity areas, including parts of Trousdale Estates, have different regulations than those south of Santa Monica Boulevard in the city’s flats.

In Beverly Hills, ADUs are either by-right or discretionary. By-right developments fit certain standards and can receive a building permit without review. Properties categorized under the discretionary process include those located north of Santa Monica Boulevard, and they are allowed larger ADUs given their larger lot sizes.

Toward the end of the Feb. 23 meeting, Planning Commissioners proposed that by-right ADUs be allowed a height closer to 26 feet. Setbacks–the distance between the ADU and the side and rear of the property line–ought to remain at the state standard of 4 feet, Commissioners said.

During the public comment section, real estate attorney Murray Fischer urged the Planning Commission to consider regulations governing ADUs for multi-family buildings. There was great opportunity in that area, he said.

Additionally, Fischer said ADUs provide living opportunities for young adults in college or who recently graduated.

“The Planning Commission is trying to find a solution to provide ADUs that are meaningful and will meet the requests of the residents of the City of Beverly Hills,” Fischer told the Courier in a phone interview after the hearing.

Longtime Beverly Hills resident Kamyar Mahboubi spoke of wanting to develop an ADU for his elderly in-laws. Accustomed to living in a 6,000-square-foot home, they would not be comfortable in an ADU that was “a bit larger than a garage,” he said.

Homes Founder Florentine Christian spoke about ADU aesthetics. A nationally recognized ADU expert, Christian said there’s need for design consistency between the primary property and the ADU.

Planning Commission members requested that city staff–including Cindy Gordon, a principal planner for Beverly Hills, and Timothea Tway, director of community development for the city–consider what was said during the meeting and return with a draft ordinance at a later date.

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Police Arrest Three for Whole Foods Theft

Ryan Torok — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 19:45:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) arrested three suspects earlier this week in connection with a theft at the Whole Foods in Beverly Hills. The suspects were booked for, among other charges, resistance or delaying of an investigation.

“The investigation we conducted that day led to the arrests of the three suspects,” BHPD Captain Giovanni Trejo told the Courier.

On Feb. 20, at 5:22 p.m. BHPD officers received a call from the Whole Foods about a theft that had occurred at the grocery store. Officers immediately responded. Before they arrived at the store, located at 239 N. Crescent Drive, officers learned the suspects had already fled the store in a vehicle.

The suspects drove southbound on Crescent Drive. Using technology associated with the Real Time Watch Center, including drones along with private and public surveillance footage, police caught up with the suspects at Peck Drive and Daniels Drive. Officers conducted a traffic stop. After the vehicle stopped, the suspects took off and fled on foot, according to Trejo.

In response, officers established a containment area, stationing police vehicles at nearby intersections to prevent the suspects from getting away. After an investigation of the area, police located the suspects, who were unarmed, within that containment area, which Trejo described as a residential neighborhood south of Olympic boulevard.

Officers took the suspects into custody around 8 p.m., according to BHPD.

The three suspects were booked for numerous charges, including petty theft, delaying an investigation, conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary.

BHPD shared the identities of the three suspects two females and one male. They are Govanna Roger, 20; Teijhane Rucker, 25; and Damian Reed, 26. All three are from Northern California. Roger and Rucker are from Oakland, and authorities did not immediately have information on where Reed is from.

The charges against Reed, according to BHPD, included identity theft. Trejo did not have additional details about the charge. BHPD confirmed the incident “was a theft to a person,” not a robbery of the store.

In an interview with the Courier, Trejo and Lt. Reginald Evans, an executive officer with the BHPD, credited the ongoing role of the Real Time Watch Center (RTWC) in curbing crime in the city.
“RTWC played an instrumental function in the investigation,” Trejo said. “Using technology which included drones and public footage from the city as well as private footage from businesses in the area definitely aided in the investigation and the identification of the vehicle involved.”

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Shooting Suspect Charged with Federal Hate Crimes

Ryan Torok — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 19:30:00 +0000

Federal hate crimes charges have been filed against Jaime Tran, a former Riverside resident who allegedly targeted and shot two Jewish men in Pico-Robertson, a predominately Jewish neighborhood in West Los Angeles, on Feb. 15 and 16.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Tran allegedly targeted two victims because they were Jewish or he believed them to be Jewish.

If convicted, Tran could face life in prison. Because the complaint alleges he attempted to murder the two victims, the maximum statutory penalty for each of the two hate crimes is life without parole in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Over the past two days, our community experienced two horrific acts we believe were motivated by antisemitic ideology that caused him to target the Jewish community,” U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said during a Feb. 17 news conference announcing the charges. “It is important, especially in one of the most diverse areas in the world, that we celebrate our differences, and stand together to oppose acts of hate.”

On Feb. 17, Tran made an initial court appearance, where a federal judge ordered him held without bail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was not asked to enter a plea. His arraignment is scheduled for March 9.

The announcement of federal charges against Tran followed the shooting suspect’s high-profile arrest the evening of Feb. 16 in connection with the two Pico-Robertson incidents, which resulted in non-life-threatening injuries to two victims.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass denounced the antisemitic shootings during the Feb. 17 press conference.

“When antisemitism crawls out of the shadows, make no mistake, Angelenos from every community stand united to stamp it out,” Bass said. “Antisemitism has no place in Los Angeles, no place in our country. My administration is resolute against hate, and we’ve made it a chief component of our agenda.”

The shootings occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 15, and approximately 8 a.m. on Feb. 16, as the two men were leaving prayer services at neighborhood synagogues.

Both victims were shot at close range. The first victim suffered a gunshot wound to his lower back, while the second victim sustained a gunshot wound to his upper arm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Both victims survived.

Both victims were wearing clothing that “visibly identified their Jewish faith,” including black jackets and head coverings, federal prosecutors said.

The second victim was shot just one block from where the first victim was shot the day before.

Tran has a history of animus towards the Jewish community, the federal complaint says. In 2022, he sent antisemitic text messages to former classmates at a dental school. He told investigators he was homeless and had been living in his car for the past 12-14 months.

He told authorities he chose victims in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood after searching Yelp, the business-review app, for a kosher market. After locating the market, Tran allegedly drove to the area, where the first shooting occurred. He returned the following day.

Los Angeles police initially said the shootings were unrelated. In response to the first shooting, authorities initially discounted the possibility the shooter was motivated by antisemitism.

However, “the facts of the case led to this crime being investigated as a hate crime,” a LAPD statement said.

An officer responding in Pico-Robertson to assist with the investigation photographed “a male Asian in his 30s driving a dark gray Honda Civic,” the complaint says. The car and driver in the photograph matched subjects captured in surveillance footage of one of the shooting incidents. The photograph captured the vehicle’s license plate.

Los Angeles police identified a mobile telephone associated with Tran. The Cathedral City Police Department, working collaboratively with federal and regional partners, arrested Tran without incident in Cathedral City, Riverside County, on Feb. 16. He was taken into custody around 5:45 p.m. Officers discovered several items of evidence, including a rifle and a handgun.

“I am proud of the outstanding work by our investigators in the identification and apprehension of the individual responsible for these hate-inspired attacks,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement. “Additionally, I applaud the actions of our officers to quickly bolster our visibility in the impacted communities that were terrorized.”

Jewish community groups credited law enforcement for their swift work identifying and arresting the suspect.

“The arrest of the person accused of shooting two Jewish men in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood in 24 hours gives a sigh of relief to L.A.’s Jewish community,” Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams said. “We are aware that the case is being investigated as a hate crime and look forward to learning more about a possibly hate-driven motive.”

“We are incredibly grateful for law enforcement’s diligence in apprehending the suspect,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said.

Online newspaper the Forward identified one of the two victims as Guy Taieb, 73. Taieb was reportedly walking home from prayer services at the Pinto Center, a Moroccan synagogue on Pico Boulevard, when Tran allegedly pulled up beside him in a sedan. Taieb was shot at in the arm, The Forward reported.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, expressed appreciation the suspect was apprehended and charged. Nevertheless, local Jewish families were on edge which was unacceptable, Cooper said.

“Parents who will be looking over their shoulders walking to prayer on the Sabbath is not a situation that should be normal anywhere,” he said.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Jewish leaders came together at a town hall organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles on Feb. 20 (see Town Hall story).

In a phone interview, Yoni Ari, CEO of the Jewish Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP), urged places of worship, in light of the Feb. 15 and 16 shootings, to further hone their “culture of preparedness,” which means not only considering what technical security enhancements could be made to their facilities but managing human behavior as well.

“To build resilience is to make sure that, even in a stressful time,” Ari said, “you’ll know how to react in the best way.”

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Hundreds Attend Town Hall Denouncing Antisemitism

Ryan Torok — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 19:15:00 +0000

Alarmed by recent anti-Jewish attacks in Pico-Robertson, approximately 400 people attended a town hall focused on denouncing antisemitism and violence.

The community-wide event was convened by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles in the wake of two shootings that targeted Jewish individuals leaving morning prayer services in Pico-Robertson on Feb. 15 and 16.

The gathering was held in the gymnasium of YULA Boys High School, an Orthodox school adjacent to the Museum of Tolerance.

“We’re here, locked arms, against all forms of hate, bigotry and discrimination,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said during the evening event, garnering applause from the packed crowd seated in the gym’s bleachers. “Because antisemitism goes against the values of our city–and goes against our humanity.”

Bass was one of more than a dozen speakers at the town hall, which drew elected officials, Jewish leaders as well as local and federal law enforcement officers.

The forum at the local high school addressed the concerning rise of local, national and global antisemitism. Speakers condemned the most recent attack in Pico-Robertson, a predominately Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles.

The suspect behind the recent shootings–28-year-old Jaime Tran–was arrested by local police on Feb. 16. The shootings resulted in non-life-threatening injuries to two victims.

Open to the public, the Feb. 20 event began with Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, expressing disbelief the Jewish community continues to be targeted. But he emphasized the community’s resilience.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Pico-Robertson, said, “I share your fear, your anger, your frustration and resolve.”

Yaroslavsky, a recently elected city official, shared plans to introduce a motion to secure additional funding for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ Community Security Initiative, a network of Jewish schools, synagogues and summer camps that share security information in the event of an emergency.

Additional local leaders in attendance included Simon Wiesenthal Center Founder and CEO Rabbi Marvin Hier; LA City Council President Paul Krekorian; Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Board Chair Orna Wolens; Beverly Hills City Councilmember Sharona Nazarian; and Rabbi Arye Sufrin, head of school at YULA High School–Boys Division.

“Tonight, we’re reminded antisemitism exists, even in our own backyard,” Sufrin said.

The YULA head of school offered a commentary on the Torah specifically, one focused on the story of Moses killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Hebrew slave. He connected the Torah portion to the necessity of not looking the other way when an injustice occurs before one’s eyes.

State Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a member of the African American community, stood together behind a podium emblazoned with the logo of YULA High School. The two elected officials emphasized Jewish and Black communities standing together in the face of antisemitic violence and other forms of bigotry.

“Pico-Robertson is no different from Leimart Park,” Bryan said, referring to a predominately African American community in South Los Angeles. “We both want safe, healthy and thriving communities.”

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore responded to questions from those in attendance. He outlined details of LAPD’s investigation into the shootings and shared how it evolved over the course of two anxiety-ridden, eventful days.

The LAPD chief spoke about the differences between “hate instances” and “hate crimes.” He said license plate detection technology led to the suspect’s arrest in Riverside, CA. He encouraged community members to combat hate where it’s most frequently disseminated nowadays–social media.

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna; Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams; Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman and Donald Always, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, also attended.

The evening began around 5:30 p.m. and continued until 7:30 p.m.

Ivan Wolkind, chief operating and financial officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, is a Pico-Robertson resident. Wolkind sends one of his children to a local Jewish day school and belongs to a local synagogue.

In an interview with the Courier after the town hall, he said he could empathize with those feeling nervousness and anxiety in the aftermath of the shooting, but he urged people to not let recent events deter them from leading their daily lives, including visiting their places of worship.

“Don’t opt out of Judaism,” Wolkind said. “Stay cautious and take basic precautions.”

The implications of the shooting–that Jewish people could be targeted simply for being Jewish–resonated with Southern California Congressman Adam Schiff, who was not in attendance at the community gathering but expressed solidarity with those shaken by recent events.

“My heart and my prayers are with Los Angeles’ Jewish community as it recovers from the trauma inflicted after two recent shootings,” Schiff told the Courier via email. “I am extraordinary thankful both victims were not fatally wounded, and their families and friends are in my thoughts. Initial police reports indicate that the shooter intentionally targeted the victims because of their Jewish faith, making these attacks part of a concerning trend of increasing antisemitic violence in our communities. We must all stand together in condemning this bigotry and speak out against all acts of hatred and antisemitism.”

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Two Jewish Community Members Shot After Prayer Services

Ryan Torok — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 18:36:00 +0000

In apparently unrelated incidents, two Jewish community members were shot after leaving prayer services on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, Feb. 15 and 16, respectively.

Both suspects in the two shooting were still at-large as of press time.

Neither victim suffered life-threatening injuries.

Occurring within a span of fewer than 24 hours and less than a half-mile from each other, the incidents have rattled members of the Jewish community, Beverly Hills city leadership and residents of the Pico-Robertson area, a Beverly Hills-adjacent neighborhood that’s home to the city’s largest population of religious Jews. Synagogues both large and small populate it, with many people walking to their neighborhood places of worship for prayer services every morning.

On Feb. 15, around 10 a.m., near the intersection of S. Shenandoah Street and Cashio Avenue, a member of the Jewish community was shot by a suspect that’s being described as “a middle-aged Asian male with possible beard or goatee,” according to nonprofit Jewish security service Magen Am.

On Feb. 16, around 9 a.m., an individual “was shot in the arm leaving a Jewish synagogue at the intersection of Bedford and Pickford,” according to Magen Am.

“These two shooting incidents are certainly concerning but they are not believed to be related,” Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) West Los Angeles Commanding Officer Capt. Craig Heredia said.

The suspect in the Feb. 15 shooting was driving a vehicle that’s being described as a “dark gray Honda or Toyota, 1995-2000, with stacked cardboard in the interior.”

The suspect in the Feb. 16 shooting was a “white male [with a] black mask, black glasses, black sweater [and] armed.” As of press time, LAPD officers were looking for information from witnesses, video surveillance, and any information that would help identify Thursday’s suspect.

Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse immediately denounced the incidents on social media. She also conveyed her strong feelings to the Courier.

“It definitely rattled me to see that two days in a row, two Jewish people, as they were leaving their synagogues, were shot. It hasn’t been confirmed in any way if there was a targeted hate crime …. but regardless, I just want for everyone to feel safe. I want

those who are Jewish and those who practice other faiths to know that they can go to their houses of worship and walk the streets to their cars and feel safe.”

She added, “Our Beverly Hills Police Department is adding extra patrols around houses of worship so people do feel safe as they are walking or driving to houses of worship. We want everyone to feel safe. We always want people in our community to feel secure, and BHPD is being proactive.”

The Feb. 15 victim was reportedly walking to his car when the gunman, driving a car, approached and fired two shots, online Jewish newspaper the Forward reported. A Magen Am community team member recruit heard the gunshots and made first contact with the LAPD. The victim, a man, was soon “transported to a hospital non-life threatening wounds,” Magen Am said.

According to published reports, the gunman shot the victim twice. One bullet grazed the victim, while the other, fortunately, missed.

Fewer details were immediately available regarding the Feb. 16 incident. The victim was in stable condition, according to the LAPD.

The Feb. 15 incident does not appear to be motivated by antisemitism, though the victim was reportedly wearing a yarmulke at the time.

“There was no indication of yesterday’s shooting being motivated by hate,” the LAPD said.

“Magen Am has been informed by LAPD that this incident does not appear to be related to any antisemitism,” Magen Am said. “There is no specific threat to the community at this time. Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.”

The motive for the Feb. 16 incident was unknown as of press time.

“Detectives are investigating this morning’s incident and there are more questions than answers at this point,” LAPD’s Heredia said on Thursday. “We do not know the motivation or reason for today’s shooting, but we are working diligently to determine if this is a hate crime. The investigation is ongoing and we will provide additional information to the community once more details are known.”

Magen Am President Rabbi Yossi Eilfort reiterated his organization’s mission of protecting members of the Jewish community.

“It is sickening that in Los Angeles today, two Jews have been shot in the street in two days, as they were leaving prayers. Regardless of the motivation of the shootings, Jews deserve to be secure, living and serving G-d in peace,” Eilfort said. “Magen Am is asking our city to take a strong stand on behalf of its Jewish community. LAPD is currently saying there is no specific information indicating this was driven solely by antisemitism. We await detectives’ updates.”

The shootings came on the heels of increased activity in the Beverly Hills area that prompted the response of BHPD. On Feb. 10, multiple police units were dispatched to the 1500 block of Carla Ridge in Trousdale Estates, in response to a possible residential burglary. The suspect fled before the police’s arrival, according to a BHPD alert. As of press time, BHPD had not arrested anyone in connection with the incident.

On Feb. 15, BHPD officers conducted a search, near Sunset Boulevard and Ladera Drive, for suspects of a stolen vehicle in connection with a Los Angeles city burglary. They were assisted by K9 units. By that evening, the search had ended, with two suspects in custody for multiple felony charges, according to BHPD.

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Mayor Bosse to be Honored by Beth Jacob Congregation on March 19

Ryan Torok — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 15:00:00 +0000

When Beth Jacob Congregation’s Senior Rabbi Kalman Topp reached out and told Lili Bosse of his intention to honor her at an upcoming event, the Beverly Hills mayor was caught off-guard; unlike members of Beth Jacob, Bosse does not identify with the Orthodox strain of Judaism.

While she is not currently a member of the Orthodox congregation, she does have a familial connection to the Beverly Hills synagogue. When her immigrant and Holocaust survivor parents moved to Beverly Hills, they chose to live within walking distance of the historic community, located at Doheny Drive and Olympic Boulevard, so her father could worship there. Incidentally, Bosse and her husband, Jon, were married by the synagogue’s former senior rabbi.

When Bosse learned she was being honored by the synagogue, these memories came flooding back.

“It’s very overwhelming to me,” she said, “and very emotional for me.”

Bosse will be recognized with Beth Jacob Congregation’s inaugural Distinguished Leadership Award during its annual Tiferet Gala, taking place March 19 at the Peterson Automotive Museum.

Bosse will be one of several honorees at the glitzy affair.

Topp told the Courier Bosse is being honored for her ongoing commitment to standing up against antisemitism in Beverly Hills and beyond, from representing the city at the Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, held last year in Athens, Greece, to appearing on an episode of “Dr. Phil” dedicated to addressing the spike in anti-Jewish activity.

“Her extraordinary dedication and energy make her an excellent role model at our synagogue, which celebrates activism, civic duty and selflessly advocating for justice,” Topp said.

Accepting the forthcoming honor, Boss said, will provide an opportunity to shine a light on an issue she holds dear–human kindness.

“For me, it’s very powerful,” said Bosse, “because if there’s any way it will shape the way people treat each other, it’s worth it.”

For details about the upcoming gala, visit wizevents.com/bethjacobgala2023.

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Multigenerational Brunch Brings Together Holocaust Survivors, Middle Schoolers at Sinai Temple

Ryan Torok — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 09:00:00 +0000

“Amazing.” “Moving.” “Vital.” These were just a few of the words used to describe a recent brunch that brought together Holocaust survivors, eager to share their incredible stories, and middle school students–eager to listen. On Feb. 5, the multigenerational program at Sinai Temple introduced approximately 35 Holocaust survivors, including one who recently turned 103-years-old, to seventh grade students from Sinai Temple Religious School.

The survivors came out to the Westside area synagogue’s annual gathering to speak on a panel about their experiences during the Holocaust. Their individual accounts underscored their resiliency in the face of near-unimaginable challenges. Afterwards, the survivors went table-to-table to have more intimate, one-on-on interactions with the students in attendance. For many of the students, it was their first time engaging in person with Holocaust survivors.

Beverly Hills City Councilmember Sharona Nazarian was among the approximately 150 people who turned out for the program, which took place from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Beverly Hills City Councilmember Sharona Nazarian (far left) is joined by Holocaust survivors Gabriella Karin, David Lenga, Monika White and Gitta Martin.

With antisemitic incidents and hate crimes against other minority groups on the rise in cities across the country and with young people demonstrating worrisome levels of ignorance about the Holocaust–a 2020 study undertaken by the Claims Conference found nearly two-thirds of American young adults don’t know six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust–the event was an opportune moment for experiential learning, Nazarian said.

“Holocaust education is more important than ever now,” the longtime Sinai Temple congregant said. “We need to educate our youth, so that they are knowledgeable and understanding of what it means to say, ‘never again.’ We want to ensure that such atrocious acts will never occur towards another group, culture, or religion.”

Attendees included students, parents and survivors as well as Sinai Temple Religious School faculty. The Sinai Temple Religious School program organizes the brunch every year specifically for middle schoolers–while the religious school serves grades K-7, younger students don’t yet have the emotional maturity to hear firsthand accounts about the Holocaust, Nazarian told the Courier.

Charlotte Mobasser, a student at Sinai Temple Religious School, shares a moving moment with a Holocaust survivor Monika White. Charlotte’s fellow student, Talia Novinbakht, looks on.

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Beverly Hills Fire Department Investigating House Fires

Ryan Torok — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:01:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Fire Department is investigating the causes of two heavy fires that engulfed a pair of Beverly Hills residences on the morning of Feb. 3.

Neither fire caused any injuries to firefighters or civilians, according to Beverly Hills Public Information Manager Lauren Santillana.

The cause for both fires was still under investigation as of press time, according to Santillana, who provided detailed summaries of the incidents for the Courier.

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 3, firefighters responded to a “heavy fire” at a “large two-story” property at 1003 Elden Way, a single-family home located north of Sunset Boulevard.

When firefighters arrived at the 5,000-square-foot property, flames were raging from the roof as well as from multiple openings at the home, which was described by a neighbor as undergoing renovation for the past year.

Arriving while it was still dark out, firefighters took “defensive action to contain the fire to the structure of origin and protect exposures,” preventing another fire from starting outside the house, the summary said. There were at least two fire department pickup trucks on the scene as well as multiple fire trucks. Firefighters attached hoses to their truck and laid the hoses along the quiet, residential street. The hoses sprayed water onto the home, which sits behind a gate. Yellow caution taped sealed the entrance of the home off from passersby.

The fire left “significant damage to the entire structure,” leaving much of the home blackened by the flames. As smoke billowed from the roof of the structure, authorities evacuated five nearby homes as a safety precaution, though none of the neighboring homes were in danger or suffered any damage.

The Elden Way fire caused significant damage. Photo courtesy Joshua Johnston

Around 10:50 a.m. on that same Friday, firefighters responded to a separate blaze at 201 S. Swall Drive, a single-story, single-family residence near Charleville and Robertson Boulevards. Fire crews found the home’s attached garage ablaze in flames. The fire also reached an adjacent vehicle.

Fire crews arriving in the flats of Beverly Hills disembarked from their rig and readied several large hoses, which were used to extinguish the flames. Authorities’ response included making an “aggressive attack on the fire in the garage.” They found light smoke in the home and evacuated residents. They checked the attic to determine if the fire had spread to that area of the home, the report said.

The fire resulted in “significant damage to the garage and the exposed vehicle,” the summary said.

Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters aided Beverly Hills fire crews that responded to the house fires. In both incidents, fewer than five minutes elapsed between the time of alarm and the arrival of the first responding unit on scene.

The Beverly Hills Fire Department routinely works in coordination with city and county firefighters in responding to local fires.

Joshua Johnston, the caretaker of the Virginia Robinson Gardens, lives two homes away from 1008 Elden Way. Early Friday morning, he was awoken by the commotion caused by the fire. When he went outside, he was shocked by what he saw.

“It was basically a torch coming out of the center of the home, straight up,” Johnston told the Courier.

The blaze, he said, was “large and uncontrollable,” lasting more than two hours. The fire began around 4 a.m., and the street did not reopen until around 11:30 a.m. Additionally, fire crews spent the next two nights at the property, “smoldering everything,” he said.

Johnson has lived in Beverly Hills for nearly 10 years. He’s long relied on the city’s emergency response services, always feeling safer knowing they were there ready to serve the city.

This situation, he said, proved no different.

“Beverly Hills Fire Department, they were on top of it,” Johnston said. “As always, there were top-notch emergency services by the fire department and anyone else involved. I’m always impressed by them. As the caretaker of the property here, I’ve had to call the city, and with their response time and professionalism, I can see why Beverly Hills is one of the best cities in the world.”

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Anti-Armenian Flyers Discovered in Beverly Hills

Ryan Torok — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 19:17:00 +0000

Flyers addressing the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan were recently discovered in Beverly Hills, causing outrage among the local Armenian community.

The flyers were first discovered during a pro-Armenia demonstration on Jan 28.

They say, “Israel + Azerbaijan + Turkey + Pakistan = 4 Brothers…erasing Armenia off the world map.”

In Beverly Hills, the flyers were found around Wilshire and La Cienega Boulevards, according, according to an alert from the Beverly Hills Police Department. Additionally, at the pro-Armenia rally, protestors discovered flyers while marching from the Federal Building, in Westwood, to the Azerbaijani consulate in West Los Angeles, according to Tenny Alaverdian, a member of the central executive board of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Western United States.

“We do have a lot of faith in the Beverly Hills Police Department, which I know are actively working on the case,” Alaverdian told the Courier. “Apparently, whoever put them up put them up because of the demonstration, and they were enabled by hateful ideologies in plastering hate speech.”

As of press time, the Beverly Hills Police Department was aware of and investigating the incident.

Alaverdian, an undergraduate student who has been involved in pro-Armenian activism since she was 16, said it was important to understand the context behind the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict along with Armenian history to understand why the flyers were offensive. Of the four countries named in the flyer, none of them recognize the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against the Armenians in the early-20th century, she said.

“Those four countries, to my knowledge, have not recognized the Armenian genocide of 1915,” Alaverdian said.

The recent rally, she said, was spurred by the current conflict in Artsakh, also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The disputed region in the South Caucuses is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan and is a source of ongoing violence between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in that part of the world.

In Los Angeles, home to one of the world’s largest Armenian diasporas, the Armenian community is sensitive to language that could be interpreted as hate speech.

“It was really shocking to find,” Alaverdian said of the flyers.

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BHPD Makes Several Arrests This Week

Ryan Torok — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 16:19:00 +0000

The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) made a flurry of arrests in connection with several incidents in the city this week. Officers took suspects into custody for two separate robberies that occurred on Jan. 21 as well as an auto theft on Jan. 23. BHPD also arrested two suspects on a stolen vehicle charge on Jan. 24.

The incidents were documented in a series of alerts from the BHPD that began on Jan. 21. That evening, at approximately 7 p.m., an armed suspect entered a business at the 200 block of S. Robertson Blvd., confronting the victim with a handgun and demanding an iPad, according to BHPD Spokesperson Lt. Giovanni Trejo. The suspect was seen fleeing the area and possibly getting into a black sedan.

In a phone interview, Trejo declined to identify the victimized store.

The search for the suspect continued until late on Jan. 24. At 10:49 p.m., BHPD officers patrolling the area near Peck Drive and Gregory Way observed a car that matched the description of the vehicle that police believed was used in the Jan. 21 robbery. Officers detained the vehicle and identified one of the four men inside as the robbery suspect. That individual was taken into custody. Meanwhile, two females were also in the vehicle. They were identified but had not been arrested as of press time.

“This was a team effort between the Watch Commander and some of our detectives who had identified a vehicle connected to the robbery on Robertson,” Trejo said. “The Watch Commander remembered the vehicle that our detectives identified, saw a vehicle matching that description, and that led to the arrest of the male in the vehicle. Preliminary, he was connected to the robbery on Robertson.”

As of press time, charges against the suspect had not been formally filed with the District Attorney’s office.

A separate robbery occurred on Jan. 21, at approximately 7:30 p.m., in the 300 block of N. Beverly Drive. According to an alert sent by the BHPD that evening, the “uncooperative” suspect was safely taken into custody at approximately 7:45 p.m.

Another arrest was made on Jan. 23. On that date at around 5 p.m., an automated license plate reader at the corner of S. Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Drive identified a stolen vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, a gray Dodge Charger, prompting the driver to exit and flee. Officers chased the suspect in a “short foot pursuit” for one block before taking him into custody, Trejo said.

The suspect was charged with driving a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest.

On Jan. 24, in a separate incident occurring around Pico Blvd. and Prosser Ave., BHPD and Los Angeles Police Department officers located and arrested two suspects evading police in a stolen vehicle, according to a BHPD alert.

Last week, the BHPD made an arrest after a string of trespassing cases took place on Laurel Way. As reported in the Courier’s Jan. 20 issue, police arrested Christopher Turner on Jan. 18 after locating him outside a home on that street. The suspect had initially hidden by camouflaging in a foliage-adorned ghillie suit.

In a statement after the trespassing arrest, BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook noted, “Crime of any kind will never be tolerated in Beverly Hills.”

Trejo, for his part, credited the recent arrests to the efficiency of law enforcement technology and the unflagging dedication of BHPD officers.

“A lot of it is attributed to the amount of technology we have in our city that allows these vehicles that have a hit on them to be picked up and for officers to be alerted to the presence of the vehicles in our city,” he said. “Of course, partnered and alongside the technology, we have the human factor – our officers – who are always ready.

“So, it’s a combination of things,” he said. “Our technology and the hard work of our police officers and detectives here.”

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