BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills announced that they are holding a municipal election on June 2, 2026, to fill three City Council seats and the position of City Treasurer.

A number of community groups hold forums to educate voters on the candidates. The forums are provided to the community as educational forums and are meant to be transparent and impartial. City funds cannot be used to support any campaign activity.

The following forums will be held in the Beverly Hills City Council Chambers and livestreamed on Beverly Hills Television (BHTV 10) and at beverlyhills.org/live:

The Municipal League of Beverly Hills on Thursday, April 30, from 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Southwest Beverly Hills Homeowners Association on Wednesday, May 6, from 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
For more information, contact kgoldman@kaglegal.com

The listed candidates have accepted Beverly Hills Voluntary Campaign Expenditure Limits.

The name of the order based on Randomized Alphabet Drawing by the California Secretary of State. This will be the order of the candidates listed on the June ballot.

Roger Tanenbaum
Rebecca Pynoos
Jonathan Mariande
Andy Licht
Ariel Rofeim
Lester Friedman
Sharona R. Nazarian, PsyD
Russell Stuart
Clayton M. Saunders
Barry Axelrod
Andrew Kole

City Treasurer Election:

Howard S. Fisher – Accepted Campaign Contribution Limits
Requirements: all required documents must be returned and nomination requirements met for the candidate to qualify for the ballot.

All forums will be periodically re-broadcast on BHTV 10 leading up to Election Day and available on demand anytime at beverlyhills.org/elections. To learn about the candidates, visit: https://beverlyhills.org/1757/Meet-the-June-2026-Candidates.

By Danny Jones

STUDIO CITY/HOLLYWOOD HILLS—The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued two hikers over the weekend on April 18 and April 19 in Studio City and Hollywood Hills.

The first hiker rescued was on Saturday, April 18 at 7:53 p.m. in the Hollywood Hills West region. After an approximately 25-minute search, LAFD air resources located a hiker in medical distress and lowered a rescuer to assess the patient, a 46-year-old male. Due to inaccessible ground terrain, the patient was hoisted from his position and transported directly to a local hospital via air ambulance.

The second hiker was rescued on Sunday, April 19 at 12:01 p.m. at Mendips Ridge Road. A total of 36 minutes into the incident, the patient was located and hoisting operation via LAFD Airship was initiated. Patient is currently being transported to a local area hospital via Air Ambulance.

Initial report was for an approximately a 70-year-old male with reported injuries off the Betty Dearing trail. No additional details about either incident have been disclosed to the public.

By Danny Jones

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Sunday, April 19, the Los Angeles Fire Department battled a brush fire in the Hollywood Hills region. The fire was reported at 2:03 p.m. located at 6659 W. Lakeridge Road.

The brush fire was in the FS 76’s district. E76 on scene reporting 100′ x 100′ fire in light fuels running up hill. At this time no immediate structures threatened. One additional helicopter was requested from LA County Fire Department.

A total of 1.5 acres were burned. The LAPD and 2 LACO Hand Crews remained on scene to contain the burn area. IC requesting drones for further air reconnaissance of burned area. No structures involved in the fire and there were no reported injuries.

By Danny Jones

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—Actor Dylan Sprouse detained a trespasser who gained access to his Hollywood Hills property on Friday, April 17, TMZ first reported. The Los Angeles Police Department received a 911 call from Dylan’s wife, Barbara Palvin after 12:30 a.m. about an attempted burglary at the property.

Sprouse detained the suspect and held him down until authorities arrived on the scene.

TMZ obtained video of the suspect who was arrested by authorities, who was wearing a shirt covered in dirt. The suspect did not make it into the couple’s home.

No details about the suspect’s name or age has been disclosed to the public. Sprouse is known for his role on the Disney series “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” Dylan has a twin brother, Cole, who also starred on the Disney series.

Dylan is known for his roles in the movies “Big Daddy” alongside Adam Sandler, “The Master of Disguise,” “Born Killers,” “Snow buddies,” “Banana Split,” “Beautiful Wedding,” “Aftermath” and “Under Fire.” He has appeared on the Disney series “Raven’s Home,” “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “Hannah Montana.”

Dylan won 2 Kids’ Choice Awards in 2010 and 2011 for Favorite TV Actor for his role on “The Suite Life on Deck.”

By Danny Jones

BEVERLY HILLS—Actor Patrick Muldoon, known for his role as Austin Reed on the NBC, now Peacock soap opera “Days of Our Lives” died on Sunday, April 19. The actor, who was 57, was found by his girlfriend inside their bathroom at their Beverly Hills home TMZ first reported. It is reported that Muldoon’s cause of death is a heart attack.

Muldoon’s sister Shana Muldoon-Zappa informed TMZ that he was in the shower right after having coffer with his girlfriend who found him on the floor after she checked on him. The actor recently posted on his Instagram page last week his casting in the new movie “Kockroach.”

“So excited to be a part of this amazing project KOCKROACH directed by Matt Ross starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Egerton and Zazie Beetz,” Patrick posted on his Instagram page. Muldoon originated the role on “DOOL” in 1992. He portrayed the character until 1995, and returned to play the roll in 2011-2012.

He also starred in the sci-fi flick “Starship Troopers” in 1997 alongside Denise Richards and Casper Van Dien. He appeared on the Fox drama “Melrose Place” from 1995-1996. Patrick was born in San Pedro, California. He attended USC, where he played as a tight end for the Trojans football team.

He appeared in the films “Stigmata,” “Blackwoods,” “Heart of America,” “Broken Angel,” “Last Will,” “Spiders 3D,” “Marlowe” and “Deadlock.” He also appeared in several TV movies including “Deadly Revenge,” “Patient Killer,” “A Christmas Reunion,” “His Secret Past,” “Boyfriend Killer” and “A Tale of Two Coreys.”

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—On April 10, a captain with the Salvation Army was arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department and was charged with possessing child pornography.

Ty Michael Baze, 54, of Santa Monica is facing felony charges, which includes possession of obscene matter depicting a minor in a sexual act.

According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center, Ty Michael Baze was booked into jail around 2 p.m. on April 10.  In addition, he is being held on $250,000 bail, NBC 4 Los Angeles reported.

The Salvation Army placed Baze on leave after learning about Baze’s arrest.

The SMPD is still investigating the case.

By Daniel Diquinzio

WOODLAND HILLS—On April 19, First Assistant U.S. Attorney General Bill Essayli announced the arrest of the Iranian National, and Woodland Hills resident, Shamim Mafi, 44, at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for allegedly trafficking firearms. According to an unsealed criminal complaint, the actual arrest took place on April 18, as Mafi was preparing to board an international flight en route to Turkey. According to the FBI’s Iran Counter-Intelligence Squad, Mafi was arrested and detained for brokering the sale Iranian made bombs, drones, Assault weapons, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan. Mafi was reportedly in communication with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One of the arms deals between Iran and Sudan was worth $60 million eros, to initiate the sale of Iranian-made drones from Iran’s Defense Ministry to Sudan. In a separate complaint against Mafi for selling 55,000 Iranian-made bomb fuses to the Sudanese military. Mafi was born in Iran but also lived in Turkey. She is not a U.S. citizen. She has been legally permitted to travel to and from Turkey, Oman, Iran, and the U.S. He is charged with a violation of 50 U.S. Code § 1705 for acting as an intermediary, and conspiracy with the intent to sell firearms manufactured by Iran to Sudan. If convicted, he faces 20 years in federal prison. Essayli was born in Anaheim to Lebanese immigrants. He was raised and educated in Corona, California. In April 2025, he was appointed as the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California by then Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bilal A. “Bill” Essayli is the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. He leads a team of 500 lawyers, special agents, and staff members enforcing federal criminal law and safeguarding the approximately 20 million people living in the largest district of the country. He served as a federal prosecutor in the Los Angeles and Riverside offices from October 2014 to February 2018. He prosecuted criminals charged with violent and organized crime, bank fraud, securities fraud, and other white-collar criminal matters. By Sharon

SANTA MONICA—On April 18, the Santa Monica Police Department issued a community update on the department’s Facebook page about a protest scheduled to occur in Santa Monica on Sunday, April 19. The protest will occur on the 3rd St. Promenade in downtown Santa Monica.

The Santa Monica Police Department reminds the public that peaceful assembly and peaceful expression is allowed, but it will not tolerate criminal behavior during the scheduled protest. Officers will be present to ensure the area remains safe and provide emergency services if needed.

They will also supervise the traffic and ensure people are able to enter businesses and the area remains safe for protestors, including those in the downtown Santa Monica area.

By Daniel Diquinzio

BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, March 17, the city of Beverly Hills announced that Adrine Ovasapyan was named Adrine Ovasapyan as the new Deputy Director of Community Services. Ovasapyan currently serves as Recreation Services Manager and brings almost 25 years of municipal government experience to the position. As Deputy Director, she will directly oversee the Youth Recreation and Ranger divisions.

“I’m thrilled that Adrine will be taking on this critical role in our department,” said Community Services Director Stephanie Harris. “During her time in Beverly Hills, she has built trust across the department and with our City partners. I know her contributions will continue to benefit the Beverly Hills community for years to come.”

Ovasapyan has been working with Beverly Hills since 2019 after she joined the Community Services Department’s Arts and Culture Division as a Recreation Supervisor. In 2023, she was promoted to Recreation Services Manager and currently manages the Youth Recreation team, including tots, youth, and teen programming.

She also serves as the staff liaison to the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with Beverly Hills Unified School District, local youth sports organizations, and the Recreation and Parks Commission.

Before coming to Beverly Hills, Ovasapyan worked for the city of Burbank in the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department for more than 15 years. She will assume her new role on Saturday, March 21, 2026, following the promotion of current Deputy Director Chris Paulson to Assistant Director.

 

By Danny Jones

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday, March 17 that to celebrated Fix-A-Leak Week (March 17–25), residents are asked to take a few minutes to check their home for water leaks.

Small, unnoticed leaks can waste thousands of gallons of water each year and quietly increase your water bill.

Start with toilets — the most common source of household leaks. A running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day.

Try this quick toilet leak test:

-Remove the toilet tank lid
-Add a few drops of food coloring (or a dye tab) to the tank
-Wait 15 minutes without flushing
-If color appears in the bowl, you likely have a leaking flapper.

For more details on water-saving tips and information, visit www.BHSaves.org.

 

By Danny Jones