Tag: Beverly Hills City Council

BEVERLY HILLS—On Sunday, March 16, the City of Beverly Hills announced the closure of Wilshire Boulevard between Crescent Drive and East of El Camino Drive to be closed from Monday, March 24 until the following Monday, April 7. This is part of the Extension Project of the Purple Line or D-Subway.

The Beverly Hills City Council approved a three-weekend closure to avoid the original 18-week closings that were in the initial plans.

Reports indicate that the concrete deck panels will be removed. Metro requests motorists to use alternate routes and allow extra time for travel.

According to Metro officials, this is the milestone needed for the future of the Wilshire/Rodeo Subway Station that will eventually connect to downtown L.A. to the Wilshire/VA Hospital in West L.A.

The end goal is for the entire expansion project to be completed in time for the 2028 Olympic Games.

By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—The Beverly Hills Police Department indicated in a news release on Friday, May 2, updates regarding AB-481. The Beverly Hills City Council will address AB-481 during its next session on Tuesday, May 7.

As of January 1, 2022, AB-481 requires law enforcement agencies to obtain City Council approval regarding the funding, acquisition, or use of military equipment. AB-481 designated certain equipment as “military equipment,” regardless of whether it was procured from the military. Approved military equipment currently utilized by the Beverly Hills Police Department includes:

-Unnamed ariel vehicles (Drones)

-Long Range Acoustic Devices (LARD)

-Robotics

-Armored Vehicles

-Command and control vehicles

-Breaching apparatus that are explosive in nature

-Ammunition of .50 caliber or greater

-Specialized firearms

-Specialized firearms with the ability to launch explosive projectiles

-Flash-bang devices

-Projectile launch platforms and their associated munitions

Individuals can review the inventory of the military equipment that the BHPD is requesting to purchase and an annual report on military equipment use.

During that Council Session the general public will get the opportunity to share their comments and any concerns they have.

For comments, questions and complaints can be submitted to: https://www.beverlyhills.org/569/Military-Equipment-Use-Policy-Assembly-B.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, April 2, the city of Beverly Hills held its ceremony for its newest Mayor, Lester J. Friedman who was sworn in.

Friedman was elected Mayor of Beverly Hills at the City Council’s reorganization meeting on Tuesday evening. He succeeds Julian A. Gold, MD who completed his third and final term on the Beverly Hills City Council. During the same ceremony, Councilmember Lili Bosse completed her third and final term. New Councilmembers Craig A. Corman and Mary N. Wells took the oath of office.

“I am deeply grateful to once again serve our community,” said Mayor Friedman. “Maintaining the safety and security of our community is a top priority, while preparing for the excitement of the 2028 Olympics and other world events will lead to some productive conversations. The year ahead will certainly be one filled with meaningful commitments that will enhance the quality of life for everyone living in and visiting Beverly Hills.”

Mayor Friedman was first elected to the BH City Council in 2017 and served as Mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He previously served on the Beverly Hills Traffic and Parking Commission from 2011 through 2017 and served as its Chair in 2015. Mayor Friedman is also an attorney. Sharona R. Nazarian, PsyD was named Vice Mayor by the BH City Council during the ceremony.

Vice Mayor Nazarian, who was first elected in 2022, previously served as a Beverly Hills Public Works Commissioner and was a past Chair of the Beverly Hills Human Relations Commission. The Mayor and Vice Mayor serve one-year terms and are selected by their City Council colleagues during the annual reorganization meeting.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, March 5, Beverly Hills residents went to the polls to vote for new members of the Beverly Hills City Council. A total of 10 candidates were vying for 2 open seats being held by current councilmembers Mayor Julian A. Gold and Lili Bosse.

As of Wednesday, March 6, Craig Corman led all candidates with 23.73 percent of the vote (2,160). Currently in second place was Mary Wells with 19.68 percent of the vote (1,791) and in third place was Alissa Roston with 15.01 percent of the vote (1,366).

Sitting in fourth place is Myra Demeter with 12.03 percent of the vote (1,095) and Russell Stuart in fifth place with 11.64 percent of the vote (1,059).

Other candidates running included: Nooshin Meshkaty, Hamid Omrani, Tiffany Davis, Sharon Persovski and Robin Rowe. The city announced on its website that on Tuesday, April 2, the city will hold its installation ceremony for the new Mayor, Vice Mayor and Beverly Hills City Council.

The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. No official announcement has been made regarding the winners in Tuesday’s race.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills announced on its website that on Tuesday, April 2, the city will hold its installation ceremony for the new Mayor, Vice Mayor and Beverly Hills City Council.

The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

A total of 10 candidates including 2 incumbents are vying for two open seats currently held by Mayor Julian A Gold and Lili Bosse.

Candidates vying for those two seats include: Alissa Roston, Mary Wells, Sharon Persovski, Myra Demeter, Craig Corman, Nooshin Meshkaty, Hamid Omrani, Tiffany Davis, Robin Rowe and Russell Stuart.

All candidates are responsible for filing their Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) forms on time.  The primary election to vote for Beverly Hills City Council will be held on Tuesday, March 5.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—The Beverly Hills City Council will consider the memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the city’s six (6) non-sworn employee associations: the Management & Professional Association, Supervisors Association, Confidential Employees Association, Safety Support Association, Municipal Employees Association and Municipal Employees Association Part-Time Unit during the Tuesday, December 5, City Council Formal Session. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in Council Chamber.

During that meeting, members of the City Council will consider proposed amendments to the Executive Compensation Plan.

According to a press release from the city of Beverly Hills website, under state law, the city participates in labor negotiations with its employee associations.

In accordance with state law, the City of Beverly Hills participates in labor negotiations with its employee associations. The results of the negotiations process are written agreements or contracts reached between Beverly Hills and the city employee associations. The agreements are commonly referred to as MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding).

A MOU is a cooperative agreement between two parties that can include general terms and goals and is not intended to be legally binding.

The MOUs have been ratified by each of the employee associations and are subject to adoption if approved by the Beverly Hills City Council. Negotiations with the groups were completed in mid-October with the proposed MOUs covering salaries and benefits for a three-year term for all six employee associations.

The first public meeting was held on February 21, 2023, and a community meeting was held on February 9 regarding the labor negotiations.

Per the City’s Civic Openness in Negotiations (COIN) Ordinance, an independent fiscal analysis was conducted for each MOU. The fiscal analyses and proposed MOUs are posted on the City’s website at www.beverlyhills.org/negotiations.

There are nine represented employee associations within Beverly Hills. The following association MOUs are currently not up for negotiations until 2025: The Beverly Hills Police Officers’ Association, Police Management Association and Firefighters’ Association.

While not required per the City’s labor relations ordinance (Beverly Hills Municipal Code, Article 5 Section 2-5-503-B), as is the case with the city’s represented employee groups, proposed amendments to the Executive Compensation Plan will be posted on city of Beverly Hills’ website at beverlyhills.org/executives on November 21, two weeks before the December 5 meeting.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On September 18, the Beverly Hills City Council announced its intention to uphold a law that became effective on October 6, 2004, restricting the sale or possession of Silly String during Halloween.

Beverly Hills Mayor, Julian Gold told NBC that, “This is not driven by our theoretic concerns. This is driven by our experience. There are several events, maybe more than just several, in front of Witches house related to the use of shaving cream and silly string and Nair [hair removal product] where members of the public and kids in particular, got injured.”

According to American Legal Publishing, Under Public Hazards Article 6 of Municipal Code Section 11.01 9a) “No Person shall possess, use, sell or distribute Silly String at, within or upon any public or private property that is either within public view or accessible to the public, including, but not limited to, public or private streets, sidewalks.”

In Section 56.02 Silly String Hollywood Division during Halloween describes Silly String as follows:

“Silly String shall mean any putty-like substance that is shot or expelled in the form of string from an aerosol can or other pressurized device, regardless of whether it is sold under the name ‘Silly String’ or any other name.”

The area this law pertains to is called the “Hollywood Division.” As stated, the law says,

“Hollywood Division shall mean the area defined by the Los Angeles Police Department as the Hollywood Division, the geographical boundaries of which include all of that portion of Los Angeles City bounded and described as follows: Beginning at the point of intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, and proceeding northerly along Normandie Avenue to Franklin Avenue, and proceeding westerly along Franklin Avenue to Western Avenue, and proceeding northerly along Western Avenue to Fern Dell Drive, and continuing northerly along Fern Dell Drive to its terminus, and proceeding due north through Griffith Park to Forest Lawn Drive at its intersection with Zoo Drive, and proceeding westerly and southwesterly along Forest Lawn Drive to Barham Boulevard, and proceeding southerly along Barham Boulevard to United States Highway 101, and proceeding southeasterly along U.S. Highway 101 to Mulholland Drive, and proceeding westerly along the various curves and courses of Mulholland Drive to the Crest of Ridge, and proceeding southerly following the Los Angeles City line along the eastern border of the Trousdale Estates area of the City of Beverly Hills to the northeast corner of the City of West Hollywood, and proceeding easterly following the Los Angeles City line bordering along its various curves and courses of the northern border of the City of West Hollywood to the eastern border of the City of West Hollywood that is to the east of La Brea Avenue, and proceeding southerly along the Los Angeles City line to Romaine Street, and proceeding westerly following the Los Angeles City line along its various curves and courses to the intersection of Romaine Street and La Cienega Boulevard, and proceeding southerly following the Los Angeles City line along its various curves and courses to Beverly Boulevard, and proceeding easterly along Beverly Boulevard to La Brea Avenue, and proceeding northerly along La Brea Avenue to Willoughby Avenue, and proceeding easterly along Willoughby Avenue to Hudson Avenue, and proceeding southerly along Hudson Avenue to Melrose Avenue, and proceeding easterly along Melrose Avenue to Gower Street, and proceeding southerly along Gower Street to Beverly Boulevard, and proceeding easterly along Beverly Boulevard to Normandie Avenue.”

The verbiage of the law states that, “Halloween, shall mean the 36-hour period from 12:00 a.m. on October 31st to November 1st of each year.”

By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—On August 17 at 4:58 p.m. Lawyer and Cultural Heritage Commissioner, Craig Corman filed his letter(s) of intent to run for Beverly Hills City Council in 2024. Corman, who was born to parents of Beverly Hills High School graduates, is a lifelong member of the city. He is a BHHS graduate from 1977. He and his wife, Karen raised their children in the city also. He made the following statement in a September 2, article in the Beverly Hills Courier announcing his run:

“Planning Commission, more than the other commissions, has to make a lot of substantive decisions that can be controversial. I think my record on the Planning Commission shows that I listened to all sides and I try to make informed decisions.”

Members of the current BH City Council include: Mayor Julian A. Gold, Vice Mayor Lester Friedman, Lili Bosse, John A. Mirisch and Sharona R Nazarian PsyD.

By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—On Sunday, August 13th at 12 p.m., The Church of The Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills celebrated its 100th Anniversary. The church is located at 504 N. Roxbury Drive.

The Centennial Mass was officiated by the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles.

A reception was held in the parish hall adjacent to the Church in the courtyards.  Julian A. Gold M.D.  the Mayor of the City of Beverly Hills was in attendance.

Photo By Jacob Bentzinger Via Unsplash

Over the last 100 years, many notable stars have been known to attend Mass at Good Shepherd Parish including, but not limited to film stars Eva Gabor, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, and Rudolph Valentino, author Alfred Hitchcock, and former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

The Pastor, Rev. Edward Benioff, serves Good Shepherd Parish with the assistance of Rev. Colm O’ Ryan, Pastor Emeritus (Retired). Holy Mass is celebrated every day at Good Shepherd. Mass times are as follows:

Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5 p.m.

Sunday Masses are at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.

Monday-Friday daily Mass is at 12:05 p.m.

Wednesday evening Mass is celebrated at 6:30 p.m. followed by adoration from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Confessions are heard outside in St. Mary’s Garden on Saturdays from 3-4 p.m.

Canyon News reached out to Mayor Gold and the BH City Council, and Good Shepherd Catholic Church. Christine Redlin responded with enclosed photos.

Photo Courtesy, Church of The Good Shepherd Julian A. Gold M.D. Mayor, City of Beverly Hills, speaks to full capacity (500) attendees and Clergy.

The following information came directly from the website of Good Shepherd Catholic Church.

“The parish was founded December 12, 1923, in a small nine-year-old suburban community that would, before long, be synonymous worldwide with the rich and famous.

In 1923 though, the Church of the Good Shepherd was merely one of 18 parishes founded that year in the newly established Diocese of Los Angeles San Diego: the busiest such year in diocesan history.”

Good Shepherd Parish now also has Good Shepherd Catholic School for K-8th grade.

By Sharon