Tag: community

MALIBU—The Malibu City Council voted unanimously to adopt the “Malibu Culture Project,” a sweeping plan with concrete steps meant to improve City operations, workplace morale and culture, and staff recruitment and retention during a special meeting on September 27.

The announcement was made on the city’s website on October 5 that the City Council and City Manager have been focusing on addressing challenges facing the city. Some include being able to provide more efficient, effective, consistent services to the community, high staff workloads and high expectations and demands for services and projects from the City Council and the community.

The Malibu City Council took several actions to advance the Malibu Culture Project that include:

-Adopting the plan’s proposed list of 20 priority projects, which replaces the current Work Plan;

-Directing the City Manager to give progress updates on the project every two months during City Council meetings;

-Scheduling the next Strategic Workshop for March 2024 to revisit and, if needed, refresh the Priority List;

-Giving direction to staff to study and come back to the Council to consider action on the recommended list of benefits to improve recruitment and retention.

For additional information on the Malibu Culture Project, including the list of city priorities and other information, see the staff report and watch the video.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—The Beverly Hills Police Department indicated in a news release they would be participating in the National Night Out event on Tuesday, August 1, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the 400 Block of N. Rexford Dr. near the Beverly Hills Library and Beverly Hills Fire Department.

For 2023, the police department will highlight the work

of K-9s with the BHPD and emphasize their role in keeping the community safe and secure.

National Night Out is a community-building campaign that fosters police-community partnerships and promotes neighborhood camaraderie.

The event details are as follows:

• K-9 Demonstration: 7 p.m.

The BHPD is inviting the community to join the event and witness the K-9 demonstration showcasing skills and abilities of police dogs.

National Night Out will feature displays from various BHPD departments, including the SWAT Team, Real Time Watch Center Drones, Mobile Command Center, BHFD, and various other departments in Beverly Hills. Food trucks, games, and family-friendly activities will be at the event.

Admission to National Night Out is free, and free parking will be available at the Civic Center Parking Garage after 5 p.m.

Attendees are asked to use the official hashtags #K90210 and #NNO90210 in their social media posts.

For more details and updates visit beverlyhills.org/NNO and follow on social media at beverlyhills.org/BHPDconnect.

By Trevor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—During its regular meeting on June 26, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously approved the creation of the West Hollywood Care Team, a new behavioral health crisis response program to serve the community. The Care Team is a first-of-its-kind city-county collaboration to enhance community access to crisis support and services.

The city indicated on its website the Care Team will provide crisis stabilization, safety planning, connection to community resources, and follow-up support. Services will be delivered using an approach based on harm-reduction, trauma-informed, and culturally competent practices. The Care Team will provide mobile response and will ride in unmarked passenger vehicles with no lights or sirens with the aim of providing respectful care to people in crisis. West Hollywood expects to launch the Care Team in Fall 2023 with initial operating hours from Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. By year two, the goal is to expand Care Team coverage to 24/7/365 service.

“The development and implementation of our new community-based behavioral health response team in West Hollywood is a huge step forward in meeting the needs of community members when they may be experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Mayor Sepi Shyne. “The West Hollywood Care Team will bring a whole a new level of sensitivity and a trauma-informed approach that will make our City better poised to respond to needs in way that helps stabilize situations as they occur.”

West Hollywood will contract with Sycamores, a nonprofit social service organization with expertise in providing behavioral health programs and services. Sycamores is currently a mobile crisis response contractor for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Alternative Crisis Response (ACR) system. The city will operate the West Hollywood Care Team in collaboration with the regional system to enhance community access to intensive mental health services provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health when appropriate.

Community members experiencing a behavioral health crisis will be able to call 988 to get support. 988 is the national number for the Suicide and Crisis Helpline. In the Los Angeles area, the 988 call center operator is Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Community members utilizing this service will be able to talk to a trained counselor who will assess the mental health crisis and will provide community resources when appropriate. When the counselors on the phone determine that the crisis needs in-person support, the West Hollywood Care Team will be dispatched to respond to the caller’s location to provide services. The West Hollywood community stands to benefit from the immediate availability of crisis counseling via the 988 call center combined with the region’s added capacity to provide in-person service and care when needed.

The investment in the Care Team advances collective priorities outlined in the City’s Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy (CSWB). The CSWB Strategy helps create a safer West Hollywood community by finding ways to better connect West Hollywood’s existing social service and law enforcement programs, making it easier for individuals to access vital support and services when needed. The Care Team will be a secondary responder to West Hollywood Sheriff’s Deputies and LA County Fire personnel. The Care Team will be requested for on-scene support, when a community member needs behavioral health services.

The Care Team program will be overseen by the City’s Human Services Division and will collaborate closely with City-funded social service agencies to support community members’ access to local and regional social services programs.

For more details about the West Hollywood Care Team contact Elizabeth Anderson, West Hollywood Strategic Initiatives Program Administrator, at (323) 848-6839 or eanderson@weho.org. For additional information, visit www.weho.org/careteam. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.

By Donald

BEVERLY HILLS—Applications for Team Beverly Hills program are being accepted now through Friday, July 14, Keith Sterling, Deputy City Manager for Beverly Hills announced on Monday, June 5.

Created in 1996, Team Beverly Hills provides residents with a hands-on look at the operations of local government.  This program includes a variety of class sessions and includes interactive experiences with various departments. Program participants explore the behind-the-scenes operations of Beverly Hills including Public Works, Emergency Management, Information Technology, Community Services and Public Safety. At least 750 residents have completed Team Beverly Hills and over 70 percent of all current elected officials and City Commissioners are Team BH alumni.

The Team Beverly Hills program will select 50 residents (30 appointed by the Beverly Hills City Council, 18 selected by a random lottery, and two selected by the Beverly Hills Unified School District) for its upcoming class. Five representatives from the city’s business community (appointed by the BH City Council) will also be selected for the program, which kicks off later this year.

Objectives from Team BH include the following:

-To build a resource of involved community members for future Commissions, committees, programs, and projects for the benefit of the Beverly Hills community.

-To develop, nurture, and utilize leadership potential within the community.

-To familiarize community members with all aspects of government, business, education, and service industries.

-To involve community members in community activities, projects, and endeavors.

To learn more about Team Beverly Hills and to fill out an application online visit beverlyhills.org/teambeverlyhills or call 310-285-1014 or email teambh@beverlyhills.org.

By Casey

BRENTWOOD— On Saturday, January 9, 2021, A 37-year-old Brentwood man died from multiple stab wounds at his home on Dainty Avenue. Brian A. Bickman died in his house at 800 block on Dainty Avenue shortly around 9:43 a.m.

His son, a minor, was the suspect of the crime. An altercation between the two ultimately resulted in the death of the father. The father was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. The suspect fled the scene by foot, but was detained by police a short distance away. The suspect is in juvenile hall in Martinez and charged with murder. Because of his age, his name can not be released.

The Brentwood Police Department (BPD) released a statement saying, “The son was ultimately arrested and charged with murder. The weapon used during the incident was recovered.” According to Fire Marshal Steve Aubert, Bickman suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso, resulting in excessive blood loss. Bickman was sent to the emergency department at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch.

The BPD also stated, “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends impacted by the victim’s untimely death.” Anyone with information regarding this ongoing investigation is asked to contact Detective Jordan Sares at 925-809-7733.

By janette Fu

BRENTWOOD—NBA player Blake Griffin, who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons has purchased a mansion in Brentwood for about $5.9 million. The 31-year-old Oklahoma native bought the property from Jordana Leigh, the represented seller working with Rodeo Realty, while Ron Smith and David Berg from Smith & Berg Partners at Compass represented Griffin in the transaction.

The home has 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths and is 5,893 square feet and sites on a 0.53 acre lot. It is 155.59 percent more expensive than other properties in the region, with the median price being $2,299,000. The single family home was built in 1936 and costs $997 per square foot.

The home has a  kitchen furnished with Brazilian granite, custom cabinets, a Viking range, Bosch dishwashers, and a family room with a fireplace and tall windows. Off the living room are media and billiard rooms. Additionally, there is a private terrace and covered seating with another fireplace.

The pool has a waterfall along with a spa. The guest suite has its own patio overlooking the area, and the upstairs has a grand master bedroom with another fireplace and three walk-in closets. Other amenities include a gym, a place to play pool, and wine cellar.

Griffin started playing in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2009. He was signed to the Detroit Pistons in 2018. Some most notable achievements include the John R. Wooden Award (2009), the NBA Rookie of the Year Award (2011), the NBA All Rookie Team (2011), and Best Breakthrough Athlete in 2011 at the ESPY Awards.

By Janette Fu