Celebrate 50 Years Of Luxury Sunday At Runway To Rodeo!
BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 8
THIS ISSUE
As rumors swirl, what does the future hold for Nate’n Al? 4
Buddy is a 3-year-old Yorkie mix up for adoption and looking for his new home. 4
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By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills residents expressed subdued jubilation in recognition of the late hour at the passage of the Basement Ordinance Tuesday evening, high-fiving and conveying gratitude to councilmembers and each other after months of tense negotiations that nearly saw the ordinance defeated. Scores of residents who came to support the ordinance remained in the Municipal Gallery, waiting patiently during a Special Meeting called by Mayor Lili Bosse at the last minute to address important issues of school safety in the wake of the school shooting in Florida last week.
The significance of passing this ordinance is more than its contents. It is that the tide has turned in favor of neighborhoods and residents, and away from developers and speculators who have made fortunes leveraging Beverly Hills’ fabled hillsides and exploiting the views to the detriment of neighbors. In fact, Beverly Hills residents have become educated and earned the respect of City staff and even some developers. Residents such as Debbie Weiss, Steve Mayer, Ronald Richards, Larry Murphy and Anne Ostroff have demonstrated during the process a dogged determination to self-educate, share information, inform their neighbors, and
examine projects in detail, even hiring their own experts and lawyers at significant expense to protect their homes and to create a more level playing field. “The Hillside residents are thrilled at the passage of the Basement Ordinance,” said Weiss. “This common-sense measure will help to preserve our celebrated hills for generations to come.” The City of Beverly Hills is defining elements of property development that have not previously been addressed until now, as rising property values have made lots that once were too costly to develop feasible propositions for real estate speculators. The City Council passed an
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George Christy, Page 6 Finding Silvia Is Alan Shayne’s Romantic Mystery About A Titled British Woman Who Has Vanished. A Tale Yearning To Be Filmed, And With Alan Imagining The Great Cate Blanchett As Sylvia
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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(see ‘BASEMENT ORDINANCE’ page 17)
Rodeo Drive is celebrating 50 years of luxury with a vibrant street party, the first-ever Runway to Rodeo, this Sunday beginning at 4 p.m. All stores will be open on Rodeo Drive throughout the day. Several food trucks from vendors like Son of a Bun, Shake Ramen, Chicken and Rice, Van Leeuwen, Poke 2 Go, Cousins Maine Lobster and Border Grill will be available. Live performances from local band Gen8 and other live music will be played from 4-8 p.m.
Empty bottles of alcohol litter Bel-Air streets as a notorious party house continues to run rampant. 10
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ordinance that will provide greater protections for the City’s Hillside Areas and preserve more of the neighborhood character residents cherish, according to the aggregate of comments made to City Council during the numerous hearings on the subject. The new ordinance was crafted in the wake of the passage of the Hillside Ordinance in August 2016. The Planning Commission recognized at the time that “basements” that cantilevered down hillsides and added two or three levels of daylighted living space exempted from counting towards floor area had to be addressed.
Runway to Rodeo Is Sunday!
The Hammer Museum announced a $30 Million gift from Lynda & Stewart Resnick. 5
The Blue Ribbon held its 48th annual Children’s Festival at The Music Center. 19
February 23, 2018
Beverly Hills City Council Finally Passes Basement Ordinance
FUN RUN WARM-UP — Horace Mann students are preparing for their annual “Fun Run,” which is an innovative fundraiser promoting healthy habits set for Feb. 28. All K-8 students participate in outdoor activities, including games and exercise competitions. The school is hoping to raise a total of $60,000, which will go toward field trips, classroom enrichment and more. Pictured are students after going through warm-up exercises for the Fun Run with instructors from PlyoJam, a dance fitness company. To register your child for the Fun Run, visit http://www.thegetmovincrew.com/.
Spagnoli Updates Community On School Safety Plans By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli has been making the rounds to address the issue of school safety since the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida, speaking last week at City Hall to concerned parents and to the City Council at the request of Mayor Lili Bosse, and again to the PTA at Beverly Hills High School Thursday. Spagnoli plans to continue to communicate with parents and students to help allay fears by providing information on the School Safety Plan between the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) and the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD). At a Town Hall meeting last Thursday, parents voiced concerns about school security, expressing fear, rage, frustration, sadness and
anxiety over events in Florida and the potential for a school shooting in Beverly Hills. One parent suggested that schools should select some teachers for arms training to carry concealed weapons in the classroom in the event of a shooter on campus, and called for metal detectors at all campuses. The comment demonstrates the need to be a part of the school safety program, and the sense that they would be unable to protect their children if an event occurred. Parents said they felt helpless to prevent a tragedy such as Parkland from occurring in their children’s schools and fear that Beverly Hills itself was a “target.” One parent, who said she is a school psychologist, said she “felt much safer in schools in (see ‘SCHOOL SAFETY’ page 19)
Waldorf Astoria, Peninsula Among Beverly Hills Hotels To Earn Forbes Five-Star Rating By Matt Lopez The City’s newest hotel offering – the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills – was one of a half-dozen Beverly Hills hotels to be named a 2018 Five-Star Award Winner by Forbes Travel Guide on Tuesday, while The Peninsula Beverly Hills maintained an impressive streak winning the award that dates back to 1993. The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills was one of only 27 new Five-Star hotels to appear on the 60th annual list of the world’s top hotels,
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
VOLUME: LIII
restaurant’s and spas. For owner Beny Alagem, who celebrated the hotel’s grand opening last June, it was a confirmation of the work his staff has done over its first eight months in operation. “I’m very proud. It’s really an approval from our customer base and our clients about the great team we have at the Waldorf Astoria,” Alagem said. “It really speaks to the incredible team members here who work hard to be as wonderful as they can be for our guests.” (see ‘FIVE-STAR’ page 15)
THREE’S THE CHARM — Alan Ball (center), who produced HBO’s successful series, Six Feet Under, has created HBO’s Here And Now, about modern day society and the complexities therein. Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter costar. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.