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BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 14
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THIS ISSUE
Beverly Hills student singers light up the stage in a national choir. 5
Lisa Detanna, with Raymond James in Beverly Hills, is listed as a top broker. 8
SEEING CLEARLY–Pictured above: John Roberts sits at his desk in the repair lab of Roberts Optical Company at 454 N. Bedford Dr. where Roberts’ business has served Beverly Hills for 69 years.
Roberts Optical – Shaping Vision Of Beverly Hills Since 1946 This year, The Courier celebrates 50 years in the community. Throughout the year, we will honor the legacy of excellence in Beverly Hills’ heritage businesses that have called the City their home since 1965 or earlier. By Matt Lopez One thing that hasn’t changed When you run a business in is that when Beverly Hills residents Beverly Hills for decades like John need help with their glasses, they Roberts has, you’re bound to see a visit Roberts Optical Company. lot of things change. Roberts Optical is the oldest “It’s certainly become more of optical company in Beverly Hills an international community,” and has been the go-to spot for Roberts said of Beverly Hills. “And new glasses, frames, contact lenses most of the movie stars have all left and repairs since John’s father, also Beverly Hills and moved else- named John Roberts, started the where.” (see ‘ROBERTS OPTICAL’ page 16)
Beverly Hills Elder: Robert Marx, Growing Up Laughing In B.H. Part 30 in a series on Beverly Hills residents who have grown with the Centennial City. Beverly Hills’ Golda Berkman performed at the Music Center’s Spotlight. 17 •Real Estate 10 •Sports 18 •Birthdays 20
George Christy, Page 6 The Professional Dancers Society Chair Joni Berry And President Mitzi Gaynor Hosted Their 28th Annual Gypsy Awards Luncheon Honoring Carol Lawrence At The Beverly Hilton Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE
CLASSIFIEDS • • • • •
Announcements Real Estate Rentals Sales and More
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April 3, 2015
Beverly Hills Residents, Voters, Must Face Reality Or Risk Injury, State Finds
Ted Lieu delivered the keynote speech at BHHS career day. 4
“Little Bit” is a three-month old rescue puppy looking for a new home. 4
SINCE 1965
By Laura Coleman Born in New York in 1930, Robert Marx came to Beverly Hills at age seven, the only son of American vaudeville performer-turned theatrical agent Gummo Marx. Robert’s four uncles, Chico, Harpo, Groucho and Zeppo Marx, all lived within a block or two of each other in one of the City’s most magical eras. “What was so interesting about growing up here...all these really famous people were here...but they were just like everyone else.” Robert remarked. “The culture was so different. Nobody had a gate in front of their house,
Robert Marx
locked their door nor even locked their cars. Kids didn’t have cars until their senior year in high school, if then. We all rode bikes. The movies cost a quarter. Many of the lots were not built up. I could sit on Beverly Drive and it would take
By Laura Coleman Roughly six months ago a State Seismic Mitigation Program report identified 14 buildings throughout the Beverly Hills Unified School District that could fail in an earthquake due to seismic deficiencies. The five elected members of the BHUSD Board of Education must find the best solution to deal with the state’s report. The obvious answer is to repair or replace the buildings, but that runs headlong into a pledge made by this Board’s predecessors in 2008 not to raise the tax rate on the bonds to be sold to pay for the construction. It is a matter of student and staff safety vs. a political
By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills has added cameras at three new intersections, which will be in operation by the end of April bringing the total number of redlight cameras to nine in the 5.7 square mile City. The new cameras will raise the number of vehicle approaches from 9 to 15, at a cost of $638,880 per year to the City’s new contractor, Xerox State and Local Solutions Inc. with a five-year contract and two options for renewal. Red light cameras have been under siege in recent years, including a bill currently in the state assembly to ban them outright. Assemblyman
City Watch
By Matt Lopez The last two weeks, The Courier printed the full pay and benefits chart for Beverly Hills City Employees, which were received after a California Public Records Act demand. This week, The Courier looks at how those numbers compare to other nearby cities, courtesy of in-
formation pulled from the State Controllers Office. See page 12 for charts that compare Beverly Hills’ 10 highestpaid employees to that of other cities in the area, as well as a look at how many Beverly Hills City Employees there are per resident, compared to other cities. (see ‘SALARY CHARTS’ page 12)
(see ‘BOND ACCELERATION’ page 22)
Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach) has introduced AB1160, because he says they are not safer. He is also concerned about what he calls the “’Big Brother’ aspect” of red light cameras. The backlash has resulted in the abandonment of this lucrative traffic control measure in cities across the state, including Los Angeles. But Beverly Hills City Councilmembers have frequently stated that the cameras promote safety. Public records, however, do not bear this out. The Courier asked the City for information about the Whittier/Wilshire camera: (see ‘RED LIGHT CAMERAS’ page 23)
HANGIN’ WITH THE KIDS — Jennifer Hudson and son David Daniel Otunga Jr. joined Olivia Somerlyn during Nickelodeon’s 28th Annual Kids Choice Awards 2015 at The Forum.
(see ‘ROBERT MARX’ page 22)
Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Have Most Employees Per Resident
pledge. The $334 million “Measure E” bonds approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2008 contemplated that the bonds would be sold slowly over time. As property values increased, the same “tax rate” would generate more taxes to support more bonds. However, the bond measure itself gave discretion to the Board of Education to sell the bonds faster and thus raise the tax rate to pay for them. A vote is expected to come up at the board’s next formal meeting on Tuesday, April 14 regarding the $190 million of authorized bonds that remain
Red Light Cameras Bring Revenue, But Are They Safe?
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
VOLUME: L
Attending were Nick Jonas, Sarah Hyland, Mark Ballas, Maxwell Jones, Mia Matthews, Nick Cannon, Nolan Gould, Kayley Cuoco, Kevin James, Iggy Azalea, Grant Gustin, Fatima Plasec, Gabrielle Beauvais, Ariel Winter, Zendaya, Sheryl Lee Ralph and more. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.