The Courier Honors All Our Fallen Soldiers On Memorial Day
BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME: L
NUMBER 21
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SINCE 1965
May 22, 2015
THIS ISSUE
Eyes In The Sky Julian Gold held his second “Meet The Mayor” at La Cienega Park. 4
WALTER’S CAFE–The friendly staff at Walter’s Cafe on 153 S. Beverly Drive. Pictured, from left: Yesenia Perez, Melanie Labrum, Lisa Ellspermann, Owner Fred Djie, Antonio Hernandez and Nathalie Menjivar.
The Beverly Hills Synagogue held its inaugural banquet on Tuesday. 4
The PTA Council held its annual installation luncheon at the Beverly Hilton. 5
Walter’s Cafe – Feeding Beverly Hills For 65 Years 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 came a reality. Imagine for a moment if you After spending 30 successful will, a completely different restau- years on Canon Drive, Fred Djie, rant scene in Beverly Hills. owner of Walter’s Cafe (which at A scene where the City’s two 65 years is the second oldest oldest eateries, Nate‘n Al and Wal- restaurant in Beverly Hills) was ter’s Cafe, would have vied for cus- promised a spot on North Beverly tomers on the very same street. Drive, mere shouting distance And not just the same street, from Nate‘n Al. but literally almost right across the “It wouldn’t have been a big street from one another. competition, we’ve always comBelieve it or not, a little more plimented each other,” Djie said than a decade ago, that almost be(see ‘WALTER’S CAFE’ page 21)
Robinson Gardens’ 27th annual Garden Tour was a smashing success. 8
Seven New Red Light Cameras Come To Beverly Hills In June By Victoria Talbot Beware drivers! Red light cameras that have been idle in the City since January will soon be back online. The City has changed vendors, installing new technology at the five existing intersections and adding an additional four intersections to the mix. Seven new red light cameras will be coming online in Beverly Hills, bringing the total number of cameras to 15.
Lt. Mike Foxen, BHPD traffic bureau commander, originally expected the cameras to be working by February. However, delays have pushed the schedule first to April, then to June. Unlike the older cameras installed in 1997, the new cameras are quite visible, such as the one pictured at the infamous Wilshire-Whittier intersection. (see ‘RED LIGHT CAMERAS’ page 7)
Beverly Hills Elder: Priceless Memories With The Six Million Dollar Man Part 36 in a series on Beverly Hills residents who have grown with the Centennial City By Laura Coleman
•Health & Wellness •Sports •Letters to the Editor
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EL RODEO FUN RUN–It was a day of celebration for the 120 students who raised over $500 each at El Rodeo’s FunRun when they were treated to a special off-campus lunch at the high school, where a very special meal was prepared by BHHS culinary arts students. See page 5 for the full story.
George Christy, Page 6 Yves Saint Laurent Was A Designer Who Transformed Women, And A Collector Of Attractive People, Intense Experiences And Beautiful Things. The Saint Laurent Film Stars Gaspard Ulliel. Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE
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EBI-Related Woes Not Over For BHUSD: District Sued For $457,000 By Madison By Laura Coleman Evidence-Based Inc. (EBI) is no longer providing security for Beverly Hills Schools, but the district apparently still needs some protection. The BHUSD is now the subject of a lawsuit filed by Madison Resource Funding Corp., which is seeking $457,031.41. Madison is the company EBI used to provide short-term funding. In a lawsuit filed last week in L.A. County Superior Court, Madison goes after BHUSD, Board President Brian Goldberg, Board VP Howard Goldstein and boardmembers Lewis Hall and Noah Margo
alleging breach of contract, aiding and abetting fraud and conversion. The lawsuit alleges that Madison and EBI entered into an agreement on May 29, 2013 to provide payroll and billing services to EBI. As part of that agreement, EBI was prohibited from directly invoicing its customers or receiving sums from them. The lawsuit states: “EBI concealed from Madison the fact that EBI had invoiced BHUSD directly and concealed that EBI had received funds from BHUSD directly.” (see ‘MADISON LAWSUIT’ page 16)
Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
BHUSD K-8 Class Of 2015 Graduation Pictures! 22-23
Perhaps best known for his iconic roles on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, at 89, Beverly Hills resident Richard Anderson has “at last” released the story of his life in Richard Anderson: At Last...A Memoir. The book, which came out this week, offers a treasure trove of vignettes culled from experiences in the film business, where he worked with such luminaries as Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Kirk Douglas and Lana Turner. In fact, it was Cary Grant himself who took a personal interest in helping Richard shape his career. Born in Long Branch, New
Richard Anderson
Jersey in 1926, Richard had a particular fondness for Western movies. He recalled one time, his father took him to see a cowboy movie and he was completely transfixed by the actor, Gary Cooper. (see ‘RICHARD ANDERSON’ page 21)
STARS SHINE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT — Ben Falcone, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig pose in front of the Melissa McCarthy Star at the TCL Chinese Theater. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.