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BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME: LII
NUMBER 26
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SINCE 1965
June 30, 2017
Board Of Education To Vote Today On Two-Month JPA Extension
THIS ISSUE
Pomeranian mix Simba is this issue’s Adoptable Pet of the Week. 4
The L’Ermitage’s new owners are seeking the renewal of its CUP. 5
The Chamber of Commerce welcomed its new leadership this week. 10 • Real Estate • Birthdays • Letters to the Editor
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Koretz Calls For Demolition Of Hadid’s 901 Strada Vecchia As Sentencing Hearing Looms By Matt Lopez As prosecutors work to secure a July sentencing date in the criminal trial against Mohamed Hadid and his 901 Strada Vecchia megamansion, and L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz this week penned a scathing letter, calling for the complete demolition of the nearly 30,000-squarefoot home in Bel Air. “There is one path forward here
and that is to designate 901 Strada Vecchia a nuisance and compel the owner to abate the hazardous conditions currently existing at the site through demolition of the project,” Koretz wrote in a letter dated June 23 to Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety General Manager Frank Bush. City officials allege that the (see ‘STRADA VECCHIA’ page 11)
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Named Top Pediatric Hospital In California, Sixth In Nation George Christy, Page 6 A Major Town & Country Assignment Brought Us To Buffalo In The Long Ago, Which Neighbors Toronto, Where We Fell In Love With Canada With Its Well Mannered Folks And Its Love Of The Arts
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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By Courier staff C h i l d r e n ’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is the topranked pediatric hospital in California again, based on the latest rankings announced by U.S. News & World Report Tuesday. CHLA was also Children’s Hospital Los Angeles named to the publication’s Honor Roll of Best pital on the West Coast to be named Children’s Hospitals, a designation to the roll this year, finishing sixth bestowed on pediatric academic nationwide in the 2017-18 assessmedical centers that excel in multi- ment of the best pediatric health ple specialties. (see ‘CHLA’ page 8) CHLA is the only pediatric hos-
would yield consensus. Superintendent Michael Bregy was mum with respect to the notion of a two-month extension while Board of Education member Howard Goldstein, who has been involved in the recent contract negotiations, played coy about the proposed extension. “Considering that the liaisons (consisting of Goldstein, Board of Education VP Lisa Korbatov, Vice Mayor Julian Gold and Councilmember John Mirisch) still haven’t come to an agreement, let’s extend this and come to an agreement,” said Bosse, who has been a fierce (see ‘JPA’ page 20)
Kathy Davoudi-Gohari Begins Presidency Of Rodeo Drive Committee By Laura Coleman Starting tomorrow, the Rodeo Drive Committee will be helmed for the next two years by Kathy DavoudiGohari, who takes over the presidency from Mark Tronstein. Gohari, who has been on the committee for more than two decades, previously served as Tronstein’s vice president for events. The 80-member committee comprised of retailers, hoteliers, boutique managers and property owners along Beverly Hills’ most prestigious 2.5-block street is responsible for helping shape the vision of the Rodeo Drive. For Gohari, who first started working on the street at Emanuel Ungaro while a freshman at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising,
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
WELCOME THE WALDORF — The brand-new Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills held its official ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. “This hotel sets the new standard of luxury for Beverly Hills,” Waldorf Astoria owner Beny Alagem said. Pictured left: Alagem receives a proclamation from Mayor Lili Bosse. Pictured above: Asher Entertainment’s Bandaloop aerial artists. For the full story, see page 18. For more photos of the event, visit page 19.
By Laura Coleman The Board of Education was expected to vote this morning to extend the current Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) for two months in order to give the City of Beverly Hills and the school district a little extra time to come to a new agreement. The current $9.7 million JPA is slated to expire today. The contract provides crucial funds to the Beverly Hills Unified School District in exchange for making the district’s facilities and fields available to the City. Mayor Lili Bosse said she was “confident and hopeful” that a City Council discussion about the two-month extension
Kathy Davoudi-Gohari
Rodeo Drive is truly the most important place in the world for her. “It’s my home,” she told the Courier this week. “I spend more time here than I do with my own family. The street is my home. Seriously, I’ve been very blessed with this career, this street and this community.” From her earliest training on Rodeo Drive, when her boss Winnie Schweitzer taught her (see ‘RODEO DRIVE’ page 13)
DARLING DAUGHTERS — Angie Harmon, with daughters Finley Sehorn and Avery Sehorn, attended the premiere of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 3 at The Shrine Auditorium For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.