BHCourier 07-22-2011

Page 1

The Courier Gets Full Staff Cost Data — Finally, See Pages 16-25

BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME XXXXVII NUMBER 28 $135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY •

www.bhcourier.com

SINCE 1965 F L Y I N G HIGH—Navy Week comes to Los Angeles next week. U.S. Navy Blue Angel pilot Lt. C.J. Simonsen climbs into his F/A-18 Hornet during the ESL Air Show. For more information, see page 14.

THIS ISSUE

Brian Goldberg files to seek BHUSD board re-election. 5

Leonard Wasserstein Passes Damien Bean files for first run at BHUSD Board of Education. 7

Beverly Hills Chili Cook-Off to feature Aarti Sequeira as judge. 7

CHLA moves 191 patients to new hospital. 8 •Fashion •Birthdays

11 26

The Courier Forces The City To Reveal All Staff Costs Most City of Beverly Hills employees cost taxpayers over $200,000 per year each. That stunning total was revealed when the City finally disclosed its total staff costs to The Courier after three California Public Records Acts demands and a

Leonard Wasserstein, a longtime member and past president of Rotary Club of Beverly Hills, and former district 5280 governor, died yesterday morning after a long illness. He was 88.

The native of Rhode Islandwas also active in the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and many prized civic organizations,

threat of litigation. While staff “salaries” have long been available on a limited basis, never before has the City released the actual cost to taxpayers of each city employee. (see ‘STAFF COSTS,’ page 15)

Measure E Funding In Jeopardy

Photo By By Marla Schever Mass ComAt a BHUSD study session munication Specialist Tuesday it was announced that 2nd Class Measure E funding is in jeopardy. When originally passed in Jesse L. Dick

Real Madrid soccer players attend meet and greet in Beverly Hills. 5

JULY 22, 2011

November 2008, it was promised the tax rate would not exceed $49.71 per $100,000 in Assessed Value, which would not increase taxes. Assessed Value is the dollar amount given to a property for tax purposes. It was assumed in 2008 that the AV would rise 5.77 percent in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and then 4.5 percent after. In actuali-

ty it rose 1.75 percent from 20092011. The original bond measure broke bond sales out over four sales in 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018. If nothing were to change in the bond program, sales would take place in 2016, 2024 and 2033 with a 7-7.5 percent interest rate. The assumed interest rate was 5.51 percent. The Board of Education will hold a study session on bond financing on Aug. 3 to discuss the possibility of increasing the tax (see ‘BOND SALES,’ page 15)

(see ‘WASSERSTEIN,’ page 26)

City Mgr. Starts Propaganda Licht Files For BHUSD Election Blog On Struggling Website City Hall has decided its own website www.beverlyhills .org– for which it has spent millions–is not an effective way to reach residents so it has started a “city manager blog” on the struggling local offshoot of AOL, Patch. That site, which allows anyone to post pretty much whatever they want, is a part of a na-

tionwide effort by AOL to take local readers away from successful internet giants Google and Yahoo in order to sell advertising. AOL just spent over $350 million to purchase Arianna Huffington’s political blog, Huffington Post. The first installment by City Manager Jeff Kolin attempts to (see ‘PROPOGANDA,’ page 15)

By Marla Schevker Community member, BHUSD alum and Traffic and Parking Commissioner Andy Licht announced his candidacy for the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education race. Licht filed this week. “I feel I am qualified because (the BHUSD) is a piece of me,” Licht said. “I’ve been here since 1965, on and off starting in the third grade and I feel like I understand the district both from a student perspective and a par-

Andy Licht

ents perspective.” Licht graduated from Hawthorne School in 1971 and Beverly High, with honors, in (see ‘LICHT,’ page 15)

Gaming Icon, Beverly Hills Native J. Terrence Lanni Dies George Christy, Page 6 Tradition, As Tevye Sings In Fiddler On The Roof, Is Alive And Well In Beverly Hills With The Annual Party That Embraces Young Friends And Forever-Young Friends Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE

CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More

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By John L. Seitz “Terry” as he was affectionately Joseph Terrence Lanni who called by everyone from top exgrew up in Beverly Hills and ecutives and politicos to entry went on to belevel employees come a towering was the retired figure in the nachairman /CEO of tion’s gaming inthe far flung MGMdustry died last Mirage (now called Thursday after a MGM Resorts Intwo-year battle ternational) emwith cancer. He pire, founded by was 68. longtime Beverly A memorial Hills resident Kirk mass is being Kerkorian and his held this mornRodeoDrive-based Terry Lanni ing at 11 o’clock Tracinda Corporaat South Pasadena’s Holy Family tion. Catholic Church, 1527 Fremont The Lanni family–parents Ave. (see ‘LANNI,’ page 13) Born on March 14, 1943,

THE ANNUAL WHITE NIGHT SOIREE—Every July, Corinna Tsopei Fields hosts a White Night evening for 100 friends who dress in white. She and her late husband Freddie Fields, the producer and agent who created superstars, celebrated their wedding anniversary on this night. This month, says Corinna, would be their 30th anniversary. More photos in George Christy’s column on page 6. The Fields Archives


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