We Salute And Remember All Our 9/11 Heroes
BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME: LIV
NUMBER 37
www.bhcourier.com
SINCE 1965
September 14, 2018
Planning Commission Approves Byron Allen Project, Rejects City Attorney Recommendations
THIS ISSUE
Cookie, a 1-year-old poodle, is the Adoptable Pet of the Week. 4
Joseph Matsch has been promoted to BHFD Deputy Fire Chief. 4
Public input is being sought on the City’s next fine art purchases. 5 • Arts & Entertainment • Birthdays • Letters to the Editor
10 14 23
George Christy, Page 6 The Good Book Informs Us That The First Rosh Hashanah Holiday Occured In The Garden Of Eden, With The Creation Of Adam And Eve.
CLASSIFIEDS
17
Beverly Hills High School Fields Two National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists By Laura Coleman Two Beverly Hills High School seniors were named semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program this week. The two students – William Lee and Ariella Simoni – are among approximately 16,000 semifinalists selected from an entry pool of roughly 1.6 million students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as juniors. “This distinguished honor William Lee and Ariella Simoni is a reflection of extraordinary accomplishment of our district’s scholarly success and personal TK-12 academic preparation and achievement,” said Beverly Hills our student’s families, teachers and Unified School District staff should be commended.” Superintendent Michael Bregy. (see ‘NATIONAL MERIT’ page 13) “This recognition also shows the
Board of Education Candidates Report Yard Signs Disappearing By Laura Coleman With three candidates vying for two open seats on the upcoming Board of Education race on Nov. 6, it’s bound to get a little competitive. However, people appear to have been crossing a line when it comes to showing their support, with all candidates reporting that their election signs have been uprooted from front lawns in the community. Jen Fentin, the Yard Sign chairperson for candidate Marvin Winans Jr., said that there had been a “prompt removal” of Winan’s lawn signs throughout the City, including one in front of her
parents’ home. Candidate Tristen WalkerShuman informed the Courier that she was in possession of video of it happening at a number of different homes thanks to Ring doorbell cameras. Further, she said that one homeowner had even reached out to the police to report the removal of one of her signs. Lorraine Eastman, campaign manager for candidate Rachelle Marcus, said she was aware of multiple counts of sign removal on the block on which Marcus lives. While there are no City ordinances that specifically prohibit (see ‘YARD SIGNS’ page 13)
Entertainment mogul Byron Allen, whose project at 1115 Calle Vista Dr., was up for discussion, brought a crew to film the proceedings. With him were the applicant’s lobbyist, Murray Fischer, co-legal counsel Ben Reznik, Allen’s wife and several other members of his team. Allen paced the floor, approached the microphone and was told to stand down by his attorneys. He glared at this reporter and smirked when commissioners Lori Greene Gordon and Peter Ostroff spoke. He used a portion of his time to rebuke Ostroff, repeating his claim that Ostroff was (see ‘PLANNING COMMISSION’ page 8)
Final Rent Control Discussion Set For Sunday By Victoria Talbot Facilitated Discussion No. 3 on Maximum Annual Rent Increase Policies will take place Sunday 1-5 p.m. in the Municipal Gallery at City Hall. The annual rent increase is at the core of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), and it has traditionally stimulated the most disagreement between landlords and tenants. The upcoming session has been anticipated throughout the discussions, and like many of the subjects that have so far been covered, it is unlikely that there will be agreement between landlords and tenants. Nonetheless, the meeting will provide valuable data from the input received from stakeholders, both renters and landlords, which will be compiled for a report that ultimately, will
help the City Council make some decisions on the issues. To date there have been two facilitated public meetings with Professor Sukhsimranjit Singh, on Aug. 15 and Aug. 26. The agenda for the first meeting included relocation fees, no cause eviction, the Ellis Act and habitability standards. The agenda for the second meeting included the “banking” of annual rent increase adjustments, exemption of properties with four units or less, and the application process for rental increases beyond the allowable rate. At each meeting, Paul Silver, vice-president of HR&A consulting, presents his firm’s findings from their Draft Report on the Rent Stabilization Program corresponding to the (see ‘RENT CONTROL’ page 13)
“I LOVE A PIANO”, says Gretta Barrett, as she tickled the ivories at Susie and Brad Krevoy’s Rosh Hashanah celebration for the first of the High Holy Days.
Rich Prugh
9/11 TRIBUTE – Beverly Hills police and fire personnel, along with the City Council, held the City of Beverly Hills’ annual 9/11 commemoration ceremony near the 9/11 Memorial Garden on Rexford Drive. Pictured are Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton and Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli. Photo by Victoria Talbot
By Victoria Talbot Fireworks flew at Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting, as Commissioner Joe Shooshani rebelliously declared that this Courier reporter must have eaten something to produce “fantasies,” reiterated that he was apologetic that resident Debbie Weiss took offense at anything he said and defiantly stated that he would not recuse himself. Shooshani, who has stated that he is running for City Council, repeated a statement that he represents a “segment” of the City‘s population. It is unclear if he means developers, specifically.
For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.