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Robinson Gardens hosts a discourse on McQueen, Galliano. 4
Managing With Mahdi
Susan Gersh and Marilyn Minter were honored at the Distinguished Women in the Arts. 11 12 19 21
George Christy, Page 6 A World-Class Evening Honoring Cancer Survivor Wendy Goldstein, Philanthropists Raylene And Bruce Meyer, Merle and Peter Mullin During Saint John’s Caritas Gala The Beverly Wilshire
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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October 30, 2015
Councilmember Willie Brien To Leave Beverly Hills For Houston Medical Center
THIS ISSUE
•Health & Wellness •Schools •Letters to the Editor
SINCE 1965
City Manager Mahdi Aluzri talks the present and future of Beverly Hills By Victoria Talbot Mahdi Aluzri became the new city manager of Beverly Hills in a unanimous vote last month by City Council. Aluzri came up the ranks, beginning in 1989 as a plan-check engineer. He rose to deputy director of planning and, in 2006, director of the newly created Department of Community Development. He left to serve five years as Deputy City Manager in Rancho Cucamonga. He returned to become assistant city manager for six years under Jeff Kolin, and was appointed interim city manager in February, after Kolin’s departure. Known for his friendly approachability, Aluzri was enthusiastically endorsed by each city councilmember. At 57, he has spent over three decades in municipal government, beginning in Building and Safety Department. Courier: Lets talk about your past. What is the origin of your accent? Aluzri: I am originally from
Baghdad but was 20 when I moved to the United States. The elementary school I was in was Britishrun. In the 10th grade or so, they kicked all the British out and nationalized, so it was a very different Iraq than we think of today. By the time I got to be 14 or 15, things started going downhill. Courier: Is your family still there? Aluzri: My mom and dad are deceased. My mom actually passed away when I was four years old. It was very difficult for my father and my younger brother. My dad spent a lot of time with us. He and my mom were childhood friends–they grew up together. They actually married and came to the states and went to Lewis and Clark (college) together. My older brother was born here. He now lives in Amman, Jordan. Courier: Do you have any desire to go back to Iraq? Aluzri: Not really. I don’t
Crucial Board Of Education Election Set For Tuesday By Laura Coleman Election day is Tuesday and if you haven’t yet mailed in your ballot for the Board of Education race, it’s important that you go to your local polling place and cast your ballot. It’s been a particularly brutal election season that included personal attacks, anonymous door hangers, vandalized lawn signs, City Council missteps into an election out-
Top row, from left: Isabel Hacker, Noah Margo, Lewis Hall, Carter Paysinger and Mel Spitz.
side its purview, and perhaps most damning, a litany of misinformation espoused by those wishing to usurp the incumbents. And while the unsavory (see ‘ELECTION DAY’ page 16)
(see ‘MAHDI ALUZRI’ page 18)
Small Town Politics Obscures The Facts
By Laura Coleman The distinction between public and private is ever-diminishing in the digital age. However, one maxim that has always held true is that public officials ought to be held to a higher standard. Thus, when public officials, such as Mayor Julian Gold and Councilman Willie Brien publicly advocate on behalf of specific candidates–as both have done for Carter Paysinger in their socalled “personal” capacity–it is impossible to liberate such personal views from their civic leadership roles. (see ‘POLITICS’ page 17)
By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills City Councilmember William W. Brien, M.D. has accepted a post at CHI St. Luke’s Health–Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (Baylor St. Luke’s) as its Vice President of Medical Operations and Chief Clinical Officer. Brien will leave the Beverly Hills City Council to begin this role, although no date has been set. In this role, he will oversee all aspects of physician performance, quality and clinical integration at the hospital. Dr. Brien will also serve as Executive Sponsor of the CHI Texas Division Orthopedic Service Line. “As a friend and colleague,
Courtesy of Francesca Maria
VOLUME: L
Willie Brien
I am sad to see Willie leave Beverly Hills,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold, M.D. “His intelligence, his vision and his leadership skill will be greatly missed. Baylor St. Luke’s is very fortunate to be gaining a skilled medical professional and an outstanding manager.” (see ‘WILLIE BRIEN’ page 2)
HELLO, OSCAR — Compliments poured forth for animal activist Shera Denese Falk’s Oscar de la Renta gown at the Last Chance for Animals dinner at the Beverly Hilton, where she was joined by Pamela Anderson. The non-profit organization, founded in 1984, has pioneered animal advocacy with special investigations documenting abuse in research labs, puppy mills, factory farms, and the entertainment industry. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.
Anonymous Letter Accuses Korbatov Of Double Voting By Matt Lopez A little more than a week ago, many political figures in the community called for civility in the contentious Nov. 3 Board of Education election, but apparently nobody was paying attention. Weeks after she was accused of authoring an anonymous political doorhanger (which Korbatov vehemently denies), Beverly Hills Board of Education member Lisa Korbatov herself was the object of an anonymous letter delivered to some Beverly Hills homes this week. The anonymous letter accuses Korbatov of voting “twice in multiple elections” and includes voter records from a third-party election ven-
dor for Lisa Kennedy Korbatov and Lisa Kennedy Fisch (Korbatov’s maiden name). According to official certified documents obtained by The Courier, The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder shows that it received votes from both a Lisa Kennedy Korbatov (through what’s believed to be her current address on Rodeo Drive) and a Lisa Kennedy Fisch (through a family residence on Bedford Drive) in the same election five separate times – in the Nov. 4, 2008 and Nov. 2, 2004 General Elections, the Oct. 7, 2003 Statewide Special Election, the Nov. 7, 2000 General Election and March 7, 2000 Primary Election. (see ‘VOTING’ page 17)