VOL . LVI NO. 2
JAN. 10, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
AFI Awards Lunch at Four Seasons 6
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD FOR BEVERLY HILLS
BHCOURIER .COM
Beverly Hills City Council Race Officially Kicks Off BY BIANCA HEY WARD
Beverly Hills High School Dance Company Performs at The Wallis 1 2
On Jan. 5, hundreds of residents came out to show their support for the candidates running in the upcoming election for Beverly Hills City Council. Cars lined the streets in the flats of Beverly Hills on the warm Sunday afternoon, where voters parked blocks away to hear candidates speak at their respective campaign kickoff events. The candidates running for the two City Council seats in March of this year include Councilwoman Lili Bosse, Councilman Julian A. Gold, M.D., Commissioner Lori Greene Gordon, Rabbi Sidney Green, and technologist Robin Rowe. City Council incumbents whose seats are up for election belong to
Bosse and Gold, who have both served two four-year terms and are running for a third. The Courier has confirmed with Mayor John A. Mirisch that he has officially endorsed Bosse and Gordon in the election. Additionally, the Beverly Hills Firefighters ' Association has endorsed Bosse and Gold. Bosse, Gordon and Gold held kickoff events replete with balloon garlands and food platters, hosting as many as 500 people. Gold’s event was decorated with green and gold balloons, yard banners, hats, branded hand sanitizers, and campaign pins that read, “I’m sold on Julian Gold.” Voters were greeted with goodies and ushered in
to shake hands with Gold and pose for a photo with the incumbent candidate behind a custom backdrop. Gold is a physician who has lived in Beverly Hills for 25 years and served as Mayor in 2015 and again in 2018. He addressed the crowd and began by saying, “The first thing I think about when I think about Beverly Hills is that it’s perfect. At the very first level, the streets are paved, the water works, the electricity works. (Race continues on page 20)
Councilman Julian A. Gold, M.D.
Jon Bosse and Councilwoman Lili Bosse with a "Vote Bosse Cutout" at Kickoff Event
Mayor John A. Mirisch and Commissioner Lori Greene Gordon at Kickoff Event
Golden Globes Red Carpet 14
Courier Calendar 2
Case Against Beverly Hills Police Department Dismissed
News 4 The Scene 6 Food & Wine 8 Community 1 2 Golden Globes Red Carpet 14
BY ANA FIGUEROA
Health and Wellness 1 6 Travel 1 8 Birthdays 2 2 Fun & Games 2 3 Classifieds 2 7
THE WEATHER, BEVERLY HILLS
Friday
66° | 46°
Saturday
65° | 44°
Sunday
65° | 45°
Monday
65° | 46°
Tuesday
64° | 44°
Wednesday
65° | 46°
Thursday
63° |46°
SINCE 1965
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of the City of Beverly Hills in a lawsuit filed by Beverly Hills Police Department employee Lisa Weller. In her lawsuit filed in 2018, Weller alleged discrimination based upon age and sexual orientation, as well as failure to prevent that discrimination. Weller claims she was demoted from her position of Traffic Control Supervisor to the position of Traffic Control Officer and also denied benefits and pay increases due to age and sexual orientation discrimination. The City moved for summary judgment on grounds that Weller failed to establish her claims. In an order entered Dec. 19, The Hon. Judge Lia Martin agreed. In ruling on the age discrimination claim,
Judge Martin stated, “There is no evidence the plaintiff was replaced in the position of Traffic Control Supervisor by a significantly younger person. The undisputed evidence shows that City of Beverly Hills restructured its traffic and parking departments, and then placed sworn peace officers as supervisors of Traffic Control Officers. The position of Traffic Control Supervisor no longer exists.” As for Weller’s cause of action for discrimination based on sexual orientation, Judge Martin noted that “plaintiff did not meet her burden to show that there was such a denial [of pay and benefits], let alone that any such denial was due to the plaintiff ’s age or sexual orientation.” (Discrimination continues on page 19)
City Expresses Concerns With New Voting System in L.A. County BY SANDR A SIMS
The City of Beverly Hills has raised concerns about the new Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) system and how it may negatively impact the General Municipal Election on March 3. These concerns were discussed at the City Council Study Session on Jan. 9 and a decision was made to send correspondence addressed to Dean C. Logan, Los Angeles County RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk (RRCC) and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office. (Voting continues on page 13)
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