VOL . LVII NO. 4
JANUARY 22, 2021
IN THIS ISSUE
Local Businesses Join Effort to Recall Gov. Newsom 4
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD FOR BEVERLY HILLS
BEVERLYHILLSCOURIER .COM
Beverly Hills Salon Owner Ordered Back Into Federal Custody BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Two Certified Wildlife Habitats Created in WeHo 5
Gina Bisignano, 52, one of the Beverly Hills residents facing charges related to her actions at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has been ordered back into federal custody after a judge issued an emergency stay of her release. The federal judge further ordered Bisignano transported to Washington, D.C. "for further proceedings on the Complaint filed against her." Bisignano and two other Beverly Hills
residents, John Strand, 37, and Dr. Simone Gold, 55, were arrested over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend by the FBI, with assistance by the Beverly Hills Police Department, pursuant to federal charges filed in Washington, D.C. They appeared in U. S. District Court for the Central District of California in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 19. Both Gold and
Bisignano were released on bail, although Bisignano’s release has been stayed. "The magistrate here in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon set bond for Bisignano, which we objected to on behalf of our colleagues in the District of Columbia," United States Attorney’s Office Director of Media Relations Thom Mrozek told the Courier. (Salon Owner continues on page 3)
Human Relations Commission Reviews Hate Crimes Report 6
Protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, leading to the arrest of three Beverly Hills residents. Courier Calendar 2
Amid Halting Rollout, Beverly Hills Stinking Rose Provides Vaccine Information Project Runs Afoul of Planning Commission
News 4 Community 6 Birthdays 1 0
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Fun & Games 11 Classifieds 14
THE WEATHER, BEVERLY HILLS
Friday
60° | 45°
Saturday
58° | 42°
Sunday
58° | 43°
Monday
52° | 39°
Tuesday
53° | 39°
Wednesday
55° | 43°
Thursday
55° | 45°
SINCE 1965
As the United States marks the grim milestone of 400,000 deaths from COVID-19—once a worst case scenario—California and Los Angeles County struggle with rolling out the best tool against the pathogen. But even as wait times mushroom and phone lines buckle under traffic, the city and community of Beverly Hills have started to come together to put an end to the worst public health crisis of the last 100 years. The City of Beverly Hills has made an effort to communicate with residents through multiple channels in the hopes of demystifying the process. Meanwhile, pharmacies in Beverly Hills are also preparing to play a key role in distributing the vaccine to the community. “As the county evolves, we're trying to keep up with it, keeping the communication
current with the community and letting people know,” said city spokesperson Keith Sterling. In particular, he cited two mass robocalls the city has made in the last week. “We typically don't do mass robocalls unless it's a significant event, but we felt that this was an appropriate use of the system to notify the community immediately that this option of 65 and older was now in play and that they could sign up online.” Sterling also pointed to the city’s coronavirus information hub, www.beverlyhills. org/coronavirus, for updates and a direct link to the county site where applicable residents can sign up for the vaccine. (Vaccine continues on page 7)
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
At the Jan. 14 Planning Commission Regular Meeting, the Commission unanimously denied amendments that would have allowed the construction of a hotel on the Stinking Rose restaurant site. The proposal called for a 216-room, four-star hotel to replace the garlicky restaurant on 55 North La Cienega Boulevard, eliciting concern from neighbors who worried about the impact of the development on their quality of life. (Stinking Rose continues on page 8)
