VOL . LVII NO. 10
MARCH 5, 2021
IN THIS ISSUE
Metro Announces Lane Reductions 4
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD FOR BEVERLY HILLS
Beverly Hills Elementary Schools Will Reopen Next Week BY ANA FIGUEROA
Three Beverly Hills Locations Recognized with Golden Shield 5
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to Host Virtual Event 6
In-person learning for elementary grades is set to recommence March 8. Photo by Bianca Heyward Elementary school classrooms in Beverly Hills will reopen for in-person learning next week. Students in grade levels TK-2 will return on March 8; grades 3-5 will return March 9. "We are thrilled to be moving forward as a team together with our teachers, staff, students, and parents to reopen our
News 4
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Community 6 Birthdays 1 2 Fun & Games 14 Classifieds 17 THE WEATHER, BEVERLY HILLS
71° | 49°
Saturday
60° | 48°
Sunday
62° | 48°
Monday
63° | 46°
Tuesday
60° | 45°
Wednesday
62° | 47°
Thursday
64° | 48°
SINCE 1965
City Council Considers Rent Subsidy BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
The Beverly Hills City Council grappled with the impact of COVID-19 on the city’s most vulnerable at its March 2 meetings. At the Study Session, the Council heard updates on the city’s rent relief program targeted at those affected by the pandemic. The Council voted to approve a Neighborhood Slow Streets Program, which would allow residential blocks to restrict their roadways to local traffic only. Finally, the Council voted at the Regular Session to overhaul the city’s process of soliciting and securing contracts for goods and services. In response to the mounting pressure on renters by the economic toll of COVID19, the City Council approved the creation of a rent subsidy program at its Sept. 15 Regular Meeting. Though initially vested with $715,000, the Council expanded the program to $1.1 million in December. The program applied to tenants living on multi-family properties that fall under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), prioritizing seniors and households with children enrolled in Beverly Hills Unified School District. The program offered eligible residents up to $1,000 for three months to make up the remaining balance of unpaid rent. The funds went directly to the landlord under the condition that the landlord grant the tenant a year to repay back rent. (Rent Subsidy continues on page 15)
Neighborhoods Frustrated as Metro Shooting at Moves Closer to Sepulveda Transit Il Pastaio
Courier Calendar 2
Friday
schools,” Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy told the Courier. (Schools Reopen continues on page 10)
BEVERLYHILLSCOURIER .COM
Metro's original four proposals for transit lines through the Sepulveda Corridor. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors took a step closer to realizing the long-discussed Sepulveda Transit Corridor
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Project, a two-phase plan to connect the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The first phase will link the Valley and the Westside, with later plans to extend the line to LAX. On Feb. 25, the Board received and filed recommendations from Metro staff to explore two private proposals, including a monorail line running along the center of the 405 freeway and a heavy rail line running beneath Sepulveda before emerging aboveground in the Valley. The venture’s genesis dates back to Measure M, the 2016 one-cent sales tax increase that provides funding for transportation infrastructure in the county. (Metro continues on page 13)
Il Pastaio became a crime scene following a robbery and shooting on March 4 A woman was shot during a robbery at iconic Beverly Hills restaurant Il Pastaio around 2 p.m. on March 4. Three suspects ran from the scene before Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) officers arrived. The department is actively investigating the incident, but has not apprehended any suspects by press time. (Shooting continues on page 9)