VOL . LVII NO. 12
MARCH 19, 2021
IN THIS ISSUE
Connect Beverly Hills Streetscape Plans Revealed 4
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD FOR BEVERLY HILLS
BEVERLYHILLSCOURIER .COM
Red-Tier Ready: Indoor Dining Holds Promise in Beverly Hills BY ANA FIGUEROA
Beverly Hills Launches Pet-Friendly “As You Wish” Campaign 5
Los Angeles County moved into the less restrictive red tier on March 15 as part of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The move allowed certain businesses, including restaurants, to resume limited indoor operations. Though occupancy limits apply (25 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer) and tables must remain at least
eight feet apart, the move to the red tier was welcome news after months of prohibitions. “This transition presents a promising future for our City as we continue to work together toward fully reopening,” said Mayor Lester Friedman in a statement this week. “The phones haven’t stopped ringing. The anticipation is very high,” Giorgio Sease,
General Manager at The Grill on the Alley told the Courier. (Indoor Dining continues on page 15)
Councilmember Lili Bosse Recalls Her Holocaust Survivor Mother in March 23 Webinar 6
Indoor dining this week at Il Pastaio. Photo by Samuel Braslow Courier Calendar 2
Council Votes No Confidence in DA City Council Reviews 911 System
News 4 Community 6
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Health and Wellness 9 Birthdays 1 2 Fun & Games 14 Classifieds 17
THE WEATHER, BEVERLY HILLS
Friday
67° | 54°
Saturday
64° | 47°
Sunday
64° | 47°
Monday
66° | 50°
Tuesday
69° | 52°
Wednesday
74° | 52°
Thursday
57° | 50°
SINCE 1965
In a move described as unprecedented, the Beverly Hills City Council passed a resolution of a vote of no confidence in new Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. Three of the Council’s five members, including Councilmember Lili Bosse, Councilmember Julian Gold, M.D. and Mayor Lester Friedman, argued that Gascón’s progressive policies had made the city less safe and hamstrung law enforcement. The dissenting voters, Councilmember John Mirisch and Vice Mayor Robert Wunderlich, both expressed concerns with the D.A., but had reservations over the outright sanction of a public official as opposed to their policies—a step that none could recall happening before. The move places Beverly Hills in league with the City of Santa Clarita, which passed a no-confidence vote in Gascón on March 9, citing many of the same reasons given by Beverly Hills. “This is really, for me, a watershed
moment,” Mayor Lester Friedman said at the March 16 Study Session. “The criminal element is just taking advantage of the fact that there is no enforcement of the laws that we have on the books.” Gascón assumed leadership of the largest prosecutorial body in the country and the largest jail system in the world on Dec. 7. His victory over former D.A. Jackie Lacey, once viewed as a long shot, came on the heels of a historically large and diverse outcry for civil rights across the country sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer. Lacey herself fell within the crosshairs of local activists who accused her of an overly punitive approach with those convicted of crimes and a too gentle approach with law enforcement accused of misconduct. (Council Votes continues on page 8)
BY BIANCA HEY WARD
The Beverly Hills City Council reviewed the operating efficiency of the city’s Emergency Communications Center (911 dispatch) at its March 16 Study Session meeting, following growing concerns about emergency line wait time. At the meeting, Beverly Hills Police Department’s (BHPD) Captain Elisabeth Albanese detailed how 911 calls are answered and prioritized, summarized the March 4 armed robbery at Il Pastaio from a dispatching perspective and discussed a forthcoming statewide upgrade to the Next Generation 911 network with enhanced capabilities. (City Council continues on page 11)