Salon Owners Welcome Orange Tier

BY BIANCA HEYWARD

Marco Pelusi Hair Studio. Photo courtesy of Marco Pelusi.

On April 5, following a continued decline in new COVID-19 cases, the county moved into the less restrictive Orange Tier as part of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Under the revised Health Order issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), capacity limits were increased, and restrictions loosened across most sectors. Personal care establishments such as hair salons, nail salons, aestheticians off ering skincare and cosmetology services can now open to 75 percent capacity. (Salon Owner continues on page 7)

Commission Selects Six New Golden Shield Honorees

BY SAMUEL BRASLOW The Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission selected the six cultural or historic landmarks to award the Golden Shield Award, choosing from a fi eld of 12. The April 14 meeting saw the commissioners grapple with the purpose of the recently established award and the merits of the 12 nominees.

The Golden Shield Award program began in 2019 to recognize important cultural institutions and icons in the city. Selections do not need to meet an age requirement. The award only serves a ceremonial purpose and does not bestow special rights on the recipients. Instead, it serves to highlights sites, structures, public establishments, and business that “contribute to an understanding and appreciation of the City's unique cultural history.” Designated locations also get a shiny bronze plaque with a brief explanation of the spot’s signifi cance.

The very first Golden Shield Award appropriately memorialized the Doña Maria Rita Valdez de Villa Homestead, considered the fi rst home built in Beverly Hills.

“In 1838 the Mexican Government granted a large tract of land to the Valdez’s, which Doña Maria Rita named El Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas, the Ranch of the Gathering Waters,” reads the plaque, located at the northwest corner of Alpine Drive and Sunset Boulevard where the home itself once stood.

More recently, in March, the City Council approved three recommendations from the Commission, including Nate ’n Al’s Delicatessen, Gearys Beverly Hills boutique, and the former George and Ira Gershwin Residence.

The Commission looked at a list of 12 nominees that had been selected by the Landmark Nominations Subcommittee and the full Commission. That list included: Morocco Junction, the Beverly Theater/ Fiorucci, the Brown Derby, Romanoff 's/ The Daisy, Edelweiss Chocolates, Carroll and Company, Pioneer Hardware, Hunters Books, Harry Harris Shoes, Pixie Town, J. J. Newberry, and Francis-Orr Stationery. The fi rst six made the cut. (Golden Shield Honorees continues on page 13)