VOL . LVII NO. 28
JULY 9, 2021
IN THIS ISSUE
Beverly Hills CVB Unveils New Campaign Artwork 4
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD FOR BEVERLY HILLS
Trousdale Construction Could End This Month BY MICHAEL WIT TNER
BEVERLYHILLSCOURIER .COM
Connect Beverly Hills Streetscape Plan Moves Forward BY MICHAEL WIT TNER
Public Health Studies Out of Cedars-Sinai and UCLA 5
Sing for Hope Preview 5
Trousdale Construction Could End This Month. Photo by Lisa Bloch Is there light at the end of the water main? Come the end of July, beleaguered residents of Trousdale Estates may be able to bid a final good riddance to the cavernous trenches, jarring jackhammers, impromptu road closures, and ever-so-occasional water
and power outages that have resulted from an extensive water main replacement project. (Trousdale Construction continues on page 8)
Community 6
Ringo Starr’s Birthday Wish for “Peace & Love” Around the World
Birthdays 1 0
BY LISA BLOCH
Courier Calendar 2 News 4
Fun & Games 11 Classifieds 13
THE WEATHER, BEVERLY HILLS
Friday
80° | 66°
Saturday
79° | 66°
Sunday
79° | 66°
Monday
79° | 66°
Tuesday
78° | 67°
Wednesday
78° | 65°
Thursday
76° | 63°
SINCE 1965
Ringo Starr greets the press. Photo by Lisa Bloch The Starr of Beverly Hills was born 81 years ago on July 7, and this past Wednesday, the Courier was invited to participate in the birthday celebration. At noon PST, Ringo Starr spoke his iconic phraseology, with his hand gesture, wishing everyone around the
globe “Peace & Love” before his guests sang him “Happy Birthday.” It was a special and heartfelt moment as his friends and family, even his son Jason Starkey calling on his cell phone, along with the international press, encircled Ringo and his wife Barbara, standing in front of his acclaimed “Peace & Love” hand sculpture, one of the cherished installations in Beverly Gardens Park. This special birthday celebration tradition began in 2008, when Ringo responded to a journalist’s question about what he wanted for his birthday. “The idea just came to me – that at noon your local time on July 7, my birthday – wherever you are, if you want to, say, think or post ‘Peace & Love.’" (Ringo Starr’s Birthday continues on page 6)
The Beverly Hills Traffic and Planning Commission voted July 1 to approve the final draft streetscape plan and design standards for “Connect Beverly Hills: Meet Me on Wilshire and La Cienega,” a 160-page compilation of recommendations for how to make the busy area surrounding the future Metro station more vibrant, safe, sustainable, and welcoming. The city hopes to implement a narrowed down list of recommendations by the time the station opens in 2023. July 1 marked the last of six meetings that the Traffic and Planning Commission (TPC) devoted to the draft plan, since it was designated as the Project Advisory Commission that would study the project intensely before recommending its passage to the Beverly Hills City Council. The Council is expected to vote on the measure at its July 27 study session. TPC Chair Nooshin Meshkaty told the Courier that the Council could still review the plan even if the Commission had rejected it, though she imagines they might hesitate since they selected the Commission to provide a recommendation. (Connect Beverly Hills continues on page 7)
Chief Barton Wants to Talk About Fire Risks BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Beverly Hills is known for its expanses of green space and canopies of trees. As of 2019, the city was home to approximately 25,000 trees in the public right-of-way and municipal parks, with the oldest planted trees dating back to 1907. Still, this is Los Angeles—a desert, by any measure—and at a time of worsening fires and a changing climate, fire safety has taken on added importance. While the city has commissioned numerous fire safety reports over the years, a new report out this week takes a new, holistic look not just at the threats to the city, but how police, fire, businesses, and the community can help reduce them. (Chief Barton continues on page 9)