VOL . LVII NO. 32
AUGUST 6, 2021
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD FOR BEVERLY HILLS
Sing for Hope Pianos Debut
IN THIS ISSUE
Remembering Luanne Wells 4
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
BEVERLYHILLSCOURIER .COM
Beverly Hills Reacts to Vaccine Requirements BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW AND BIANCA HEY WARD
Council Members Support CicLAvia Open Streets Event 5
Amanda Foundation Spreads Love in Beverly Hills 6
Jazz pianist Tommy Costner and bassist Chris Golden playing at the launch of the Sing for Hope Piano program The Hills were alive with the sound of music on Aug. 5, when the Sing for Hope Pianos program debuted 16 custom-painted pianos across the city. Local pianists played each upright piano, all of which will now be available for public enjoyment until Sept. 6. The musicians marked the occasion by playing Bach’s Minuet in G Major in unison throughout the city. In a special performance at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing
Arts, Sing for Hope co-founders and celebrated sopranos Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora sang “The Flower Duet” ("Sous le dôme épais") from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes. The ceremony at the Wallis also saw actor and activist Monique Coleman receive Sing for Hope’s annual Art for All Award for her work advocating for youths across the world. (Sing for Hope continues on page 13)
Rising COVID-19 cases have sent both the public and private sectors scrambling for ways to preserve hard-won openness while protecting the public. In an effort to protect staff and patrons, restaurants around Los Angeles and Beverly Hills have started requiring proof of vaccination. This comes after New York City announced the strictest requirements so far, mandating proof of vaccination for gyms, performances, and indoor dining. On Aug. 4, the Los Angeles City Council introduced a motion to consider an even stricter measure. Beverly Hills has yet to consider any vaccination requirements for either private businesses or public facilities and employees, but Mayor Robert Wunderlich told the Courier that the City Council would have to consider all its options. "With the trajectory of COVID of vaccinations, with the continued emergence of the Delta variant, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes back before the City Council for us again to have to discuss what requirements we want to put into effect in the city," he said. For a few months following the devastating winter surge, it seemed that Los Angeles County was on track to beat the virus. (Vaccine Requirements continues on page 14)
Beverly Hills Holocaust Survivor Proposed Immortalized Through Hologram Ridgeline Technology Ordinance Worries Local Residents
Courier Calendar 2 News 4 Community 6 Health and Wellness 8
BY MICHAEL WIT TNER
Birthdays 17 Fun & Games 1 9 Classifieds 2 1
THE WEATHER, BEVERLY HILLS
Friday
81° | 63°
Saturday
80° | 61°
Sunday
78° | 60°
Monday
79° | 62°
Tuesday
81° | 64°
Wednesday
84° | 66°
Thursday
84° | 67°
SINCE 1965
Firestone answered thousands of questions in front of 116 cameras in 2015. For almost 50 years, Beverly Hills resident Renee Firestone has been telling the world how she survived Auschwitz and became a prominent fashion designer. Even though Firestone turned 97 in
April, she will be available for questions for decades to come. On July 31, the Holocaust Museum LA debuted a life-size hologram of Firestone trained to reply to a seemingly infinite number of questions using a week’s worth of pre-recorded answers. The hologram is a permanent installation called “Dimensions in Testimony” created by the USC Shoah Foundation, an LA-based nonprofit founded by Steven Spielberg dedicated to creating and preserving audio-visual Holocaust survivor testimonies. Similar holograms are on display across the country. (Holocaust Survivor continues on page 18)
BY SAMUEL BR ASLOW
Residents of Los Angeles’ hills have raised questions about a proposed Ridgeline Protection Ordinance that would institute new development and building regulations in order to better preserve the city’s ridgelines. “Los Angeles has the rare distinction of being a city bisected by a mountain range,” City Planning Associate Patrick Whalen said at a Nov. 20, 2020 community workshop presentation. (Ridgeline Ordinance continues on page 16)
