The Courier Wishes You A Healthy And Happy 2014!
BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME XXXXVIIII NUMBER 1 $135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY •
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SINCE 1965
January 3, 2014
THIS ISSUE
City mourns passing of Police Officer Gabriel Coyoca.
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The Courier makes its way to the opera in Budapest, Hungary. 4
ROSES ON PARADE—Beverly Hills was fortunate to be represented with two different floats in the 2014 Tournament of Roses on Jan. 1. Left, Mayor John Mirisch and other Beverly Hills residents rode the “City of Beverly Hills Centennial” float, which depicted City Hall; Above, Beverly Hills PetCare Foundation’s “Loving Dreams...Adopt A Shelter Pet” float included Playboy’s “first lady” and devoted animal advocate Crystal Hefner and CBS-TV star Brandon McMillan (Lucky Dog).
900 people gather for the ADL’s Centennial Gala. 4
Sheriff Lee Baca salutes youth at The Beverly Hilton. 5
Beverly Hills Firefighters donate presents to children in need. 5 •Arts & Entertainment 7 •Health & Wellness 14 •Birthdays 22
Beverly Hills Kicks Off A Year Of Centennial Celebrations By Victoria Talbot The City of Beverly Hills kicked off its 100-year anniversary, with the 2014 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena and its Beverly Hills Centennial Float. This will be a year of Centennial festiv-
Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE
CLASSIFIEDS • • • • •
Announcements Real Estate Rentals Sales and More
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By Laura Coleman This year, 93-year-old Shirley Baskin Familian will celebrate two milestones: in concert with KCET’s 50-year anniversary, Familian will have the unique distinction of a half-century of volunteering for the the nation’s largest public television station; and in January, the Craft & Folk Art Museum on Wilshire Boulevard will present her first solo exhibition. In anticipation of SHIRLEY FAMILIAN: 19,275 STAMPS, which opens on Jan. 26, Familian invited The Courier into her home
ities, and here are some highlights: Jan. 26, 11 a.m. Centennial Tree Planting and Dedication, Beverly Gardens Park; Jan. 28, the Saban Theatre, Centennial Evening Celebration (see ‘CENTENNIAL,’ page 10)
Korbor Project Ping Pongs Back To City Council Tuesday By Bill Arp The much-debated empty office building at 8767 Wilshire returns to the city council Tuesday on an appeal from a denial by the Beverly Hills Planning Commis-
sion to allow medical office use in 45% of the building. The odyssey of the owners, the Kobor family, to build this project started in 2006 with the OK (see ‘KORBOR,’ page 19)
George Christy, Page 6 Truman Capote’s “Fruitcake Weather” in Arkansas, and Holiday Dinners in San Francisco with the Marquise Helene de Pins, Whose Father, Georges de la Tour, Founded Beaulieu Vineyard
Artist Shirley Familian Has First Solo Exhibition At 93
Shirley Familian
(see ‘FAMILIAN,’ page 18)
Hubbard Conviction Reversed, Dismissed Breaking News
CENTENNIAL STORIES—Throughout 2014, in honor of Beverly Hills’ centennial celebration, The Courier will be publishing historic photographs and documents. Bring by your scrapbooks or email images to lcoleman@bhcourier.com. Above is Hawthorne’s first grade class in 1934. The original Beverly Hills school will celebrate it’s own 100-year anniversary later this year. In anticipation of that, the school is looking to connect with students who attended Hawthorne as well as staff members who have worked there through the years to include them in celebratory events, as well as gather stories. The Courier is offering a chocolate prize to anyone who can identify the students in the pictures above.
The California Court of Appeal Thursday reversed the criminal conviction of former Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Jeffrey Hubbard for violation of California law dealing with improper payment of public funds. He had been convicted by a jury on two of three counts in Los Angeles Superior Court for payments to Karen Christianson for automobile expenses and a stipend. In a matter dealing with statutory interpretation, the court held that Hubbard was not a “person charged with “the receipt . . . or disbursement of public monies” and thus could not be held criminally liable for the payments to Christianson. In its unpublished opinion, the Court of Appeal ordered the charges against Hubbard dismissed.