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BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME: LII
NUMBER 8
$135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY
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www.bhcourier.com
SINCE 1965
February 24, 2017
Beverly Hills Annual Rent Increases To Remain At 3 Percent In New Ordinance
Beverly Hills Dog Show Set For Next Weekend At Pomona Fairplex; CHLA Therapy Program Is Charity Partner
THIS ISSUE
City Council candidates debated Wednesday in front of BHHS teens.
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Celebrity chef Cat Cora visited Beverly Vista students this week. 5
Former Planning Commission Chair Craig Corman will be re-joining the Commission. 21 •Health & Wellness •Sports •Letters to the Editor
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By Steve Simmons The Kennel Club of Beverly Hlls and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Dog Therapy Program make a good match Now, CHLA’s Amerman Family Dog Therapy Program will be the charity partner when the club hosts the Beverly Hills Dog Show, March 4-5 at the Fairplex in Pomona. David Frei and John O’Hurley (pictured, The program will receive from left) will host the dog show. $1 from each ticket sold. The Beverly Hills Dog Show is Network at 8 p.m. April 16, and expected to draw more than 1,000 feature a segment on CHLA’s prodogs from more than 200 eligible gram. Show events will be hosted breeds. from the Fairplex by breeder-ownThe competition, presented by Purina, will be taped to be broad- er-handler-judge and author David (see ‘DOG SHOW’ page 34) cast in a two-hour show on USA
Beth Jacob To Honor Beverly Hills Residents Debbie, Steve Shrier At Annual Gala George Christy, Page 6 Broadway Is Attracting Major Hollywood Talents Who Wish There Were More Rewarding Roles In Films For Them. The Stars Include Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Jake Gyllenhaal and Sally Field
CLASSIFIEDS
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By Laura Coleman For longtime Beverly Hills residents Debbie and Steve Shrier, there is no greater gift than family and a strong community. To that end, the two have devoted much of their lives to strengthening community at Beth Jacob Congregation. Next Sunday, March 5, the couple will be honored with the Beth Jacob Tiferet Award at this year’s Beth Jacob gala. Beth Jacob members since 1975, the couple
said Judaism and their temple have been integral to their happiness. “Really, the core of our existence is Debbie and Steve being obser- Shrier vant Jews,” said Debbie. “When (see ‘BETH JACOB’ page 34)
Public comment on the matter lasted nearly three hours, with dozens of renters and landlords each coming up (see ‘RENTERS’ page 21)
Rent Control Ordinance Changes Explained By Victoria Talbot The 30-day Urgency Ordinance passed on Jan. 24 by the Beverly Hills City Council ended 10 percent increases and placed a 3 percent cap on increases annually, created a relocation fee for no-cause evictions commensurate with Santa Monica’s fees and created a rental-housing registry to maintain a database on rents, rent increases, buildings and inventory. But last Friday, many
(see ‘RELOCATION FEES’ page 21)
Beverly Hills Strengthens Open-Air Dining Smoking Ban By Matt Lopez Life just got a little more difficult for smokers in Beverly Hills. The City Council on Tuesday passed a provision that furthers restrictions on smoking near open air dining areas and prohibits smoking in the public right of way – which includes alleys and sidewalks. The new regulations extend what was previously a 5-foot smoking prohibition from open air dining to 20 feet. “That puts people out in
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
HEADING TO THE SEMIFINALS — The Beverly Hills High School girls basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 4A playoffs Wednesday with a 44-41 win over Pioneer. BHHS will play Saturday at 7 p.m. in the semifinals against Foothill Tech. Pictured, back row, from left: Aurbrey Gillis, Krystal Brown, Sophia Adhoot, Head Coach John Braddell, Coach John Hydel, Taylor Asla, Julianne Aruallo and Cheyanne Aruallo. Front row, from left: Isabel Rund, Megan Saghian, Dominique Petrie, Emma Duchemin, Sherin Ebrahimi and Chantal Moawad. Not pictured: Sophia Goldberg and Amanda Lee. See page 20 for more on the team’s playoff run.
By Matt Lopez Ten percent rent increases are gone for the forseeable future in Beverly Hills after the City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance to drop annual rent increases from 10 percent to 3. During a marathon meeting that lasted more than seven hours, the City Council extended an ordinance that protects renters in Beverly Hills from 10 percent annual increases, establishes relocation fees in the case of no-cause evictions and creates a rental registry database. Landlords can now only raise rents 3 percent annually, as opposed to 10 percent in the past. The ordinance is seen as an interim solution while a more complete framework for an updated rent stabilization program can be completed.
the street,” Nespresso’s Jeffrey Evans argued. “You’re telling people they’re going to get run over by a car if they’re going to smoke in Beverly Hills.” Evans was one of dozens of business owners in the City who spoke up at Tuesday’s meeting to protest increased restrictions. Other businesses who publicly opposed a smoking ban included owners, general managers or representatives from: Geary’s, Mercedes Benz of Beverly Hills, Spago, (see ‘SMOKING’ page 34)
E A S Y O N T H E EYES — Troian Bellisario, Lily Collins and Mandy Moore attended the 19th CDGA Costume Designers Guild Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. Others included Lily Tomlin, Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda and Kathryn Hahn. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.