BHCourier E-edition 031017

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Don’t Forget To Set Your Clocks And ‘Spring Forward’ Saturday Night!

BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 10

THIS ISSUE CIF Champions!

The Beverly Hills High girls basketball team captured its first-ever CIF Southern Section championship last Saturday in a victory over Knight High (Palmdale). 20

The Beverly Hills Police, business leaders and community members convened Wednesday for “Coffee With A Cop”. 2

$135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY

www.bhcourier.com

SINCE 1965

By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills election watchers went to bed Tuesday reasonably assured that the top votegetters included incumbents Mayor John Mirisch first, ViceMayor Nancy Krasne second and newcomer Lester Friedman third. But they awoke on Wednesday morning to a stunningly close election that separates the top vote-getters by one vote for second-place Krasne and third-place Friedman, and five votes for Friedman and fourthplace Wunderlich. "A big, big thank you to our residents. I'm both thrilled and honored to have their continued support to serve on the City Council,” Mirisch told The Courier. “I'm looking forward to working with the new Council to continue making sure that City Hall puts the residents first. We

Current Election Results John Mirisch Nancy Krasne Les Friedman Robert Wunderlich Eliot Finkel Vera Markowitz Frances Bilak Jim Wayne

1,478 1,286 1,285 1,281 1,090 773 703 164

100% of precincts reporting, however many vote-by-mail and provisional ballots are still uncounted.

need a renewed focus on fiscal responsibility and solving the looming pension crisis, which is threatening all cities in our state. We need to continue using technology to improve the lives of our residents. Beverly Hills is a very special place and I look forward to doing whatever I can to

make sure it stays that way, both for ourselves and future generations, and to our setting examples for both good government and quality-of-life." Krasne told the Courier: “I’m proud of my campaign. It was clean, I discussed the issues and the merits of what my vision for the future of our city is. I will never deface the property of others because by demeaning others it demeans me. I have a full time job, in addition to my city job, so whatever the outcome is, I will live with the results. I will not cheat or play games to win. I will not let others do mean things to prop me up and I will not shine a spotlight on me for my ego.’ Just like others, I am another City Employee, here to do a job.” Only 1,915 ballots were cast at the polls by the City’s 21,238 registered voters Tuesday, in an

•Health & Wellness •Fashion •Letters to the Editor

10 14 31

George Christy, Page 6 Meryl Streep’s Brouhaha With Paris Couturier Karl Lagerfeld About Her Chanel Gown For The Oscars. There Were Harsh Words Between Them

CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More

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election so close it may take until Mar. 31 to determine the results. The turnout represents less than 9.02 percent of registered

See page 16 for election day photos around Beverly Hills

voters in Beverly Hills, but does not include provisional ballots and vote-by-mail ballots that were not received by Mar. 7, Election Day. That number will not be available until Friday, March 10, after the Courier’s deadline. In a press release from Los Angeles County RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk Dean (see ‘ELECTION’ page 17)

Beverly Hills Students Receive Stark Lesson Not To Drink And Drive

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum held its ‘What You Do Matters’ Gala dinner. 4

After rockin’ the Saban last week, George Benson was paid a visit by singer Freda Payne. 21

March 10, 2017

Mirisch In First – Krasne Second, Narrowly Ahead Of Friedman, Wunderlich In Tight City Council Election Race

Many parents and teachers rallied outside the Beverly Hills Unified School District office on Tuesday morning as the Board of Education discussed the future of Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Tedford.

New Superintendent Bregy Tries To Edge Out Veteran Academic Administrator By Laura Coleman Little more than a month after stepping into his role as superintendent of Beverly Hills Unified School District, Michael Bregy has already become mired in controversy. Almost immediately after he sought to remove Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Tedford from his “cabinet” – Bregy’s term for his administrative support team – hundreds in the school community voiced their opposition to her leaving the role. Tedford, who has held the position for the past six years and is highly regarded for her meticulous research, is the only remaining high-level administrator at the district who has significant institu-

tional knowledge. During her tenure in the district office, every single administrator, principal and assistant principal (with the exception of El Rodeo AP Kevin Painter) has changed. “This was Dr. Bregy's decision,” confirmed Board of Education President Mel Spitz. Bregy immediately refused to comment on his decision after it became known that on March 1 he had offered Tedford a choice: resign or be released to a nonadministrative assignment. Tedford declined to make that choice, subsequently prompting Bregy to take the matter to the Board of Education. (see ‘JENNIFER TEDFORD’ page 21)

By Laura Coleman Beverly Hills High School students got a stark dose of reality at this week’s Every 15 Minutes program when they learned how quickly life can change–or end–in just an instant. Now in its fifth iteration at the high school, the bi-annual program personalizes the effects of drinking under the influence to help students understand just how powerful the effects of their choices can be. “This is a perfect vehicle to show students the consequences of their actions,” said Karen Setian, whose son Vahagn was killed eight years ago by a drunk driver while he

was still just a BHHS student. The two-day program for BHHS juniors and seniors–part of the national program Every 15 Minutes–is incredibly powerful. It began Monday morning just outside the campus, where students gathered for the unveiling of a horrific scene: their friends and classmates covered in blood, victims of a drunk driving accident. Although the scene was fictional, the audience witnessed exactly what would have happened if such an accident had actually occurred. Beverly Hills police and fire immediately rushed to the scene; arrests were made; and (see ‘EVERY 15 MINUTES’ page 13)

PARTY PEOPLE — Canadian billionaire Peter Nygard flew his 727 aircraft to the 27th annual Night of 100 Stars where he served as a sponsor. He poses here with host Norby Walters, the music maestro, and TV reality star Courtney Stoddard. Glen Lipton

VOLUME: LII

For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.


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