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BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 12
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www.bhcourier.com HOMELESS NO MORE— Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women & Children hosted its annual gala, “Homeless... No More” Wednesday at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles. The gala honored Kathleen Leavey Kostlan & The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation. All proceeds went to benefit the women and children who stay at GSC, and those who receive services through Good Shepherd’s outreach and drop-in programs. For more information on GSC and the life-changing work it does, visit www.gschomeless.org. Pictured, left: Archbishop José H. Gomez, Sister Anne Tran and honoree Kathleen Leavey Kostlan. For more photos from Wednesday’s gala, see page 11.
THIS ISSUE
Beloved longtime El Rodeo principal Steve Fisher died this week. 4
The Kronish House won the L.A. Conservancy’s Preservation Award. 10
Making Easter brunch plans? Find out where to go in Beverly Hills with our Easter guide on page 5. •Sports •Birthdays •Letters to the Editor
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David Hyde Pierce, With His Suave Style, Emceed The 24th Annual (And Final) A Night At Sardi’s, Launched BY Laurie Burrows Grad And Brother James Burrow, At The Beverly Hilton
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March 18, 2016
Mirisch Installed As Mayor, Calls Beverly Hills ‘Home’ By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills’ new Mayor John Mirisch delivered a speech that was inspirational and evocative, calling to mind images of his childhood growing up in the City and of the future, with a Municipal Autonomous Shuttle System to ferry Metro riders in unmanned vehicles. The annual installation at the Academy Theater of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Councilmember Julian Gold for his service as Mayor for the past year and installed John Mirisch as the new mayor
of Beverly Hills. Nancy Krasne was installed as vice mayor. The council also recognized Councilmember Willie Brien, who is leaving the City for a job in Texas. Mirisch pledged a more open, transparent and responsive government, explaining that when he was Mayor three years ago, he insisted on the retention of emails through which The Courier has uncovered the events that led to the cutting down of 196 trees on toxic soil on Parcels 12 & 13. “I believe the buck (see ‘MIRISCH’ page 11)
Federal Judge Wu To Rule Monday On Challenge To Metro By Laura Coleman Yesterday morning, Federal Judge George H. Wu agreed to a ten-day-continuance for Monday’s scheduled hearing as he prepares to rule regarding the fate of Beverly Hills students. “The district is cautiously optimistic,” Board of Education President Howard Goldstein informed the Courier. Judge Wu characterized his 216-page tentative ruling, filed last month in Federal District Court, as a “victory” for Beverly Hills. Judge Wu is now slated to resume hearing arguments on March 31 before making his ruling. Wu has already agreed to multiple truths presented by the City of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills
Unified School District that demonstrate why the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) needs to recirculate its approval of the Westside Subway Extension Project. While listening to oral arguments on Feb. 3, Judge Wu declared that the FTA “acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner” and failed to meet standards defined in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it approved Metro’s plan to run a subway tunnel under Beverly Hills High School as part of Metro’s Purple Line extension project. The upcoming hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 10. (see ‘METRO’ page 18)
Beverly Hills Elder: Terri Frank – 54 Years In Beverly Hills Part 69 in a series on Beverly Hills residents who have grown with the Centennial City
George Christy, Page 6
SINCE 1965
By Laura Coleman If walls could talk, Terri Frank’s Beverly Hills home would surely impart quite the tale. Originally built in 1927, Terri insists that her Beverly Hills home has been trying to communicate since she and her family moved in 54 years ago. “We have had quite a few visitations and noises,” she said. “People would leave their parties after pictures would fall, clocks would go around, and many, many visuals.” Terri and her husband Dr. Alfred L. Frank originally moved into
Terri Frank
City with their four young boys (their fifth son was born here) in order to be close to the schools. In (see ‘TERRI FRANK’ page 19)
TAKING THE OATH– Pictured: John Mirisch, standing with son Vincent (far right), was sworn in for a second term as mayor by Pete Peterson, Pepperdine University’s executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership, and a 2014 candidate for California’s secretary of state. Photo by Victoria Talbot
Rec & Parks Commission Sets Dog Park Funding Recommendations By Victoria Talbot With an initial kick-off from Councilmember Lili & Jon Bosse’s generous donation of $100,000, the Beverly Hills dog park fundraising campaign has begun. The City Council budgeted $600,000 for the project, which provided enough money for the complete and safe re-
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
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mediation of arsenic known to be at the site, and to provide for drainage and irrigation at the park. But the rest of the park’s funding is going to come from private sources, as a public-private partnership. Initially set to begin a formal launch at a booth at (see ‘DOG PARK’ page 18)
THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY — Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher attended the premiere of The Brothers Grimsby, starring Sacha. The Columbia Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ film screened for a full house at the Regency Village Theatre. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.