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BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME: LII
NUMBER 12
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www.bhcourier.com
SINCE 1965
March 24, 2017
Mirisch, Friedman, Wunderlich Elected; Bosse To Become Mayor
L.A. MARATHON— Thousands of runners in last Sunday’s 32nd annual L.A. Marathon pounded the pavement through the streets of Beverly Hills. Elisha Barno was the men's winner and fellow Kenyan Hellen Jepkurgat was the women's winner. The marathon drew nearly 20,000 entrants from all 50 states and a race-record 63 nations, according to organizers. Pictured above: runners turn onto Rodeo Drive from South Santa Monica Boulevard.
City Officials Attempt To Fine Tune Joint Powers Agreement
Shepherd-mix puppy Cherokee is this week’s Adoptable Pet.
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Haim Saban was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 5
New councilmember Les Friedman talks life as UCLA basketball scorer. 22 •Health & Wellness •Birthdays •Letters to the Editor
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George Christy, Page 6 Bette Midler’s Hello, Dolly Is Broadway’s Hot Ticket With Previewers, And Opens April 20 At The Shubert Theater ... Wine Czar Steve Wallace Reveals His Mom Evelyn’s Secret For A Long Life
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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By Laura Coleman “Is anyone from the school side coming?” Councilman Julian Gold inquired to kick-off Wednesday’s Beverly Hills City Council Liaison/BHUSD Committee meeting to review the draft provisions for the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). Indeed, with the exception of former Board of Education member AJ Willmer, who was appointed to the board in 1991, no one was on hand to advocate for BHUSD’s interests. In fact, no one from the school district had been invited to the agendized public meeting convened specifically to review the $9.7 million annual JPA agreement which provides the community with access to the school district’s fields and facilities, confirmed BHUSD officials. “I wanted to have this liaison
before going to the schools,” Mayor John Mirisch said. Board President Mel Spitz said it was typical protocol and was unconcerned that he wasn’t there. The current JPA agreement is set to expire at the end of June. It represents a one-year extension that was tacked onto the current four-year agreement that was entered into on Jan. 12, 2012 and started on July 1, 2012. When the extension was entered into last June, school and City leaders pledged to work out a new JPA agreement by the end of 2016, which clearly did not happen. In preparation for a subsequent meeting on the JPA, where school district officials will be in attendance, City staff discussed myriad logistics surrounding security, access, and maintenence of (see ‘BHUSD JPA’ page 18)
The decision to lay off 24 teachers was based on seniority, given that they were the district’s most recent hires. The break-down of teachers who received pink slips is: eight at El Rodeo; eight at Horace Mann; four at Beverly Vista; two at Hawthorne; and two at BHHS. Nine of the teachers issued pink slips had tenure. BHUSD Chief Administrative Officer LaTanya Kirk-Carter Latham underscored that in the absence of an influx of funding–such as more money from the Joint Powers Agreement or donations from the community–the district will need to cut even more teachers in the future if it wants to avoid being taken over by the state.
WHAT: Installation of the new Beverly Hills City Council. WHERE: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Blvd. WHEN: Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m.
(16.23 percent); Robert Wunderlich with 1,948 votes (16.08 percent); Nancy Krasne with 1,930 votes (15.93 percent), Eliot Finkel with 1,652 votes (13.64 percent); Vera Markowitz with 1,147 votes (9.47 percent), Frances Bilak with 1,078 votes (8.90 percent); and Jim Wayne with 238 (see ‘CITY COUNCIL’ page 15)
Inside the mind of one of Beverly Hills’ new City Councilmembers By Victoria Talbot Next week, the City will welcome two new members of the City Council. Relatively unknown outside their social circles, the two will become familiar faces soon enough. The Courier spoke with new City Councilmember Robert Wunderlich about embarking on his new career in politics. Wunderlich is a very confident man. Trim and self-contained, he is detail-oriented Join Les Friedman, the City’s other new Councilmember, on the road to the Final Four as official scorer for UCLA’s men’s basketball team. See Sports on page 22.
Petition To Maintain Teachers Gains Traction Despite Budget By Laura Coleman Following last week’s emotional Board of Education meeting where 140 people packed the STC/Jon Cherney Lecture Hall at Beverly Hills High School to advocate on behalf of 24 teachers issued pink slips as a result of the district’s budget crisis, the parent community launched a change.org petition asking board members and Superintendent Michael Bregy to cancel the terminations. As of press time, the petition had 344 signatures. “If the Board and Dr. Bregy are not persuaded to reconsider their decision, the termination of these amazing teachers will have a devastating impact on the quality of our schools,” the petition states.
CITY COUNCIL INSTALLATION
Being Robert Wunderlich
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
THIS ISSUE
By Victoria Talbot Lili Bosse will again take the reins as mayor of Beverly Hills when the City Council assembles Tuesday evening for the traditional installation ceremony at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She will be seated with two newcomers to the council; Lester Friedman and Robert Wunderlich. Former planning commissioner Howard Fisher will also be installed as City Treasurer. The event is open to the public and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The final vote tally was John Mirisch with 2,154 votes (17.78 percent); Lester Friedman with 1,966 votes
Robert Wunderlich
but not fastidious. He is moderate and temperate, not given to excess talk. However, when he is excited about a topic, he can be eloquent and enthusiastic. Wunderlich has a truly impressive resume. Beginning (see ‘WUNDERLICH’ page 15)
CHIPS AHOY! — Dax Shepard and Michael Pena along with Kaitlin Olson attended the Los Angeles premiere of CHiPs presented by Warner Bros. Pictures at TCL Chinese Theatre. In the crowd was Dax’s wife Kristen Bell. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.