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NUMBER 13
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Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance Returns June 16 26th annual event to celebrate 100 years of Bentley
Kristina, a toy poodle, is this issue’s Adoptable Pet of the Week. 4
The City of Beverly Hills handed out its first-ever Kindness Award. 5
Pictured: a 1928 Bentley 3/8 Liter Racer
Renée Taylor returns to Beverly Hills with her acclaimed one-woman show. 10
The former City Manager’s house on La Peer Drive has once again hit the market. 11 • Sports • Birthdays • Letters to the Editor
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The Question Surfaces About What Columbia University Trustees Will Do With The Horrific Embarrassment Of It’s Pulitzer Prize Awards To The Washington Post And New York Times Of Its Falsehoods About The Oval Office’s Collusion With Russia.
• Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
by the elegance and excellence that surrounds you on Rodeo Drive,” said Bruce Meyer, chairman of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance. “We are proud to celebrate the history and craftsmanship of Bentley on its 100th anniversary. As one of the world’s most respected luxury and performance brands, there is a natural link between Bentley and the iconic Rodeo Drive.” Aside from Bentley, the 300 and 400 blocks of Rodeo Drive will host curated classes of American muscle cars, race cars, European classics and modern luxury and exotic vehicles. Entries are now being accepted for show cars, including for the flagship class celebrating Bentley. Those interested in submitting a vehicle for entry are asked to visit http://rodeodrive-bh.com/26thannual-rodeo-drive-concours-delegance-application-2019-2/.
City Seeks Community Input On Upcoming Labor Talks
George Christy, Page 6
CLASSIFIEDS
By Matt Lopez The Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance will return to Beverly Hills on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, to celebrate 100 years of legendary British marque Bentley. The 26th annual event has become one of the most eagerlyanticipated annual classic car events in California. Bentley, this year’s featured headliner, will see its class line the entire 200 block of Rodeo Drive, featuring some of the rarest and most historic Bentley’s in existence, alongside some of the brand’s latest creations. Bentley is world-renowned as one of the foremost builders of luxury grand-tourers and SUV’s, with a tradition of dominance in racing (including six victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and a long history of revolutionary design and engineering achievements. “Bentley [is] a marque defined
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By Victoria Talbot To provide greater transparency in labor negotiations, the City of Beverly Hills is holding a community meeting in advance of the process, which will begin in early May. The community meeting will be in the Municipal Gallery at City Hall on April 11 at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will be provided an overview of the labor relations process, information on employee compensation and benefits and a brief discussion on the current
state of the City’s finances. There will also be an opportunity for community input at the Beverly Hills City Council meeting on April 16 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The outreach is part of the Civic Openness in Negotiations Ordinance, or “COIN,” an ordinance adopted in 2014. COIN provides additional impartiality and transparency to the collective bargaining process. From the negotiating process, (see ‘LABOR NEGOTATIONS’ page 17)
SINCE 1965
April 5, 2019
No Timeline, Plan For Metro Noise Issues At La Cienega By Victoria Talbot Several residents and the owner of the 10-story medical office building at 8500 Wilshire Blvd. attended the regular Metro Purple Line Extension meeting Wednesday at City Hall to register their complaints regarding noise from the project’s ventilation system, which operates 24/7 for the duration of the construction, estimated to conclude in 2022. Contact logs to the City of Beverly Hills show that all but one unresolved complaint since July 14, 2017 have been regarding noise. Located on the southwest corner of the La Cienega stating yard, the ventilation system is required to provide clean air for workers deep underground.
According to City staff, complaints have been received from three separate residents and five businesses. As per the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), monitoring devices have been placed nearest the residential property at 112 N. Hamilton, which is 380 feet from 8500 Wilshire Blvd. The fans run at full capacity during active work hours, from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m., and power down a bit through the night, which can change as work progresses. The ambient noise threshold set for the MOA is established between 63.5 – 68 dBA. The independent compliance monitor has confirmed noise readings are not in exceedance (see ‘METRO NOISE’ page 15)
Fiber To The Premises, Over Budget And Late, Continued By City Council By Victoria Talbot An incredibly ambitious project that has wide-reaching implications for Beverly Hills’ future, the Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) project, is about 20 percent over budget and nine months behind schedule. The project, first introduced by former Mayor Nancy Krasne, would deliver broadband internet to residents and businesses throughout the City at speeds not currently available through the cable providers, and at a fraction of the cost. Mayor John Mirisch has expressed his hopes that this feature could be attractive to tech companies in a bid to revitalize the Southeast portion of the City.
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On Tuesday, a disappointed City Council approved a “restart” of the project, following the work stoppage by the primary contractor, Henkels & McCoy (H&M), last year because of delays due to issues surrounding Southern California Edison’s (SCE) pole attachment permitting process. Underground construction in the Trousdale area to the eastern City limits is complete. H&M had anticipated the aerial construction (stringing the fiber to existing SCE poles) portion would begin in May 2018. However, the number of permit denials due to deteriorated and pole-loading failures significantly changed the (see ‘FIBER INTERNET’ page 17)
WHO WILL SHE BE? — We are convinced that Bankrupt and Dead, the book that has been privately published, is begging to be made into a film with an Oscar-worthy role for an actress to portray the beauty salon operator, Wilma Bailey of Detroit, during the Civil Rights riots of 1963. The narrative and pacing are hotto-trot providing a mirror of Civil Rights Detroit during that terrifying era. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.