BHCourier E-edition 041516

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Tax Day This Year Is Monday, April 18!

BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 16

$135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY

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Zoey and her puppies are up for adoption in this week’s Courier. 4

Hail To The Chief Beverly Hills Ushers In New Era Of Policing With Chief Sandra Spagnoli

UCLA celebrated the new Briskin Family Plaza this 5 week.

The Pasadena Showcase House starts its 52nd Year Sunday. 15

Beverly Hills High Track athletes made their college choices last week 17 •Fashion •Real Estate •Letters to the Editor

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George Christy, Page 6 Coming Up On The First Monday In May Is Anna Wintour’s Celebrity-Packed Met Gala Benefiting The Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute

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

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April 15, 2016

Fashion Icon Fred Hayman, ‘Mr. Beverly Hills’, Dead At 90

THIS ISSUE

The Beverly Vista choir had a strong showing at the Heritage Festival. 4

SINCE 1965

NEW CHIEF CONNECTS– At the town hall meeting Wednesday, new Beverly Hills Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli greeted officers and community members. (Left to right) Officer Doug Matteson, Chief Sandra Spagnoli, Officer Anthony Adams and Officer Joel Givens.

By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli has a warm and infectious smile that spreads to her deep blue eyes. She has achieved success in a male-dominated culture with dignity, focus and professionalism. At her swearing in last week, she was joined by supportive colleagues who have worked with her in the past. “I focus on professionalism,” she said. “I have a history of good working relationships with employees and community members.”

A former union president, Spagnoli understands issues with management and labor. “Finding common ground is important.” Following the exit of Chief Dave Snowden, the City’s consultant Management Partners made several recommendations regarding recruitment, succession planning and promotions. Addressing those issues, Spagnoli plans on “fair, consistent policies that are not based on favoritism.” “My focus is on moving forward,” she said. “I want to look at (see ‘SANDRA SPAGNOLI’ page 23)

Beverly Hills Police Talk Rise In Burglaries At Town Hall Meeting By Victoria Talbot Capt. Mark Rosen led a twohour town hall meeting Wednesday to address the rise in residential burglaries throughout the City. "We are living in a safe city, one of the safest cities in the United States," he started, "with response times under three minutes." Rosen was joined by the City's new Chief of Police Sandra Spagnoli. Councilmember Lili Bosse, who asked for this meeting, was also present. Joining her were Vice Mayor Nancy Krasne, Councilman Julian Gold, and City Manager Mahdi Aluzri. The meeting addressed the serious and prevalent issue of residential burglaries, which is defined as breaking and entering for the purpose of theft. Rosen said there was a "spike" in crime, citing 69 events since November. He pointed out that the spike in burglaries is occurring throughout the State of California, especially in more affluent areas, since the passage of AB 109. Assembly Bill 109, California’s Prison Realignment Plan, transfers responsibility for supervising certain kinds of felony offenders and

state prison parolees from state prisons and state parole agents to county jails and probation officers. Realignment came about in early 2011 through enactment of California Assembly Bill 109. AB 109 was created in response to federal mandates to reduce the state's prison population. According to the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, "under Realignment, inmates who are classified as non-serious, nonviolent, and nonsexual offenders are sent to local jails instead of California state prisons or put under community supervision. However, these Post-Release Community Supervision inmates (PRCS) could have prior convictions for murder or sexual offenses as long as their most recent conviction was for a non-serious, nonviolent, and nonsexual crime." Rosen said that crime has spiked in areas such as West Hollywood, Bel Air and Santa Monica, and that there is a "concerted effort to combat the rise in crime." Beverly Hills, he said, " is more successful." He said that several "crews" had recently been apprehended in the City. (see ‘BHPD TOWN HALL’ page 23)

By The Courier Staff Fashion and fragrance pioneer Fred Hayman, who made his Giorgio Beverly Hills fragrance and Rodeo Drive boutique an international crossroads of style and celebrity, died yesterday in his Malibu home after a long illness. He was 90. Known affectionately as the “Godfather of Rodeo Drive,” his multidecade stewardship of the Rodeo Drive Committee transformed the once-sleepy street into one of the world’s most glamorous shopping destinations, and fixed international attention on Los Angeles style.

Fred Hayman

Born in 1925 in the Swiss town of St. Gallen, he emigrated in the early 40s with his family to New York City, where he got a job at 16 years old as an apprentice chef at the Waldorf-Astoria. (see ‘FRED HAYMAN’ page 23)

L’Ermitage Avec Nous Restaurant Closed: No City Permits Since 2012 By Victoria Talbot Avec Nous, the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills’ new French Bistro, must remain closed to the public. Only hotel guests and their party may use the restaurant, said City attorney Larry Weiner Thursday at a meeting of the Planning Commission because the hotel and restaurant have been operating on an expired Conditional Use Permit (CUP). The expired CUP surprised several present at the PC, including councilmember Lili Bosse, who was responsible for sending the proposals back to the Planning Commission when neighboring residents expressed their concerns over noise and other violations. Local Beverly Hills attorney Mitch Dawson, representing Viceroy L’Ermitage was present to ask for approval of a resolution for renewal of the

Alex Berliner/ABImages

VOLUME: LI

Development Plan Review and Conditional Use Permit. If granted, the CUP would have allowed for the continued operation of the L’Ermitage Hotel, restaurant,t rooftop event space and open air dining area, the relocation of the open air dining area and consideration of additional related amendments. But early Thursday morning Commissioner Lori Gordon discovered there was no evidence that the CUP had been renewed since 2009 for three years. Since 2012, the establishment has been working with an expired CUP, said Gohlich, who admitted that he knew the CUP was expired. A renewal application was filed on March 5, 2015. The applicant has been directed to file anew and to close the restaurant to all but hotel guests. SCHOOL DAYS — Wendy Goldberg hosted the 30th anniversary dinner for the California State Summer School for the Arts, with honoree/performer Katherine McPhee at the Fig & Olive; her husband Leonard Goldberg at right. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.


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