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BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME: LV
NUMBER 16
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Beverly Hills police had a busy week responding to a call of a stolen vehicle. 4
The BHUSD showcased many talented young artists at its annual Art Show. 5
The complicated Warbler Way/Trousdale Estates project comes to the Planning Commission and City Council next week. 10 •Health & Wellness •Arts & Entertainment •Birthdays •Letters to the Editor
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For Years Shanghai’s Fame Flourished On Its Decadence. Opium, Brothels, Whatever Was Imaginable. Or Unimaginable. Today, Shanghai’s A City Of Modernity And Futurism That Visitors Love To Flock To.
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
INDEPENDENCE DAY – Mayor John Mirisch and City Council members met at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Beverly Drive Wednesday to commemorate Beverly Hills’ independence from the City of Los Angeles. The sculpture Celluloid by Merrell Gage (1959) is the iconic monument dedicated to members of the film community who worked tirelessly to preserve the City of Beverly Hills as a separate entity amidst mounting pressures from the City of Los Angeles and the new water district. Depicted are those heroes of the early days – Tom Mix, Harold Lloyd, Fred Niblo, Rudolf Valentino, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Pictured, from left: Councilmember Julian Gold, Mayor John Mirisch, Vice Mayor Lester Friedman and Coucilmember Bob Wunderlich.
BOLD Finds Perfect Dance Partner With LVMH Exhibition By Victoria Talbot Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) is one of the most influential property owners in Beverly Hills and, it turns out, could prove to be one of the most exciting, with plans to con- Pictured: the former Brooks Brothers building on vert the former Rodeo Drive. Brooks Brothers ment, but judging from similar building (468 N. Rodeo Drive) into installations throughout the world, a temporary pop-up art installation the exhibition will be art and much to coincide with Summer BOLD more. festivities. Details are still in develop(see ‘LVMH ART EXHIBITION’ page 9)
BHUSD Gets Positive Marks On Latest Measure E Audit
George Christy, Page 6
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April 26, 2019
Outside Audit Of 2018 Greystone Concours Shows Significant Deficiencies
THIS ISSUE
John Carroll of Carroll & Co. is opening Carroll Custom. 4
SINCE 1965
By Matt Lopez After a somewhat rocky couple of years of audit reports, the Beverly Hills Unified School District received a little more positive news Tuesday in its latest Measure E performance audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018. The annual audit, performed by accounting firm Moss Adams, focuses on Measure E, which was passed by Beverly Hills voters in 2008 and calls for $334 million in general obligation bonds to be issued to cover seismic and class-
room repairs and other infrastructure upgrades in the district. The audit found that of the 20 recommendations made in last year’s audit, eight have been completed and the district is currently “taking steps to address” 11 others. The other recommendation is an ongoing observation regarding district legal fees. The audit found a slew of “good management practices” from the district, including using other revenue sources to maximize (see ‘MEASURE E AUDIT’ page 9)
By Victoria Talbot An audit of the 2018 Doheny Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance provided some disturbing reading this week. At the request of City management, as part of a general audit of financial statements for the City year ending June 30, 2018, Crowe LLP conducted a separate review of the 2018 Greystone Concours. The event was the eighth annual Concours, co-sponsored by the City of Beverly Hills and the Friends of Greystone (FOG), a 501(c)(3) tasked with preserving and restoring the Doheny Greystone Mansion. The event was held to raise funds for FOG. The Concours featured over 150 exotic and classic cars and motorcycles compet-
ing for various awards while guests who purchased tickets freely strolled the grounds and engaged with several vendors. The audit cited five control deficiencies, which “exist when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect and correct misstatements on a timely basis,” read the report. The first control deficiency in the report was a lack of agreement between FOG and the City about roles and responsibilities in executing the event. Crowe recommends that the City establish written agreements with key parties when co-sponsoring community events, including “defining (see ‘CONCOURS AUDIT’ page 11)
LACOE Letter To BHUSD Warns Of Potential Financial Trouble Ahead By Matt Lopez The Beverly Hills Unified School District will have some tough financial decisions to make in the near future, according to a letter received last week by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). LACOE’s letter, dated April 15, was in response to the district submitting the Second Interim Report of its financial picture. LACOE sends such letters to all school districts it supervises. LACOE was able to give the district a positive certification, but saw signs of
potential troubles ahead. According to district projections, LACOE found that Unrestricted General Fund reserves will be depleted by 2020-21. “We remain concerned that the projected trend of deficit spending will impact the district’s ability to maintain solvency of the Unrestricted General Fund and meet the minimum required Reserve For Economic Uncertainties (REUs) in future years,” the letter read. Reserves are projected to (see ‘LACOE LETTER’ page 13)
C H E R R Y B L O S S O M TIME — After touring China, producer Brad Krevoy and family took off for Tokyo to dine and wine, and enjoy the seasonal cherry blossoms, which, for the Japanese, symbolize crowds of clouds. Also offering an enduring memory of the quicksilver nature of life. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.