Happy Memorial Day To Our Veterans and Those Serving The U.S.
BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME XXXXVIII NUMBER 21 $135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY •
www.bhcourier.com
SINCE 1965
THIS ISSUE
Beverly Hills Mulls Study Of Public vs. Private Sector Pay By Matt Lopez The City of Beverly Hills may soon find out how its employees salaries compare to similar positions in the private sector. During a presentation of his Citizens Budget Review
El Rodeo School hosts its spring musical, Bye Bye Birdie. 4
FUTURE LEADERS—City Hall hosted “Youth in Government” day Wednesday, where BHUSD students got to act as City elected officials and employees for one day. Various workshop activities were held, as well as a mock council meeting in the council chambers. Pictured (back row, from left): Justine Elitzur (HM), Matisse Love (HM), Ashley Rahmani (HAW), Blake Sloane (BV), Matan Laredo (ER), Brandon Masjedian (HAW), Gabe Goldstein (HM), Benjamin Heller (ER), Julian Saadeh (BV), Sarah Rudolph (HM). Front row (from left): Lucy Gallop (ER), Joanie Mozer (HAW), Kenneth Cho (ER), Katherine Hertz (BV), Abbey Whelan (BV) and Nicole Melamed (HAW). 4
Academic Decathlon team celebrated by Board of Education. 5
Dr. Fran talks about dealing with toddlers that hide things. 12 •Fashion 8 •Health & Wellness 13 •Birthdays 20
A “Thunderclap” of a Surprise Was the Birthday Cake Designed as a Portable Typewriter, Created By Hostess Lilly Lawrence to Honor a Friend’s Lifetime Writing Career at Taverna Tony. Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE • • • • •
Announcements Real Estate Rentals Sales and More
(see ‘TRACK’ page 9)
School Board Avoids Class Cuts At Budget Meeting
Mike Antonovich
(see ‘ANTONOVICH’ page 18)
25
By Matt Lopez Although the decisions had been looming for months, that didn’t make Tuesday’s priority-budgeting study session any easier. In the face of uncertainty
JUSTICE FOR AKBAR Nasrin Mohammadi’s Quest To Bring Down The Islamic Regime By Matt Lopez Nasrin Mohammadi still remembers the pain that struck her when she learned her older brother Akbar had been killed by the
SEGAL—BHHS distance runner shows off her CIF championship last Saturday at Mt. SAC. Photo By Simon Langer BANANAS IN BEVERLY HILLS—The famous Bluth family frozen banana stand from hit show Arrested Development came to the Paley Center in Beverly Hills Wednesday to promote the show, which returns exclusively on Netflix on May 26. Pictured (from left): Show producer Brian Grazer and show creator Mitch Hurwitz.Photo By GETTY IMAGES/Araya Diaz
MOHAMMADI—Los Angeles resident Nasrin Mohammadi has support of several Iranian leaders in Beverly Hills in her quest to hold the Islamic regime and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accountable for what she calls their “crimes against humanity.” Courier Photo By Matt Lopez
George Christy, Page 6
CLASSIFIEDS
By Matt Lopez Make room for two more CIF Championships in the Beverly Hills High School trophy case. BHHS track standouts Sydney Segal and Alex Rohani captured a pair of CIF Division III Championships at Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Finals at
Antonovich Briefs Rotary On L.A. County Budget Discipline By Bill Arp Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich gave the Beverly Hills Rotary Club a lesson in responsible government management this past Monday at its regular noon meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Antonovich, the Fifth District supervisor and current chair of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, told how the Board of Supervisors unanimously has held the line on spending, reduced the County’s budget, resisted public union calls for higher pay and pensions, funded
(see ‘SALARIES’ page 18)
Updated from www.bhcourier.com.
ON YOUR HORSE—At last weekend’s Beverly Hills ARTshow, the Beverly Hills Police unveiled its new Equestrian Honor Guard Detail. The Mounted Unit was formed in anticipation of the City’s Centennial celebration. Pictured left (from left): Capt. Mark Rosen riding Jack and Sgt. Liz Albanese riding Copper on Rodeo Drive.
Sitcom legend Norman Lear honored at Playboy Mansion. 5
Committee at its first budget study session, City Treasurer Eliot Finkel recommended a study comparing Beverly Hills employees to local area private sector employees. Finkel noted that it may es-
Segal, Rohani Capture CIF Track Championships
from Sacramento, the Beverly Hills Board of Education is faced with a series of cuts needed to help stabilize the district’s finances. The school board took a (see ‘BUDGET’ page 11)
A BRAVO NIGHT AT THE L.A. OPERA —If you haven’t been to the opera, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and baritone Lado Ataneli, at left, are not to be missed in their performances in Puccini’s Tosca.
ruling elite of Iran. “Everything got dark and I was screaming ‘no, no, no!’,” Mohammadi recalls. “But my mother said,
Placido Domingo conducted the premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
(see ‘MOHAMMADI’ page 18) Photo By Steve Cohn
Tostan’s Molly Melching talks about empowering women in Africa.
May 24, 2013
Gorgeously performed, Tosca’s lust and revenge are captured by director John Caird in grand style. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.