Happy Pride Weekend!
BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 23
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BEVERLY GARDENS PARK – Beverly Hills celebrated the completion of the renovation of the iconic 1.9-mile Beverly Gardens Park with a rededication ceremony last Thursday, and the unveiling of a plaque to honor the many people who contributed time and money to the project. The renovation was the brainchild of resident philanthropist Steve Gordon, founder of the Friends of Beverly Gardens Park, who raised over $4 million toward the restoration. The results include a fully-functional and renovated Electric Fountain and Doheny Fountain at both the east and west entrances to the City; the restored Cactus Garden; and the famous Lily Pond and Beverly Hills sign. The City of Beverly Hills contributed $7.9 million. The total cost of restoration was $12,021,783. Pictured, from left: Gordon, councilmember Lili Bosse, Mayor John Mirisch and Vice Mayor Les Friedman.
THIS ISSUE
The City paid tribute to outgoing City Manager Mahdi Aluzri for his 25 years of service. 4
Residents believe the developer of a Benedict Canyon hotel is misleading them with brochures. 15 •Arts & Entertainment •Health & Wellness •Birthdays
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Beverly Hills Police Seek Help In ID’ing Robbery Suspects By Matt Lopez The Beverly Hills Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying four suspects in a Wilshire Boulevard robbery that occurred in April. The incident occurred on April 23 in the 9800-block of Wilshire Boulevard, when a man – unbeknownst to him – was followed into the building by three African American men. Once inside, one of the men brandished a gun and demanded property from the victim, who was eventually able to distract the suspects and get away on foot without surrendering any of his belongings. The suspects are described as three African American men,
between the ages of 2030-yearsold with medium builds. O n e suspect wore a black t-shirt and shorts with a pink and white design, a red Raiders One suspect wore a b a s e b a l l camouflage sweatcap, black suit. socks and white Gucci sandals. He had a (see ‘ROBBERY SUSPECTS’ page 10)
The Bidding For The Rights Of Quentin Tarantino's Ninth Film Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood Attracted Every Major Studio, As Well As The Minors. Quentin’s Demands Were Extraordinary.
CLASSIFIEDS
By Victoria Talbot The City of Beverly Hills, in a unanimous vote on Tuesday, approved an ordinance to prohibit the sale of tobacco products in the City beginning in January 2021. Under the ordinance, the City’s three existing cigar lounges, including the Buena Vista Cigar Club, the Grand Havana Room and Nazareth’s, would be exempted, and no new cigar clubs would be granted permits. Hotels will be able to provide cigarettes only for their guests, and only through concierge services, absent any retail product displays, and they are prohibited from selling to non-guests. All other retailers, including two grocery stores, six gas stations, and nine convenience stores or pharmacies, will be prohibited from selling tobacco products Jan. 1, 2021. The City Council will review the ordinance for its effectiveness in three years. “Courts have not yet reviewed citywide bans on tobacco sales, however, so there is still uncertainty as to whether a court would uphold this type of ban if challenged,” said a staff report. “Given that no other city in the United States has adopted a comprehensive ban on all tobacco products, the City is likely to face legal challenges. The City should be willing to appropriately address these challenges, which could include substantial litigation expenses.” The ordinance will contain
The Belvedere will offer a Father’s Day buffet-style feast of brunch favorites, seafood specialties, slow-roasted prime rib, fried chicken and free-flowing Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne. Call 310-975-2736.
George Christy, Page 6
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June 7, 2019
City Council Approves Ordinance Prohibiting Most Tobacco Sales
FATHER’S DAY IN BEVERLY HILLS The Peninsula Beverly Hills
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Montage Beverly Hills The Restaurant offers a brunch buffet featuring traditional favorites and decadent desserts. There will also be family-friendly activities like face painting and mini golf in Beverly Canon Gardens. Brunch is $132 per adult, $69 per child. Call 855-691-1162.
The Beverly Hills Hotel The Polo Lounge offers a special three-course Father’s Day meal with several unique cocktail options, such as The Godfather (scotch and amaretto) or a Hemingway Daiquiri. Main course dinner options include steak and frites, a wagyu beef burger, hand-cut three beef hash and much more. Priced at $105 per person. Call 310-276-2251.
SEE PAGE 13 FOR MORE FUN MOTHER’S DAY SPECIALS
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an additional element for a Hardship Exemption to mitigate challenges brought on by a ban to a business that can demonstrate the extent to which they are affected by the impending ban. Exemption requests will be considered by a hearing officer to determine approval or denial. For business impact mitigation, the Health & Safety Commission recommends counseling through the Small Business Development Center at El Camino College or representatives from SCORE, a resource partner for the Small Business Administration. Beverly Hills was the first city to ban smoking in restaurants, retail stores and all public meetings in 1987. Then, as now, opposition from the business community dominated the discussion. In 2014, mayor Councilmember Lili Bosse launched the “Beverly Hills Healthy City” initiative with her trademark Walk with the Mayor campaign. When the ordinance first came to the City Council, Bosse stated, “Our goal is to be the healthiest City! We are not telling people that they can’t smoke; we are showing that we value the quality of life.” In 2017, the City prohibited smoking traditional tobacco products, vape products and marijuana in the public rightof-way, increased the open-air dining no-smoking buffer zone from five feet to 20 feet, and adopted a new ordinance to (see ‘SMOKING BAN’ page 19)
DYNAMIC DUO — Those with long memories compare the teaming of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood to Robert Redford and Paul Newman in the 1969 American Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.