BHCourier E-edition 060818

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Thursday Is Flag Day - Don’t Forget To Fly Your Flag!

BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 23

THIS ISSUE

BHHS honored outgoing seniors at the annual Senior Awards. 4

Tiger, a Beagle Bassett mix, is this issue’s Adoptable Pet of the Week. 4

The City has sold the home that two former City Managers lived in. 5

Ace Gallery is next up for demolition as part of Metro’s Purple Line Extension. 5

The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills was honored by the Los Angeles Business Council’s Architectural Awards. 10 •Arts & Entertainment •Sports •Letters to the Editor

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George Christy, Page 6 He Sensed “Something Was Wrong” While Touring Abroad And Rushed To ERs. Tests And Diagnoses Were Futile For Months For Our Marine Corporal Douglas Banker Who Fought In The Frontlines Of The Gulf War.

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

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SINCE 1965

June 8, 2018

Beverly Hills Voters Pass $385 Million Measure BH By Laura Coleman Beverly Hills public school students edged closer to having the opportunity to learn from within seismically safe 21st century instructional environments following the passage of Measure BH in Tuesday’s election. The $385 million Measure BH construction bond will be used as part of a comprehensive building program for Beverly Hills Unified School District students, half of whom are now taught inside temporary portable classrooms. “The essential modernization of our schools will continue uninterrupted, thanks to Beverly Hills residents who had the foresight and good judgment to vote for Measure BH,” said Boardmember Mel Spitz, who

was part of the five-member Board of Education which unanimously voted to put the bond measure on the ballot on Feb. 27. According to the final tally as of yesterday, Measure BH received 59.47 percent of the vote. A total of 2,302 residents voted ‘Yes’ and 1,569 voted ‘No’ on the measure. Measure BH required 55 percent of the electorate in order for it to pass. In 2016, the community narrowly voted against passing the $260 million Measure Y schoolbuilding bond with 63.85 percent of the electorate casting a ‘Yes’ vote for that bond. That measure required a two-thirds vote to pass because only three members of the Board of Education voted to place

Measure Y on the ballot. Both Spitz and Boardmember Isabel Hacker voted against supporting that measure. “I am enormously gratified and thankful to our community that voted to support our students and staff in our quest for safe and secure buildings that will deliver 21st century education. Our children and community deserve no less,” said Board President Lisa Korbatov. Once the bonds are issued for sale, property owners are expected to pay a tax increase of an average of 4.4 cents on $100 of assessed value for up to 25 years, with the amount diminishing markedly in the final decade. The school district is currently in the middle of a massive construction program to renovate

Court Denies Rehearing To Reinstate $23M Verdict Against BHUSD By Laura Coleman Just hours after Beverly Hills approved moving forward with a $385 million school building bond, on Wednesday morning the Beverly Hills Unified School District received more good news when the Second Appellate District Court of Appeal denied Strategic Concepts LLC’s Petition for Rehearing in its case against BHUSD. Wednesday’s court filing comes less than one month after the appellate court’s May 10 ruling

reversing the 2016 trial court decision that found BHUSD to be liable for having fired former facilities chief Karen Christiansen after she used her district role to enter into a sole-source contract with a company she founded, Strategic Concepts. Attorneys for Christiansen filed a Petition for Rehearing on May 30 in an effort to persuade the Court of Appeal to change its decision in favor of BHUSD. (see ‘CHRISTIANSEN’ page 20)

Bel Air Residents Sue Hadid, City Of Los Angeles, Demand Demolition Of Megamansion

By Matt Lopez Bel Air residents are ramping up the pressure in their fight against the oversized 901 Strada Vecchia megamansion, filing a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against both the project’s developer Mohamed Hadid and the City of Los Angeles, demanding the demoli- Pictured: 901 Strada Vecchia towering above tion of the massive other Bel Air homes. structure and a restoraignored dozens of building violation of the unstable Bel Air hill- tions and city orders, that the city side. of Los Angeles itself has failed to The lawsuit – filed by Bel-Air enforce. The lawsuit calls upon the Residents Joe and Beatriz Horacek city of L.A. to enforce its own preand John and Judith Bedrosian, vious orders dating as far back alleges that Hadid brazenly (see ‘901 STRADA VECCHIA’ page 19)

and seismically upgrade BHUSD. While the lion’s share (over $300 million) of the Measure BH bond is slated to go towards making major renovations at Beverly Hills High School, the bond also earmarks $13.59 million for classroom technology and $46 million to complete El Rodeo’s current construction program. “The passage of Measure BH was critical to allow the district to continue with construction, the remediation of oil well and significant infrastructure improvements for security,” said Hacker. “I express my gratitude to the community for passing Measure BH,” added boardmember Howard Goldstein.

Residents Galvanize To Oppose Benedict Canyon Hotel Project “Over 400 Emails In 48 Hours” Say Residents By Victoria Talbot With lightning speed, residents have galvanized to oppose a proposed 99-room hotel and residential development in the heart of Benedict Canyon. In only 48 hours, say residents, they have generated over 400 emails to the office of Los Angeles City Council member Paul Koretz to ask for his help and support to oppose the project. Nearby residents have quickly banded together to organize Save Our Canyon (SaveOurCanyon.LA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit to fight the development. In about six weeks, said Mark Levin, president of Save Our Canyon, they have registered upward of 700 members. “The scale of this proposal

Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie

VOLUME: LIII

has struck a chord with the entire community,” he said, pointing out that he has been on a “crash course” in land-use issues along with his neighbors, liaising with organizations such as the Hillside Federation and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to garner support. “This is about much more than Benedict Canyon,” he said. Such approvals would set a precedent he likened to dominos falling. “Every open space in the Santa Monica Mountains will be looked at by developers.” The organization has officers and a 15-member Board of Directors. “We have money to pay for lawyers and we are asking our community to stand (see ‘HOTEL PROJECT’ page 18)

BEAUTY BILLIE — Rebecca Gayheart brought daughter Billie to the 17th Annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball, which she founded. The event helps individuals out of poverty and homelessness by providing the tools necessary to find and retain employment. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.


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