See The City Salary Survey, Starting Page 14
BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 34
THIS ISSUE
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New Ordinance Will Curb Petition Gatherers
Peter is a 10-pound, 3year-old Pomeranian looking for his forever home. 4 Alexandra Nechit’s “Love Anatomy” will join other sculptures along the Burton Way median 4
Beverly Hills recognizes resident David Wiener, Holocaust survivor
$145 PER YEAR - $3.00 PER COPY
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Stage/screen stars help Friends of Greystone celebrate “Hollywood Revisited.” 5
By Victoria Talbot Beverly Hills is poised to enact a new ordinance that will substantially change the way signature-gatherers operate within City limits following a dust up last year over a failed referendum to rescind the Basement Ordinance. The purpose of the ordinance is to make the referendum process more transparent. The proposal for the ordinance was created following events last year coalescing around the then newly enacted Basement Ordinance. Celebrity realtor Brandon Williams, who claims to be the realtor for Canadian Canucks
owner and developer Francesco Aquilini, spearheaded a campaign to gather signatures to put a measure on the ballot that would have rescinded the ordinance. At the time, Aquilini was interested in developing a project at 1193 Loma Linda Drive that was affected by the ordinance. Williams had acted as Aquilini’s realtor in the purchase of the property, which would have resulted in a megamansion at the location. Hundreds of well-paid (as much as a verified $25 per signature, vs. the standard $1-$2) sig(see ‘ORDINANCE’ page 13)
City Resolution Condemns Anti-Semitic Ethnic Studies State Draft By Victoria Talbot The Beverly Hills City Council adopted a resolution condemning California’s new Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) because it “demonstrates a clear and anti-Jewish bias that borders on Anti-Semitism,” according to the staff report. The proposed curriculum changes are the result of a 2016 law mandating a model of ethnic
studies for high school students. According to guidelines from the California Department of Education, the ESMC is meant to “promote the values of civic engagement and civic responsibility,” and to “encourage cultural understanding of how different groups have struggled and worked together, highlighting ethnic studies concepts such as equality, jus(see ‘ETHNIC STUDIES’ page 24)
The Mountain of Beverly Hills—once listed for $1 billion—sells for $100,000. 10 •Real Estate •Birthdays •Letters to the Editor
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George Christy, Page 6 Chocolate is tantamount to a religion, and this includes not only Hollywood, but Washington, D.C. as well. Where Jackie Kennedy hired Diane Kron as her personal chocolate-maker during her days as First Lady in the White House.
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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WASTE WORKERS MARCH THROUGH BEVERLY HILLS– On Thursday evening, more than 100 people gathered at the Crescent steps of City Hall to march through the triangle in solidarity, opposing the practices of Athens Environmental Services. They say that Athens is ”denying its workers dignity, respect and a voice on the job. A press release says that Athens has come under scrutiny by the National Labor Relations Board which is currently investigating the charges of unfair labor practice. The route took supporters with symbolic “garbage bags” down Rodeo Drive and up Beverly Drive as the evening BOLD festivities began.
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Dr. Julian Gold Announces Run For City Council By Victoria Talbot In an exclusive to the Courier, Councilmember Julian Gold has announced that he will once again, throw his hat into the ring for a run for City Council. The two-time mayor of Beverly Hills provided the following statement: “I am pleased to announce that I am declaring my candidacy for a seat on the Beverly Hills City Council in March 2020. I have given this much thought and I recognize that the next 10 years will be transformative for Beverly Hills. The eastern part of our City will see new attention as the subway opens and La Cienega Park is restored. The western part of the City will be reimagined with the combination of the Hilton and Wanda properties, and the Triangle will continue to reinvent itself
Dr. Julian Gold
as traditional retail evolves. We have never seen so much change in such a short time. Residents, businesses and our City government must come together to ensure this happens efficiently without diminishing our residential quality of life. The City needs strong, seasoned leadership to over(see ‘GOLD’ page 12)
Beverly Hills Salary Survey: Employees Costs Rise By Matt Lopez Beginning on Page 14, the Courier this week once again prints its annual comprehensive chart detailing salary, pay and benefits for City of Beverly Hills employees. This chart details 2018 financial data for the City of Beverly Hills and, because of the large number of City employees, will be broken up over two weeks. The first half will be printed in this issue, with the second half printed in next week’s issue. This year’s survey provides complete financial details on the City of Beverly Hills’ 1,209 employees in 2018, a very slight increase in the 1,204 employees that our salary sur-
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
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vey tracked in 2017. In total, the City of Beverly Hills spent approximately $129.1 million on employee pay and benefits in 2018, a slight uptick from the $128.3 million spent in 2017. One culprit for the rising costs appears to be Overtime pay. City employees earned $14.2 million in overtime pay, compared to $12.8 million in 2017, and $10.7 million in 2016. The full chart begins on page 14. Next week, the Courier will print the second part of the chart, along with comparisons against neighboring cities.
THEY’RE BACK! — Ella and Mia Allan of the series Single Parents that is renewed for a second season airing in the prime post-Modern Family slot at 9:30 pm on ABC Wednesdays. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.