Yes On Measure HH, Yes On Y, No On M - See Our Endorsements, Pg. 34
BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 43
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READ ALL ABOUT IT —NBC4 News Meteorologist Anthony Yanez joined Beverly Vista students, parents and administrators at this week’s “Bedtime Books 4 Bulldogs” where he read aloud from his book, A Wild Ride on the Water Cycle. The recurring after-school evening event takes place the second Thursday of most months in the Beverly Vista library from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and provides an opportunity for elementary school children to come to the library in their pajamas and listen to stories read by teachers, administrators, and guest speakers. Milk and cookies are provided and each child gets to take a free book home with.
THIS ISSUE Will Rogers Awards Read all about the nominees for Outstanding Architectural Design and Restaurant of the Year for this year’s Will Rogers Awards. See page 12 for the list of nominees.
Board of Education President Howard Goldstein’s guest editorial corrects the record on Measure Y. 34 •Health & Wellness •Birthdays •Fashion
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George Christy, Page 6 Polo/Soccer Player Superstar And Ralph Lauren Model, Nacho Figuroas Flew In For The Seventh Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic At The Will Rogers Historic State Park
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Pictured: the view of Parcels 12 & 13 after trees were cut down without permit late last year on arsenic-laced soil.
Report On Lots 12 & 13 Tree Cutting Turns Into Konheim Laptops To Be Provided For All Show City Council Cops Out, Led By Gold Beverly Hills K-8 Students By Laura Coleman It may seem a bit extraordinary that in today’s technologydriven world, not all Beverly Hills students are able to get their hands on a digital device during the school day. To remedy this, on Tuesday, the Board of Education unanimously agreed to provide one-to-one digital devices to all K-8 students. The decision came on the heels of a rather stunning discussion that highlighted an obvious communication challenge between district staff, board members, PTA concerns and principal directives. Specifically, El Rodeo has had the funding in place since before school began–nine weeks
ago–to realize the goal of getting a laptop in the hands of each of its students thanks to its PTA. Similarly, for almost a month now, Beverly Vista has likewise had the funding in place to move forward with the same plan thanks to its generous PTA. Hawthorne has had one-toone digital exposure for its students for years now. The delay emerged following a board meeting last month when board member Isabel Hacker questioned why the PTA’s were paying for the technology, as opposed to the school district. As a result, district staff began researching a possible $2 million (see ‘LAPTOPS’ page 19)
Beverly Hills Elder: Gloria Boraz, A Legacy Of Teaching Part 74 in a series on Beverly Hills residents who have grown with the Centennial City By Laura Coleman There are few professions so noble as being a teacher. Sacrificing endless patience to allow for the development of another person is an art that far too few opt to cultivate. To that end, longtime Beverly Hills resident and educator Gloria Boraz has devoted more than half her life to inspiring and shaping the minds of the City’s youngest residents. “I must say, my favorite people in this world are children...because they say what they mean,” said Gloria, a grammar school teacher for 40 years with the Beverly Hills Unified School District. With three daughters who followed in her footsteps–Nancy, Leslie and Barbie all currently
Gloria Boraz
teach in BHUSD schools–the proclivity to educate literally pulses through Gloria’s DNA. Gloria’s first husband, Martin (see ‘GLORIA BORAZ’ page 23)
By Victoria Talbot What many feel should have been a somber reckoning of the many errors by all parties regarding the events surrounding the cutting of trees on Parcels 12 & 13 turned into a parody with the Beverly Hills City Council playing back up to what amounted to a Dog and Pony Show. The results of the report, which showed a lack of due diligence from City Staff, were virtually ignored as the Council chose to push it under the rug and “move on,” a theme that did little to heal the wounds. Instead, as in February, Konheim’s supporters paraded their outrage over the alleged mistreatment of their friend or colleague in front of the City Council. The Council responded by ignoring the residents’ concerns and pushing past the issues. At the study session, Konheim’s attorneys and friends repeatedly stated that the reason for the tree removal was public safety. Sources have told the Courier for months that there were as many as five architects consulted for a plan to develop the land, including
Celebrity Photo Agency/Scott Downie
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Frank Gehry, regardless of the fact that it is zoned for transportation and cannot thus, be developed unless the zoning is changed by City Council. Most egregious, however, was Councilmember Julian Gold’s interrogation of Joanne Parrent, the investigator that was hired by the City to generate a report on the circumstances around the incident. At the outset of the investigation, Gold, who was mayor at the time of the incident, was hostile to an investigation into the incident. Supporters of Konheim, laughed at Parrent’s responses and loudly cat called. Many residents expressed horror and embarrassment at their behavior. Among the supporters who discounted residents’ concerns was City Treasurer Eliot Finkel, who is running for City Council in March. Gold expressed tremendous disapproval of the plan to hire Parrent Smith Investigations. Under his leadership as mayor the City was subjected first to the blatant cover up of the possible health (see ‘PARCELS 12 & 13’ page 14)
THE TALENTED MR. RIDLEY — Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara with wife Sandy, congratulated honoree filmmaker Ridley Scott (insert), at the 30th Annual American Cinematheque Awards Gala at The Beverly Hilton, where many Hollywood executives attended. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on pages 6 & 8.