Happy Halloween!
VOLUME: LII
NUMBER 43
www.bhcourier.com
SINCE 1965
October 27, 2017
Beverly Hills School Board Extends JPA Through November As Funding Increase Talks Continue
THIS ISSUE
Beverly Hills history is now at the fingertips of smartphone users. 4
Karén Setian and Ida Nalbandian were honored with the Embrace Civility Award. 5
Kendall Jenner purchased the former Beverly Hills home of Charlie Sheen. 10 •Sports •Birthdays •Letters to the Editor
19 22 31
Photo by Victoria Talbot
Kathy, Rick Hilton Honored By Maple Counseling Center By Victoria Talbot Rick and Kathy Hilton were honored Wednesday at the Access for All Gala on behalf of the Maple Counseling Center, which took place at the Montage Beverly Hills. The Hiltons were recognized with the Maple Award for Community Excellence for their long-time support for philanthropic causes that assist high risk chil-
dren. Joined by their son Barron (with fiancée Tessa) and daughter Paris, who introduced the couple from the podium, the Hiltons were gracious in their acceptance and expansive about the mental health services provided by the Maple Counseling Center. Rick is Chairman and Co(see ‘HILTON’ page 20)
Beverly Hills Woofstock Returns To Roxbury Park Nov. 5
George Christy, Page 6 As We’ve Noted In The Long Ago, Politics And Sports, Food And Fitness Are Creating New Stars That Engage Our Interest. Hollywood’s CookieCutter Celebrities Are Becoming FlyBy-Nighters
CLASSIFIEDS
Kathy, Paris and Rick Hilton.
25
By Victoria Talbot It’s time to get those doggie costumes out because Woofstock 90210, Beverly Hills most beloved canine celebration, returns to Roxbury Park Nov. 5, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., featuring a huge pet adoption event by the Amanda Foundation, PetCare Foundation, Wags and Walks, Southern California Golden Retriever
Rescue, Pug Nation, K9 Kismet and the WLA Animal Shelter. Visitors will also find more than 45 pet-related vendors, a Pet Parade with costumes and a Pet Talent Show, featuring demonstrations by some of the world’s most talented animals and their trainers, along with face and body art booths and plenty of giveaways. (see ‘WOOFSTOCK’ page 20)
Lester Cohen/Getty Images
HIGH ART – The Beverly Hills ArtSHOW crowned several winners last weekend. Pictured above are the winners with their First Place ribbons, which include Best in Show (a tie) – Mark Stephenson & Kazuki Takizawa; Best Display – Maxime Raffard & Gil Borgos; Originality Award – Jim Turner; Ceramics – Caroline Blackburn; Digital Art – Chris Reisig & Leeza Taylor; Drawing & Printmaking – Gregory Bada; Glass – Kazuki Takizawa; Jewelry – Cesar Lim; Mixed Media, 2D – Aileen Frick; Mixed Media, 3D – Richard Lee; Painting – Shen Li Khong; Photography – Mark Stephenson; Sculpture -– John Brown; and Watercolor – Gregory Radionov. Photo by Victoria Talbot
By Matt Lopez The Beverly Hills Board of Education agreed unanimously Tuesday to extend its Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the City of Beverly Hills for another month, through Nov. 30. The decision marks the second such extension of the JPA, which began in 1978 and provides the community with access to Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) fields for community service programs and sports. Originally slated to expire July 31, the School Board agreed to a previous extension in August. That extension was slated to expire Tuesday. BHUSD reps – including Superintendent Michael Bregy, School Board Vice President Lisa Korbatov and Boardmember Howard Goldstein met at the district’s headquarters Friday afternoon with a City Hall contingent that included City Manager Mahdi Aluzri, Vice Mayor Julian Gold and Councilmember John Mirisch. The meeting didn’t exactly start out on the strongest footing. Confusion reigned over exactly who was quarterbacking the negotiation for the school district. Korbatov and Goldstein, who were at Friday’s meeting, have been the district’s liaisons in JPA negotiations. On Oct. 12, however, Board of Education President Mel Spitz sent a letter to Mayor Lili Bosse, declaring that the district was withdrawing its request for a $3.5 million increase, withdrawing the Moss Adams report from consideration and that he and
Spitz were now in charge of JPA negotiations. Four days later, on Oct. 16, Spitz rescinded those requests in another letter to Bosse, citing a “misunderstanding between the majority of the Board of Education and me.” “I think we’ve had communication issues,” Bregy said. “Both sides need to be flexible in making changes.” The two sides were able to hash out agreements on everything but money. The district is asking for an increase from $9.7 to $13.5 million in fees that the City pays for use and maintenance of the fields. The path to get that increase approved has been, if nothing else, fraught with disagreement and confusion. The BHUSD paid $59,830 to performance auditing firm Moss Adams for a 21-page cost analysis of the JPA – at the request of the City – which revealed that with mounting costs to operate and maintain its fields, the school district derives little value from the JPA as currently constructed. The report indicated that the district actually lost money in the previous fiscal year, once the cost to educate nonresident students (children of City employees) was factored in. At the center of much of the disagreement is a “work book” data file that the Moss Adams report cites to reach its financial conclusions. City representatives at Friday’s meeting said they had asked for, but had not received, access to the work book, and BHUSD Chief Administrative Officer La Tanya Kirk-Carter Latham confirmed (see ‘BEVERLY HILLS JPA’ page 20)
RIDING HIGH — The 75th anniversary of Saint John’s Health Center attracted 740 supporters, where there were fun and games during the evening at the venue in Culver City, where the Santa Monica Pier was replicated. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.