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BEVERLY HILLS NUMBER 50
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THIS ISSUE
Steve Kessler
Famed martini bar Nic’s Beverly Hills will close its doors on Dec. 31. 5
Local realtor Michael Libow gifted $25,000 to BHHS Performing Arts. 5
The Vahagn Setian Memorial 5K was Sunday in Beverly Hills. 18 •Fashion •Birthdays •Letters to the Editor
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George Christy, Page 6 The 34th Annual Caucus Awards Saluted The Young Talents In Television, And A Young And Interracial Cast Performed In Merrily We Roll Along At The Wallis
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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December 9, 2016
Residents Push Leads To L.A. City Council Approval Of Measure To Protect Hillsides, Limit Mansionization
The PTA Council held a toy drive benefiting Compton school students. 4
Beverly Hills’ Holiday concert in the park Sunday featured the BHUSD Elementary Choir. 4
SINCE 1965
Superintendent Steve Kessler Talks Mid-Year Retirement From Beverly Hills Unified Exclusive to The Courier By Laura Coleman In a surprise move last month, Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Steve Kessler announced that he would retire effective Feb. 9, midway through his three-year contract. Kessler confirmed to the Courier that it was “absolutely” his decision to retire from the school district he had first joined in 1976 as a teacher and coach at Horace Mann. However, he conceded that leaving halfway through the year revealed the discord that existed between him and his five bosses, the elected officials on the Board of Education. “I will not speak of those things, because I’m going to be respectful that those conversations were done behind close doors,” he said. “This is not politically
motivated.” “I have to be honest with myself; after 40-and-a-half years, I started to feel for the first time what a lot of my friends have been telling me: ‘You’ve got everything, but time,’” Kessler explained. “I thought at 64 years of age that I needed to be respectful of time. I do feel it’s time to retire.” From starting as a teacher at Horace Mann to becoming principal to then being named the superintendent of schools for the very district he attended as a student, Kessler’s knowledge, commitment and passion for Beverly Hills schools is truly unmatched. “I believe that there are people who have had equally as great a career as I have, but I don’t know (see ‘KESSLER’ page 21)
Spitz, Korbatov Sworn In As School Board President, VP By Laura Coleman The Beverly Hills Board of Education swore in new leaders at Tuesday’s organization meeting, heralding a new era in governance. Senior members Mel Spitz, who begins his 10th year on the board, and Lisa Korbatov, who embarks on her eighth consecutive year on the board, were elected to serve as the new president and vice president, respectively. Spitz, who was sworn in by Superintendent Steve Kessler, who is set to retire after 40.5 years with the district on Feb. 9, pledged to “promote inclusion and collaboration throughout the coming year.” “Last year, when I campaigned for election to this board of education, I pledged to provide leadership to resolve financial and organizational problems, promote transparency, and restore confidence, pride and support within the community,” President Spitz
Mel Spitz
Lisa Korbatov
stated Tuesday. “I repeat that pledge tonight, and I am confident that results will be evident.” VP Korbatov, who was sworn in by board member Noah Margo, pledged to keep working on behalf of the students. “I want to thank my colleagues for the vote of confidence to serve as VP of our board,” Korbatov said. “As there are challenges ahead that can seem daunting at first, I am confident the board will see opportunities for success embedded in these challenges.”
By Victoria Talbot Los Angeles residents who have sought relief from the never-ending mansionization of their neighborhoods are celebrating today after the Los Angeles City Council approved proposed changes that will curb new single-family home construction, especially in Bel Air, where Bel Air Association and Bel Air Alliance leaders have pushed 5th District Councilmember Paul Koretz hard for results. Changes to the ordinance will include provisions to protect hillsides from unlimited grading that resulted from a
loophole in the 2011 Baseline Hillside Ordinance (BHO), as well as changes to the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO) to close loopholes for non-hillside homes. In the BHO, cut-and-fill underneath a single-family home structure’s footprint was virtually unlimited, though there were height restrictions to control the mass and size of a structure above grade. To maximize square footage and profits, developers exploited loopholes to maximize building on hillside lots without regard for impacts to (see ‘MANSIONIZATION’ page 24)
Residential Burglars Evade Police After Lengthy Search By Victoria Talbot A resident of the 500block of North Walden Drive Monday called police when he was alerted that burglars were in his home from a home-surveillance video on his cell phone. Police arrived at the home at about 8 p.m. and secured the perimeter, believing the burglars were still inside the residence. The search ended, however, at about 4:40 a.m. without locating the suspects. Crime scene investigators searched the home for DNA evidence to identify the burglars. Although the resident was alerted to the break-in on his cell phone, it appears that a delay in the video surveillance may have allowed the suspects to flee before the police arrived.
It is not clear what, if anything, was taken from the home. The Beverly Hills Police Department was aided by UCLA Campus police, an LAPD helicopter and LA County Sheriffs in their search of the area. BHPD K9 Units were also used. Last week, BHPD Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli hosted a Town Hall meeting to discuss burglaries. For the year-to-date, the City has about the same number of residential burglaries as 2014 and 2015. But December is usually the busiest month for burglaries, and those statistics are not yet in (see chart for annual residential burglaries). Most home burglaries occur between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., say BHPD, and most (see ‘BURGLARY’ page 20)
BALLERINA BEAUTIES — American Ballet Theatre principal dancers Stella Abrera, Gillian Murphy and Misty Copeland. Joining them at the Beverly Hilton benefit was artistic director Kevin McKenzie. Vince Bucci
VOLUME: LI
For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6 and 14.