Merry Christmas From Everyone At The Courier!
BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME XXXXVII NUMBER 50 $135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY •
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SINCE 1965
THIS ISSUE
December 21, 2012
Beverly Hills Business Leader Warren Ackerman Dead At 95 By Matt Lopez & John L. Seitz Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. today at Hillside Memorial Park (6001 W. Centinela Ave.) for legendary Beverly Hills business leader Warren Ackerman, who died peacefully surrounded by his family Wednesday night at age 95. A major force in the City for the last six decades, Ackerman was a member of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Com-
Beverly Vista Choir performs at Beverly Gardens Park. 4
Pro ice skaters visited the Beverly Hills Holiday Ice Rink on Saturday. 4
(see ‘ACKERMAN,’ page 13)
Warren Ackerman
Mirisch’s Call For Openness In Union Negotiations Denied BV student Golda Berkman sang in Hebrew and Latin at Beverly Gardens. 5
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•Arts & Entertainment 10 •Birthdays 22 •Special Sections 17-19
By Laura Coleman Beverly Hills Unified School District leaders are working to strengthen school security in the wake of last Friday’s massacre at
The 9.0 Magnitude Earthquake, Containing the Energy of 23,000 Atomic Bombs Rocked Thailand in 2004; Director Juan Antonio Bayona and his Cast Have Created an Oscar-Worthy Film in The Impossible Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE Announcements Real Estate Rentals Sales and More
(see ‘NEGOTIATIONS,’ page 21)
By Matt Lopez The City of Beverly Hills will continue its current hiring process for City department heads after a request by Vice Mayor John
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(see ‘SCHOOL SAFETY,’ page 16)
Sony Music Latin’s Nir Seroussi Set to Be Honored
Mirisch to include the City Council in the process was rebuffed by his colleagues. By John L. Seitz Mirisch had requested the Singing stars Ricky Martin, (see ‘HIRES,’ page 9) Shakira, Vincente Fernandez, Marc Anthony, Romeo Santos, C E L E B R AT I O N — J a n e t Salter had a wonderful birth- and Chayanne all share someday celebration at the thing important. Each of their Hillcrest Country Club on careers owes a big “thank you” Dec. 15. There were many to Nir Seroussi, managing direcfood stations for the guests to enjoy and hors d’oeuvres being passed out throughout the evening. The party also included a photo booth where people could take pictures as a souvenir.
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Finance Committee To Draft Resolution For School Board By Laura Coleman Frustrated by the Board of Education’s 4-1 vote last month to renew 20 permits for out-of-district students to remain in Beverly
BIRTHDAY PARTY— Former Mayor and 2013 City Council candidate Nancy Krasne had a fun birthday party on Dec. 12 with friends and family, including her radiant 91-year-old mother at Spago. Pictured (from left): Krasne, Susan Mishler, Jane Stiglitz and Marcia Harrow.
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, where a 20year-old gunman executed 26 people including 20 children.
City Council Decides Not To Have Input On Top Hires
George Christy, Page 6
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session. Mirisch asked his colleagues to look into adopting an ordinance similar to the
Beverly Hills Rallies To Ensure School Safety
BH/LA Realtor association installs new officers. 20
CLASSIFIEDS
By Matt Lopez Vice Mayor John Mirisch's call for more openness during negotiations with City employee unions was shot down at Tuesday's City Council study
Hills schools for at least another year, on Monday the Finance Committee decided to draft a res(see ‘FINANCE,’ page 13)
Nir Seroussi
(see ‘SEROUSSI,’ page 21)
A HOT NIGHT AT SPAGO —Les Miserables’ Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried greeted the 500 guests during the after-party of the musical’s special screening hosted by Universal at the Writers’ Guild Theatre. The crowd dined on high roller eats n’ sweets from the grand buffets. Everyone talked about the amazing singing while acting of the stars all through the movie. For more photos, see George Christy’s column on page 6.
Director Tom Hooper
Alex Berliner/ABImages
El Rodeo fourth graders held a food drive for the Westside Food Bank.
HOLIDAY CHEER—Beverly Hills High School students performed an array of musical tunes for their peers this week in preparation for this year’s annual holiday concert. Pictured above: Members from the BHHS Concert Choir, Madrigal Singers, Marching Band and the Chamber Orchestra. See page 5 for information on the band’s London trip. Courier Photo By Laura Coleman