With Graduation Tomorrow, Three Beverly High Seniors
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briefs • City Council rejects rudy cole • A fight to graduation photos • 2012 Rose Parade float Page 3 win, not posture Page 5 Pages 6-7 ALSO ON THE WEB Beverly Hills www.bhweekly.com WeeklySERVING BEVERLY HILLS • BEVERLYWOOD • LOS ANGELES Issue 612 • June 23 - June 29, 2011 All Grown Up Three Beverly High seniors reflect on how high school has helped prepare them for what lies ahead cover story • pages 8-9 to opine on a totally different route out of avoid Metro choosing to tunnel around oil briefs • Planning Commission continues briefs • Board of Education members rudy cole • Reason work on Trousdale view ordinance Page 2 clash over possible Beijing trip Page 6 and not vitriol Page 6 all those Metro put forward. Steve has now and methane fields and under 85-year-old ALSO ON THE WEB Beverly Hills www.bhweekly.com letters not-so-subtly tried to shift the blame from buildings. We’re fighting so that we are not Metro to the Committee for the high school the only school in LA County (and perhaps route. That’s simply astounding. in the state) to have a subway tunnel run WeeklySERVING BEVERLY HILLS • BEVERLYWOOD • LOS ANGELES Issue 611 • June 16 - June 22, 2011 2. Wait! Wait! Wait! Our City is virtu- underneath. And why—as Steve is urg- Thanks for the Memories ally unanimous. For extraordinarily good ing [the council] to do—would we simply Retiring and departing faculty bid farewell to BHUSD & email reasons, we all want our City and School forego lobbying in Washington D.C. (as Board to use every proper means available Metro is actively doing) and give up one of Metro Westside Subway Extension and to oppose Metro’s choice to tunnel under the most forceful arguments we have when 30/10 the high school. Just as Metro is doing by Metro and the Century City proponents I wanted [the City Council] to have a pulling out all the stops (you’ll pardon the are using every possible means they have? brief response to the four points [former intended pun) to placate the Century City That just doesn’t make sense. Why would Mayor] Steve Webb makes in the one-sided Chamber and developers. And yet, for more we support financing for a dangerous tun- and inaccurate letter, which [the council] than 10 months, Steve has urged the School nel and subway extension that we oppose recently received from him. Board and the Council to WAIT: Wait for for good reasons? Steve would like us to the draft environmental report. Wait for the be perceived as “nice guys” while Metro’s cover story • pages 8-9 1. Implication that the mass transit com- mittee should have considered a tunnel outcome of discussions with Metro. And train continues to inexorably move down under Beverly High. I served on the Mass wait for the Metro Board meeting. the track. WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? Transit Committee and attended every Now once again it’s wait for the final 4. District modernization plans. As to meeting. Very simple: At no time whatso- environmental report and wait until the Steve’s recommendation that the school You can write us at: ever was the Committee given any route to high school has modernization plans. But district provide its plans now for any future 140 South Beverly Drive #201 consider that would or could go under the everyone else is urging [the council] to be project, the fact that the district may or Beverly Hills, CA 90212 high school or anywhere near it. Period. pro-active and to take every step to con- may not have specific plans developed yet vince Metro to choose the Santa Monica is immaterial to our objection to tunneling You can fax us at: With all the alternative routes suggested by Blvd. station. “Waiting” has only given under the high school. The experts tell us 310.887.0789 Metro for Committee consideration (and there were several), that was never one of Metro and the Century City proponents that putting the subway tunnel under BHHS email us at: them. (In all the attachments to Steve’s let- momentum and an unfortunate—and inac- will negate or severely impact the ability to [email protected] ter, there is no such alternative route. There curate—claim that we are a divided city. bring the 85-year-old facilities up to date. never was. Just very general wording in And exactly where has “waiting” all this We can’t afford that either economically or the final report, none of it even mentioning time gotten us? educationally. There is no way of knowing schools. Any contrary implication is sim- 3. Why is opposing 30-10 financing absolutely what future needs on the site may ply inaccurate.) Ask Aaron Kunz or any “clearly inappropriate”? We’re all fight- be, and BHUSD should not be limited in its Committee member. ing for the ability to be able to modernize flexibility to develop, modernize or enhance And since Metro itself was the our City’s only high school so that we can its only high school at any time necessary once again be a beacon of public educa- Committee’s principal source of informa- letters cont. on page 4 tion, possible routes and experts, how was tion. We’re fighting for the safety of 2,500 SNAPSHOT it somehow “our failing” (as Steve writes) students and teachers. We’re fighting to WeBeverlye Hillskly Issue 612 • June 23 - June 29, 2011 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. Founded: October 7, 1999 Published Thursdays Delivered in Beverly HilIs, Beverlywood, Los Angeles ISSN#1528-851X www.bhweekly.com 1 year Publisher & CEO subscriptions Josh E. Gross are available. Reporter Sent via US Mail Melanie Anderson $75 payable in Sports Editor advance Steven Herbert Contributing Editor Rudy Cole Adjudicated as a newspaper of general Advertising Representatives circulation for the County Patricia Massachi of Los Angeles. Case Negin Elazari # BS065841 of the Los Leora Kashani Angeles Superior Court, Legal Advertising on November 30, 2000. Mike Saghian Eiman Matian 140 South Beverly Drive #201 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Photo: U.S. Conference of Mayors of Conference U.S. Photo: 310.887.0788 phone 310.887.0789 fax CNPA Member [email protected] All staff can be reached at: first name @bhweekly.com Unsolicited materials will not be returned. ©2011 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS BALTIMORE Mayor Barry Brucker (left) had the opportunity to meet with Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery (right) at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which took place June 17 to 21 in Baltimore. For the story, see brief on page 3. Page • Beverly Hills Weekly “No vote was ever taken on the merits of [$200,000] is what we’re committing to. It is Wednesday. having a float for 2012 and no CVB money up to the committee to decide. They are hear- The City of Beverly Hills allocates 2 per- was approved to be allocated to a float for ing us, this is what we’re giving them. They cent of its transient occupancy tax revenue to 2012,” CVB Board member and former then can say this is not doable.” fund City tourism and marketing initiatives. briefs Mayor Linda Briskman wrote in an e-mail. Julie Steinberg, who coordinated volun- Over $4 million was allocated for the 2011- “If the council wants to pay arrearages, if teers for the Beverly Hills Tournament of 2012 tourism and marketing budget. City Council rejects 2012 Rose Parade they want a float for 2012, it is strictly their Roses Committee’s 2011 effort, pointed out “There are other cities like Glendale float call.” there were some extra costs included in the considering pulling support,” Mirisch said. After meeting with representatives of the The City Council voted 3-2 against Bosse’s requested budget. Courier publisher Clif “None of them have $4 million marketing Rodeo Drive Committee, the Conference motion to allocate $200,000 toward the float, Smith, who was a 2011 committee member, budgets the way we do.” and Visitors Bureau and the Beverly Hills to cover the $130,000 in matching funds that appeared at the study session in April to The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday Chamber of Commerce, the city council the Tournament of Roses Committee had request up to $150,000 in matching funds that West Covina has decided not to enter a liaison reported that the CVB was inter- requested in April, and $70,000 to cover the from the city council, but the city council did float in the 2012 Rose Parade due to fund- ested in the possibility of entering a float debt. Although City Attorney Larry Wiener not support the idea because it had not started raising challenges, and the Glendale city in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade. told the city council it was not legally obli- studying its 2011-2012 budget. Smith was council may vote to end its $130,000 annual However, the CVB was only interested in gated to pay the debt, the city council decided not present at Tuesday’s meeting. commitment to the Glendale Rose Float allocating $250,000 from the City’s centen- it was morally obligated to do so. Mayor “When talking about how much the float Association. Glendale has entered a float nial anniversary fund, and not $350,000 that Barry Brucker, Vice Mayor Willie Brien and cost, in the budget [we gave you] are about every year for the past 98 years. The Burbank would cover the full cost of the float and last Councilmember Julian Gold voted against $12,000 [to] $14,000 of extras, which include City Council reduced its commitment by 10 year’s debt.