BEVERLYPRESS.COM INSIDE • Schiff, O’Farrell hold town hall Partly cloudy, pg. 2 with highs in • LAUSD to hold the 80s online school pg. 3 Volume 30 No. 29 Serving the Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities July 16, 2020 More transparency for CSW pulls its 2021 Pride events from WeHo n City plans to host its Beverly Hills elections? own events next June n Council to consider ordinance at future meeting BY JOSE HERRERA BY CAMERON KISZLA Commerce Leadership PAC and Beverly Hills United to Support Christopher Street West, the On July 14, the Beverly Hills Bosse and Gold for Council 2020 – nonprofit that organizes the LA City Council took the first steps advocated for Councilwoman Lili Pride Parade and Festival, issued a toward requiring more transparency Bosse and Councilman Julian Gold letter to the West Hollywood City from political action committees to be reelected to the City Council Council declaring its intent to that seek to influence elections in in the March election. move its 2021 Pride events out of the city. In particular, Beverly Hills the city and into a new location in Earlier this year, a pair of PACs – Los Angeles. the Beverly Hills Chamber of See Council page 22 The first LA Pride celebration was organized in downtown Los Angeles in 1970, and after that, LA Pride was moved to West photo by Jon Viscott/courtesy of the city of West Hollywood Hollywood, where it has been In 2019, West Hollywood and CSW celebrated Pride with crowds and live held for the past 49 years. In the entertainment, but this year, events were canceled due to COVID-19. letter, CSW said its board of direc- tors made the decision based on the celebrations have become,” nership and collaboration in pre- several reasons including con- CSW Executive Director senting LA Pride. struction at West Hollywood Park, Madonna Cacciatore wrote in an West Hollywood City the changing demographics of email. “While we are still in a Councilman John Duran said he greater Los Angeles, CSW’s com- phase of gathering feedback and had mixed feelings about CSW’s mitment to being responsive to listening to the community, we felt announcement. There are three LGBTQIA+ community needs it was important to notify the city decades of memories and relation- and its alliance and collaboration of our intentions given our long- ships forged with former CSW with other movements for social standing relationship with them as leaders, he added. change. a partner in Los Angeles Pride.” However, in a Facebook post, photo by Cameron Kiszla “This has been an ongoing con- CSW board members also said Duran wrote that CSW has strug- The Beverly Hills City Council may require more transparency from polit- versation within our organization they were grateful to the city of ical action committees in future elections. for the past year given how large West Hollywood for the long part- See WeHo page 21 Power of the pedals support Black lives Beverly Hills office project n Celebrities, athletes join 14-mile ride from seeks to drum up support Hollywood to Santa n Lots 12 and 13 owners In a virtual meeting, represen- Monica tatives of the Beverly Hills Land unveil plans on Zoom Company, the owner of the prop- BY JOSE HERRERA erty at 9220 N. Santa Monica BY CAMERON KISZLA Blvd., unveiled renderings and More than 600 cyclists wearing answered questions about the masks rode together on July 12 On July 13, the owners of Lots planned three- and four-story from Hollywood to the Santa 12 and 13 fleshed out some of the office buildings, which are Monica Pier in solidarity and sup- details of their plan to build 11 expected to create approximately port of the Black Lives Matter office buildings on a strip of land 114,000 square feet of office movement. between Civic Center Drive and space for creative endeavors such Bike Rides for Black Lives orga- Santa Monica Boulevard in nized the 14-mile ride and demon- Beverly Hills. See Lots page 21 stration, which drew the attention of rapper Big Sean and NBA veter- an Al Harrington, founder of the company Viola. Celebrities such as photo courtesy of Bike Rides for Black Lives Terrell Owens, Machine Gun Kelly, Hundreds of cyclists joined the 14-mile bike ride from Hollywood to Michael B. Jordan, Terrance J, Santa Monica in support of Black lives. Steelo Brim, Karrueche Tarn, Lori Harvey and more also participated tion was to pressure those in power for one another until the wheels fall in the bike ride. such as city officials to advocate for off,” Stapleton said. “All the power “We want to make sure that peo- justice, organizers said. Stapleton lies in the hands of the people.” ple understand that the fight for and co-founders Najee Tyler, Lanny Stapleton said amid the pandem- change and equality must never Smith and Carver Green hope to ic, organization members and many stop until it’s achieved and even dismantle a system rooted in racism individuals around the world have then, we must fight to maintain it,” and oppression through their non- rediscovered the joy of cycling and said Lamont Tory Stapleton, one of profit, and by working collectively the physical and mental wellbeing it four co-founders of the organiza- with others. provides. However, following the tion. “This is not a moment, it’s a “We want to show people what murder of George Floyd and others photo courtesy of Beverly Hills Land Company movement.” positive changes can be made if we Opponents of the Beverly Hills Creative Offices claim their voices The purpose of the demonstra- keep our feet on the pedals and ride See Rides page 22 weren’t heard in a July 13 meeting hosted by the project’s owners. 2 July 16, 2020 Park Labrea News/Beverly Press Schiff and O’Farrell explore pressing issues n the capability or the scientific squander. [We need to] take advan- Congressman and knowledge. Indeed, I think we can tage of it, transcend through it. councilman partner proudly say, in many, if not most of Now is the time, it’s a moment we for virtual town hall those areas, we exceed the capabil- are all part of and we can rise to the ity of any other nation on Earth. occasion, and we can emerge better But yet, we’ve had the worst results and stronger than ever before. We By edwin folven in terms of catastrophic losses,” have the ingredients to transcend U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Los Schiff said. “To be blunt, what this incredibly challenging time Angeles City Councilman Mitch we’ve lacked is leadership at the and emerge better and stronger and O’Farrell, 13th District, participat- very highest level to coordinate the more unified as a country.” ed in a virtual town hall meeting on response to the pandemic, to bring Schiff and O’Farrell said they July 8 to outline steps being taken the states and the cities and the support the peaceful demonstra- at the federal and local levels dur- counties together in this fight, to tions that occurred after Floyd’s ing the COVID-19 emergency. make sure we weren’t competing death. The congressman said he photo courtesy of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff The lawmakers discussed a vari- with one another over protective was proud to march with demon- U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff outlined his approach to COVID-19 relief and ety of topics including the govern- gear or ventilators, to make sure strators in Hollywood, and ment’s response to the COVID-19 there are consistent messages going O’Farrell highlighted the All Black other issues affecting the country during the town hall meeting. pandemic; help for businesses, out to the public about masks and Lives Matter demonstration on property owners and renters; and safety protocols. We have had this June 14, in which tens of thousands the need for people to wear masks blur of information, misinforma- of people marched peacefully from bill that would make health care for underway in Los Angeles. in public. They also addressed the tion and counterinformation, and Hollywood to West Hollywood. He all citizens a civil right, similar to O’Farrell cited a $100 million pro- recent protests and civil unrest that it’s been catastrophic.” described it as a pivotal moment in the way equitable access to housing gram providing relief to renters in occurred in the wake of the deaths O’Farrell said the need for history and is working to create a is considered a right, he said. Los Angeles using money from the of George Floyd and others at the change at the federal level is permanent marker commemorating “When we look, for example, at city’s allocation of CARES Act hands of police. The town hall was greater than ever, and the pandemic the June 14 demonstration. He also how the COVID-19 pandemic is funding. He also highlighted a pro- moderated by Faye Washington, has strengthened his resolve to con- noted that the city has long been a affecting people of color, what you gram that used $1 million in discre- president and CEO of the YWCA tinue doing everything he can to leader in promoting equality. see is that in many parts of the tionary funds from the 13th District Greater Los Angeles. provide relief for constituents. O’Farrell cited the example of his country, where the Black communi- for small business loans. The law- Both Schiff and O’Farrell said O’Farrell said the recent protests in effort to replace observances of ty may represent 10% of the popu- makers praised the federal Payroll although times have been tough the fight for racial equality and jus- Columbus Day with Indigenous lation, they may be 20%, 30% or Protection Program for keeping during the pandemic, leaders at all tice also illustrate an important People Day in Los Angeles.