A Historic First Congressmember Ted Lieu Attends His First State of the Union
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briefs • Beverly High evacuated briefs • COC discusses Measure E briefs • Donors contribute sound again following bomb threat Page 2 expenditures at monthly meeting Page 2 system, scoreboards to Swim Gym Page 4 Issue 799 • January 22, 2015 - January 28, 2015 A Historic First Congressmember Ted Lieu attends his first State of the Union Beverly High Alumni Inducted into Hall of Fame Honorees discuss how Beverly High shaped their lives cover stories • pages 6-7 briefs • Board of Education legal fees briefs • Council rejects school briefs • Is the District running out exceed $1.7 million for 4th Quarter 2014 Page 3 security funding request Page 3 of Measure E funds? Page 5 letters briefs Issue 798 • January 15, 2015 - January 21, 2015 Why is the Board A Parking & email hiding what they’re Predicament Beverly High evacuated again paying Tim Buresh? Proposed Harvard- Westlake parking following bomb threat expansion could impact According to Beverly Hills Police Beverly Hills traffic “A Parking Predicament” [Issue 798] Department Sergeant Max Subin, Beverly Please do not continue with plans for Read this issue on your smart Hills High School received a telephonic phone by scanning the QR code. Harvard-Westlake parking expansion. The bomb threat at 12:30 p.m. on January 21. All you need is a QR scanner traffic on Coldwater Canyon is already Students were evacuated to the football application. more than most of us can handle. We who field. live in this area have dealt with construc- As of press time, no bomb device or sus- tion that seems endless and cannot take picious package had been located. anymore. cover stories • pages 6-7 Natalie Taback COC discusses Measure E WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? Beverly Hills expenditures at monthly meeting You can write us at: Shortly after the Weekly published its 140 South Beverly Drive #201 story last week on the District’s decision BHTV City Council and Commission Beverly Hills, CA 90212 to withhold billing information pertaining Schedule – Channel 10 to Tim Buresh’s involvement in produc- You can fax us at: Planning Commission: Jan. 22 at 1:30 pm, ing three videos with KBEV, Citizens’ 310.887.0789 Jan. 23 at 3:00 pm, Jan. 26 at 8:00 pm Oversight Committee members gathered Charitable Solicitations Commission: Jan. email us at: in the District Office Board room for their 22 at 5:00 pm [email protected] monthly meeting on January 15. Human Relations Commission: Jan. 22 at Addressing the Committee, COC mem- 8:00 pm ber Craig Davis asked whether Buresh and Architectural Commission: Jan. 21 at 8:00 Board of Education member Lewis Hall had pm Receive Beverly Hills used Measure E funds to finance the three- Health & Safety Commission: Jan. 26 at part video series entitled “Why We Fight.” 4:00 pm, Jan. 27 at 8:00 pm, Jan. 28 at Weekly in your e-mail “Initially, it was charged to Measure 5:00 pm inbox every week! E but we expensed it out,” said Chief SNAPSHOT Recreation & Parks Commission: Jan. 27 at 2:00 pm, Jan. 28 at 8:00 pm Sign up here: briefs cont. on page 3 Cultural Heritage Commission: Jan. 27 at http://eepurl.com/zfU-L 5:00 pm WeeBeverly Hillskly Issue 799 • January 22, 2015 - January 28, 2015 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. Founded: October 7, 1999 Published Thursdays Delivered in Beverly HilIs, Beverlywood, Los Angeles ISSN#1528-851X www.bhweekly.com Publisher & CEO 1 year Josh E. Gross subscriptions Reporter are available. Mina Riazi Sent via US Mail $75 payable in Sports Editor advance Steven Herbert Contributing Editor Rudy Cole (1925-2013) Adjudicated as a newspaper of general Advertising Representatives circulation for the County Karen Shilyan Daniela Nissani of Los Angeles. Case # BS065841 of the Los Legal Advertising Angeles Superior Court, Mike Saghian on November 30, 2000. Eiman Matian 140 South Beverly Drive #201 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 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. ©2015 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. Taking The OaTh Olympic BOulevard Ben allen (right) was sworn in as State Senator of the 26th district on January 17 at Santa monica high School’s Barnum hall. Judge holly kendig (left) performed the ceremonial Oath-of-Office. Page 2 • Beverly Hills Weekly briefs cont. on page 5 Administrative Officer La Tanya Kirk- “I just want to go on record that I com- Carter. “It was part of the PrimeSource bill pletely disagree with this group meeting in that’s part of the Murphy & Evertz MTA private,” COC member Isabel Hacker said. costs and so we turned around and expensed “I think it’s not right, it’s not transparent. all the video to the General Fund—out of We’re not above the Board, we’re not above Measure E.” any other citizen, that’s not our charge. I Later dur- feel very uncomfortable about that.” ing the meet- The COC’s association with California ing, COC Proposition 39—approved by voters in member Joe November 2000 as an initiated constitu- Safier asked tional amendment—means that any docu- Kirk-Carter ments reviewed within the COC must be if the District made public. Proposition 39 requires school had obtained districts that pass Proposition 39 bonds to a third legal seat a Citizens’ Oversight Committee to opinion assure the community that bond funds are for justify- expended in the fashion outlined in the ing its use District’s bond resolution. Isabel Hacker of Measure Proposition 39 states that all committee E funds for proceedings shall be open to the public and ongoing MTA litigation. Kirk-Carter men- notice to the public shall be provided in tioned that the District was in the process of the same manner as the proceedings of the selecting a firm. Safier then requested that governing board. the COC be notified when a third opinion The COC shall issue regular reports on has been obtained so that a second closed the results of its activities. A report shall be session with the Board and select COC issued at least once a year. Minutes of the members can be scheduled. proceedings of the COC and all documents Council reviews updated pension rates and unfunded liability The City recently received its annual actuarial report from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) providing updated estimates of future pen- sion rates and the unfunded liability (UL) level. “The latest report shows that the pension rates are still rising and the unfunded liabil- ity is still quite large, but at least the growth in the pension rates has reduced somewhat and the unfunded liability has dropped somewhat,” said Don Rhoads, Director of Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer. “So that’s encouraging, but it’s still something that we need to continue to work on.” The table entitled “Projected Pension Rates” depicts projected pension rates going out to 2021 for the City’s “Miscellaneous,” or non-safety, employees, and its “Safety,” or police and fire, employees. The table also shows last year’s projections. The differ- ence between the “Projected Rate” and the “Previous Projection” is presented in the “Change” column. As more employees join the City under less expensive plans, pen- sion costs should even out and over time begin to decline. The Council set aside $2 million towards paying down the pension UL last fiscal year, reducing the Miscellaneous plan pension rate by 0.383%. The projected savings 8484 Wilshire Boulevard produced by this seemingly miniscule drop are approximately $141,000 this fiscal year, a return of 7.3%. The Council allocated an additional $2 million in the current Planning Commission approves new 3,000 square-foot year’s budget (2014-2015). educational institution received and repots issued shall be a matter a closed session meeting with the Board in During a meeting on January 8, the Planning Commission considered a request by of public record and be made available on a October. Any closed session meeting has to educational institution Futures in Education for a Conditional Use Permit allowing the website maintained by the governing board. be noticed as well. addition of an approximately 3,000 square-foot, nine-office space within an existing COC members Don Rosen, Josh commercial building located at 8484 Wilshire Boulevard. Futures in Education offers Friedman and Steve Hendry entered into briefs cont. on page 4 instruction on a one-on-one basis to 6th through 12th graders. “Frankly, I think it’s always good to support alternative educational facilities in the City so that people have options,” said Commissioner Craig Corman. COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE GRANT The offices would fill a vacancy in an existing building outside the Business Triangle which was constructed in 1972 and has a total gross floor area of approximately 227,400 COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE Requirements for consideration include: square feet. This means the educational institution would occupy less than 1.4% of the GRANT FUNDING ♦ The applicant must provide a service building’s total floor area. APPLICATIONS that meets a community need including “I think the proposed use will not be detrimental to the adjacent properties or the social services, community health and public welfare and I wish you good luck,” said Block, addressing project representative Due February 18, 2015 education. Ali Rosario of Futures in Education, who was at the meeting. Commissioner Farshid The City of Beverly Hills will Joe Shooshani agreed. be accepting applications for ♦ The applicant must be, or partner with Located at the intersections of Wilshire Boulevard, La Cienega Boulevard and South Community Assistance Grant a 501c.3 organization.