WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM INSIDE • Fire at Griffith Park. pg. 4 Warm, with • Missing man highs in the pg. 5 upper 70s Volume 27 No. 42 Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park, Beverly Hills and Wilshire Communities October 19, 2017 County’s battle against Beverlyn Hills police seeking new digs City officials consider renovations or fixes to hepatitis A continuesand Santa Cruz, where 71 people have contracted the virus, Los the current facility While the hepatitis A outbreak in Angeles County declared an outbreak California has officially been on Sept. 19, after 10 cases had been declared a state of emergency, gov- confirmed in the region, according to Beverly Hills City Council ernment and nonprofit organizations the Los Angeles County Department members agreed at an Oct. 17 in Los Angeles County are actively of Public Health. study session that they want to see working together to stop the epidemic Hepatitis A is a liver disease con- a wider range of options before in its tracks. tracted through fecal-oral transmis- moving ahead with plans to Eighteen people in the state have sion. To be infected, a person must revamp the police department’s already died from hepatitis A. physically ingest contaminated fecal facility, including the possibility Following outbreaks in San Diego, matter. Those most at risk for hepati- of moving police to another loca- where 491 people have hepatitis A See Hepatitis page 30 tion. Beverly Hills police Chief Sandra Spagnoli presented to the council a $71 million plan to ren- ovate the current facility. But “several deficiencies would still not be resolved,” according to a photo by Luke Harold report by Spagnoli. The design of the current struc- Beverly Hills police’s current facility is 92,000 square feet, and houses ture, completed in 1990, makes it amenities such as the emergency operations center and crime lab. difficult to make certain upgrades, Spagnoli said. The new ground around Civic Center Drive. operations center, dispatch, crime floor accessible from Rexford “We have a modern, contempo- lab, administrative offices, shoot- Drive, for example, would not rary police department working in ing range, traffic and records divi- have easy access from the parking an outdated facility,” Spagnoli sions, lieutenants’ offices, lockers structure. And underground park- said. and two subterranean parking lev- photo by Edwin Folven ing cannot be expanded, forcing The Beverly Hills Police els, among other police ameni- the department to leave police Department’s 92,000-square-foot The rising homeless populaton has exacerbated the spread of hepatitis vehicles in different locations building houses the emergency See Police page 30 A in San Deigo and Los Angeles. Miracle Mile residents consider security patrol n Moving on up in Crime stats in the area show slight decreases, WeHo’sn eastside but residents want to A priorities plan seeks to improve safety among improve safety other initiatives on the city’s eastside and Poinsettia Park. The council appointed 15 east- After a prowler was caught on West Hollywood is synonymous side stakeholders to an Eastside security camera lurking in her yard in with the Sunset Strip, Boystown Working Group in 2014. They late August, Miracle Mile resident and other destinations on its west- formed policy recommendations Kari Garcia started thinking about side. But the city’s less-heralded for urban design, economic devel- new ways to better protect her family eastside is attracting more attention opment, housing, mobility, arts and and residence, and those of her lately from residents bringing their events, sustainability and public neighbors. public safety concerns to City Hall. spaces, and public safety in the The suspect was unable to gain The City Council adopted an neighborhood. entry to her residence, and was later Eastside Community Priorities Plan Residents’ public safety concerns arrested by police and charged with aimed at addressing those concerns have had an increased sense of trespassing. But the incident scared and other ways to improve the east- urgency after a 41-year-old home- Garcia and prompted her to unite her side neighborhood at its Oct. 16 less man with a criminal history neighborhood against crime. That meeting. was arrested last month for using a effort has culminated in a plan by the “I am in hopes that many things hatchet to attack a man at a West Miracle Mile Residential Association in this plan can be fast-tracked, but Hollywood 7-Eleven. The alleged to hire a private security patrol for the particularly any and all public safe- attack took place in the 7900 block neighborhoods between La Brea and ty issues,” said Stephanie Harker, of Santa Monica Boulevard, on the Fairfax avenues, and Wilshire and photo by Rebecca Villalpando who has lived on West Hollywood’s western border of West San Vicente boulevards. eastside for 34 years. Hollywood’s eastside. Residents The idea for a private patrol in the Some houses in the Miracle Mile have already taken additional safety West Hollywood’s eastside living farther east, closer to Miracle Mile comes on the heels of measure by installing their own home security systems. extends from a few blocks west of Hollywood, have complained about the Melrose Action Neighborhood Fairfax Avenue to La Brea Avenue. being accosted by homeless people Watch also announcing that it is con- Avenue Shopping District. with private security companies to Its northern border is Fountain at night. sidering a private patrol in the neigh- Many people in the Miracle Mile monitor their residences. If enough Avenue and its southern border is In four out of five years from borhoods around the Melrose area already individually contract drawn along Willoughby Avenue See Patrol page 30 See WeHo page 31 NOW YOUR NEW HOME LEASING 6200 West Third Street Los Angeles, CA 90036 877.652.3292 www.parklabrea.com 2 October 19, 2017 CALENDAR Park Labrea News/Beverly Press Cancer Institute FrancesWest Hollywood Taylor welcomes Davis artist Beverly Hills Luncheon Frances Taylor Davis for a conversa- Chamber Mixer John Wayne Cancer Institute tion with fellow West Hollywood res- The Beverly Hills Chamber of Auxiliary’s annual “Membership ident Tripp Mahan, senior vice presi- Commerce is holding “FLAIR Luncheon & Boutique” will be held dent of global experiences for Networking Mixer” on Tuesday, Oct. on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the Beverly Beautycon Media, on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ocean Prime Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills. The 21 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the West Beverly Hills. The mixer is specifical- luncheon honors Dr. Sheryl A. Ross Hollywood City Council Chambers. ly geared toward finance, law, with the Angel Award, and Paige Davis will share stories from her accounting, insurance and real estate More with the Public Service Award. career, including her time as hostess at professionals. Admission is $25 for A boutique opens at 10 a.m., followed Le Dome, Chasen’s and the Sunset chamber members; $35 for nonmem- by the luncheon and awards at noon. Strip Hamburger Hamlet. Admission bers and guests. 9595 Wilshire Blvd. Tickets are $150. 9500 Wilshire Blvd. is free. 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. members.beverlyhillschamber.com. jwciauxiliary.com. (323)848-6883, weho.org. Back to the Future Big Brothers Big Take a trip to the 1980s with a screen- FamilyEnjoy a fun-filled, Festival creativity-themed ing of “Back to Sisters Gala family festival on Sunday, Oct. 22 the Future” on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Norton Simon Wednesday, Oct. Los Angeles is hosting its “Big Bash! Museum in Pasadena. Create cos- 25 at the Petersen Celebration” on Friday, Oct. 20 at the tumes inspired by artwork from the Automotive Mus- Beverly Hilton Hotel. Cindy Holland, museum’s collections, join interactive eum. A Delorean vice president of original content for photo by Ed Kreiger tours, create a storybook, engage with DMC-12 from the Netflix, will receive the Sherry musicians in the galleries and enjoy film will be on Zilah Mendoza stars in the world premiere of Josefina Lopez’s “An Lansing Award. A cocktail reception story time. Admission is free for chil- display. Doors and silent auction begin at 6, dinner Enemy of the Pueblo” running from Friday, Oct. 20 through Sunday, dren. 411 W. Colorado Blvd. nortonsi- open at 6:30 p.m.; movie will be and the awards presentation start at Nov. 12 at the Casa 0101 Theatre Main Stage. The play is a modern mon.org. shown at 7 p.m. in the Mullin Grand 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $500. 9876 adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People.” The central pro- Family Salon. Tickets are $5. 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. tagonist is a Mexican woman of Apache descent who discovers the Wilshire Blvd. (323)930-2277, (213)213-2420, gobigla.org. water in the town has been contaminated. The production is set in the Drag Queen petersen.org. present and deals with immigrant issues. Showtimes are 8 p.m., Friday Bingo Benefit WeHo WHAP! and Saturday; 5 p.m., Sunday. General admission is $20. 2102 E. First Play “Drag Queen Bingo” benefiting St. (323)263-7684, casa0101.org. Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles on Chico’s Angels Angels return for an encore lecture Series Sunday, Oct. 22 beginning at 8 p.m. two-week performance of “Chicas are The CalArts West Hollywood at Hamburger Mary’s in West 4Ever” from Aesthetics and Politics lecture series, 2920 Overland Ave. (310)840-2142, educator Daria Halprin for a discus- Hollywood. Bingo Boy hosts the Thursday, Oct. also known as WHAP!, will hold lapl.org/branches/palms-rancho-park. sion with gallerist Edward Cella on event with a roster of Drag Queen 26 through “in/ibid./form” on Friday, Oct.