briefs • City Council Nixes Art briefs • Bosse Announces Re-Election briefs • Council Determines City’s Cost Skin for Metro Sound Wall Page 3 Bid for Council Page 3 of Oil Well Plugging Page 3 Issue 1043 • September 26 - October 2, 2019 Designing the Station Residents Weigh in on the Wilshire/Rodeo Metro Station cover story • page 7 letters email Beverly Hills Urban Forest Management Plan “La Cienega Park Master Community Meeting Plan” One thing Mayor John Mirisch has mentioned consistently was to bring all of the ball fields to the east side of the street. The City welcomes your input as a resident on the No sustained effort has been made to really explore doing that. Beverly Hills urban forest to help in considering and One of the most serious problems with incorporating priorities and we request your participation the park proposals other than the mass of with community meetings and an online survey. the proposed building and the urban de- WHAT’S ON struction caused by the overpass is that it Please tell us how you feel about trees! does nothing to bring together all of the YOUR MIND? disparate pieces in to a cohesive whole. In fact, it exasperates the problem with Two Meetings: You can write us at: the useless sliver of “park” space on the 140 South Beverly Drive Southwest corner of Gregory Way that 1) Monday, October 7th 6-7:30 pm @ Roxbury Park #201 will be in the constant shade being on the North side of a seven proposed story 2) Wednesday, October 23rd 6-7:30 pm @ Municipal Gallery Beverly Hills, CA 90212 building at the sidewalk. You can fax us at: The sliver’s uselessness is further es- Online Survey: 310.887.0789 tablished by the fact that it is across La Urban Forest Master Plan survey WWW.BEVERLYHILLS.ORG/UFMP Cienega from the proposed “general park email us at: use space” and not relating to the over- Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Beverly Hills [email protected] pass which is 2+ stories above it. will make reasonable efforts to accommodate persons with disabilities. Please It is not my interest to design this proj- ect, however, it is easy to note that the call 310-285-2467 (voice) or (310) 285-6881 (TTY). Get Beverly Hills Weekly delivered to your inbox each week! letters cont. on page 3 SNAPSHOT WeBeverlye Hills kly Issue 1043 • September 26 - October 2, 2019 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 are Reporter available. Allyson Aleksey Sent via US Mail Sports Editor $75 payable Steven Herbert in advance Contributing Editor Rudy Cole (1925-2013) Adjudicated as a newspaper of general Advertising Representatives circulation for the County Allison Abrishami of Los Angeles. Case # BS065841 of the Los Legal Advertising Mike Saghian Angeles Superior Court, on Eiman Matian November 30, 2000. 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. TEACHER OF THE YEAR ©2019 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. UNIVERSAL CITY Beverly Vista English Teacher Lauren Stuart (center), pictured with superintendent Michael Bregy (left) and BV principal Kevin Allen (right) was named among 16 winners as the 2019 OUR DATA SPEAKS – 2020 Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year last week, representing the best of the VOLUMES profession in California’s largest honors competition for K - 12 educators. Page 2 • Beverly Hills Weekly letters cont. from page 2 March municipal elections is and other forms of identity-based hatred November 12 through Decem- worldwide.” greatest problem is to combine the dispa- ber 6. If an incumbent does Renee Firestone, a long-time resident rate parts into well functioning compli- not formally file within that of Beverly Hills, was one of the subjects mentary groups. time frame, then it is extended Kassan highlighted in his exhibition. She Putting the ball fields on one side is the to December 11, according to was part of a group of survivors that Kas- first step in doing this as the ball fields are City Clerk Huma Ahmed. san met at the really not dependent on the Community Museum of Center. Council Determines Tolerance in In regards to producing a cohesive City’s Cost of Oil 2017. “general park use space” it should not- Well Plugging, and “We had in- ed that the ball field at Olympic and La How Much BHUSD terviewed her Cienega combined with the areas in front really quickly of the existing buildings on the East side Will Pay The City Council discussed [at the muse- of the street and the addition of the “use- Proposed Mural a reoccurring agenda item at a um] for a film less strip would do just that. formal meeting last week con- interview that The area in front of the existing build- of approximately $400,000, including re- cerning the oil well plugging on the Bev- we do with ings is actually beautiful park space which moval, reinstallation, and repair. erly High campus. all the sub- is seldom used and if incorporated with Staff recommended that the Council “This is an important issue, because it jects, and we David Kassan the other two parcels would greatly ex- move forward with the mural painted di- will cost a lot of money,” Councilmember had about two pand the ultimate park space in one lo- rectly on the temporary sound wall instead Robert Wunderlich said. hours to [interview] 11 survivors,” said cation without the need for an ‘overpass” of a removable skin due to Matsuyama’s The Council approved an appropria- Kassan. “So I’ve been working with [Re- and “tunnel maker” that actually takes up conditions following that meeting. tion in the amount of $8 million from the nee’s story] for the past two years.” real park space to connect it. During the most recent City Council City’s general fund for the oil well aban- The last time Kassan and Firestone met In regards to the size of the proposed formal meeting last week, the Council donment and approved an increase to the was at the unveiling gala of the exhibition. Community Center, isn’t it really too tall unanimously voted to forgo the remov- amount of $26 million for operation and “It’s funny because, at the gala [at the and why is it pushed all of the way to the able skin altogether. abandonment services. Beverly Hills Hilton], they have big ce- sidewalk? “I thought it was a bad idea from the be- City Engineer Daren Grilley reported lebrities like Oprah [in attendance]. There There are precedents for this kind of ginning, I think it’s a worse idea tonight,” that the 13th well “will be plugged tomor- are all these celebrities walking around, building and it is not in recently con- said Councilmember Julian Gold, after row,” and was completed last week. and I saw Renee, who I hadn’t seen in two structed Community Centers but in build- much discussion concerning Metro’s re- “[All plugging] is expected to be com- years. I ran up to her as if she was my ce- ings like the Los Angeles Athletic Club, quest to lift the holiday moratorium, a re- pleted next Spring, or June of next year,” lebrity,” Kassan said. the Jonathan Club, the California Club the quest that was not approved by the Coun- Grilley said. Filming his subjects’ testimonies was a absolutely stunning RAC in London to cil with a unanimous vote. “The total project cost has increased key component in preparing to paint his which I belong and became involved with The projected completion of the mural over time, and we’re looking at a [total] portraits, Kassan said. due to my admiration for the building in skin was to be late November. of over $35 million,” Grilley said. “It adds more context to the paintings, which it is housed. “I believe we should just have a tempo- “This is [currently] a $28 million proj- These buildings proudly assert them- rary sound wall, and not have the remov- ect, and [the City’s contribution] is capped selves. able skin,” Vice Mayor Lester Friedman at $11 million,” Councilmember Julian They do not attempt to hide their size said. Gold said. “Over what period of time will and importance by raising the grade 17 Mayor John Mirisch agreed with Fried- [the BHUSD] put $17 million into [the feet as in West Hollywood or by creating a man, adding that he “does not see the val- account]?” 28-foot high overpass to conceal its mass. ue in having [the skin], so I’m happy to The funds would be pulled out of a Those attempts do not work and have see [the sound wall] disappear once it is BHUSD bond to facilitate the rest of the serious urban consequences. done.” cost, according to the report. Isn’t it time to take a serious look at Bosse Announces BHUSD Board President Noah Margo what is being proposed, and fix it? Re-Election Bid for Council said the oil well plugging and abandon- Tom Roberts Coun- ment project “is an opportunity for the Beverly Hills cilmember school district to work together with the Lili Bosse an- City on a major project that will eventu- nounced her ally benefit the school and community as candidacy for a whole.” the March “Of course, this is something neither briefs 3, 2020 City civic entity planned on, but it is a reality Council elec- and we all have agreed to make the situa- Firestone’s Suit from the 1960’s, Fea- tion last week.