Hubbard’s Ex-Boss to be Named More Heat In BHHS Wins Quarterfinal • • • cityInterim Superintendent Page 3 rudyAssembly Racecole Page 8 sportsBoys’ Tennis Playoff Match Page 14 ALSO ON THE WEB Beverly Hills www.bhweekly.com WeeklySERVING BEVERLY HILLS • BEVERLYWOOD • LOS ANGELES Issue 347 • May 25 - May 31, 2006 PalacePalace WarsWars There’sThere’s aa housinghousing battlebattle takingtaking placeplace onon aa blockblock inin thethe southeastsoutheast partpart ofof BeverlyBeverly Hills.Hills. ButBut it’sit’s justjust aa sliceslice ofof anan eveneven biggerbigger problemproblem facingfacing thethe city.city. cover story • page 12 Stepenosky Shocks Beverly City Makes News, BHHS Boys Tennis Team • • • made available to public employees. As ATMOSPHERE cityWith Departure Plans Page 3 rCampaignudy coleTurns Ugly Page 7 sAdvancesports In Playoffs Page 14 ALSO ON THE WEB such, there were quite a few brand new BHUSD is high pressure atmosphere. Of www.bhweekly.com Beverly Hills homes that were being sold for $350,000 - the four school districts I’ve worked with, $450,000 at the time, and offered for by far, BHUSD has the highest amounts of SERVING BEVERLY HILLS • BEVERLYWOOD • LOS ANGELES letters Weekly $250,000 - $350,000, for example, to only stress levels. Most things are rushed and Issue 346 • May 18 - May 24, 2006 school and city employees. fixed later on. People do not understand that Will The Last West Hollywood For employees of school a district in slow and steady (carefully planned out) Person To Leave Says They TThehe School WWantant In Ventura County, there’s a realtor that works wins the race, not rushed because it needs to BBeverlyeverly Hills leaders say school District Turn Off district annexation in their city is specifically with public employees in be done right away. TheThe Lights? unlikely. obtaining an interest rate considerably Charles Poovakan ObservationsObservations on the unprecedented & exodus of BHUSD administrators. email lower than even the credit union. Oxnard, CA Does Beverly Hills do anything for via bhweekly.com employees who want to live closer to work? Corrections #346: “Will The Last Person To Leave The Answer: NO. In the “People & Pictures” section, School District Please Turn Off The SALARY “Society of Young Professionals” Lights?” LAUSD pays higher in general. The should have been “Society of Young Although I was not a district administra- highest paid IT position at BHUSD is in the cover stories • page 12 Philanthropists”. Corrected photos tor, I held a fairly important position in the $50K range. Other districts have put a lot appear this week on pg. 15. BHUSD. into their IT department. For example, the WHY I LEFT… Director of IT at Oxnard Union High WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? In “City & Schools,” Carpinteria is AFFORDABLE HOUSING School District gets compensated over on the Ventura/Santa Barbara County When developers wanted to build homes $100K. This type of position will keep You can write us at: border, but is actually located in Santa in the city of El Monte, it was approved on highly qualified employees for a long time. 140 South Beverly Drive #201 the condition that a few of the units were Barbara County. Beverly Hills, CA 90212 You can fax us at: 310.887.0789 email us at: 1422 WestwoodShaherzad Blvd. • Los Angeles Tel: Restaurant (310) 470-3242 Fax: (310) 474-2040 [email protected] Shaherzad is home of the old persian tradition of baking bread in the Tanour- right in front of your eyes. Catering for all occasions! • WE DELIVER! Beer • Wine SNAPSHOT Open 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m Daily WeBeverlye Hillskly Issue 347 • May 25 - May 31, 2006 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. Founded: October 7, 1999 Published Thursdays Delivered in Beverly HilIs, Beverlywood, Los Angeles ISSN#1528-851X 1 year www.bhweekly.com subscriptions Publisher & CEO are available. Josh E. Gross Sent via US Mail Managing Editor Michelle Zenarosa $75 payable in advance Editorial Assistant Kari Hamanaka Sports Editor Steven Herbert Adjudicated as a Photographer newspaper of general Judy Okun circulation for the County Contributors of Los Angeles. Case # Rudy Cole BS065841 of the Los Scott Huver Angeles Superior Court, Gerald Lunn on November 30, 2000. General Manager Simon Esfandi Assistant General Manager Ardy Hakhamian Advertising Representatives n Soshi Azadian a i j Natasha Saadat z e Melody Shadsirat B Alex Levian l e a h Legal Advertising c i Michael Saghian M : Bobby Refoua o t o Benny Moradzadeh h P 140 South Beverly Drive #201 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 “DOUBLE TROUBLE” 310.887.0788 phone 310.887.0789 fax THE PROM CNPA Member [email protected] SONY STUDIOS All staff can be reached at: first name @bhweekly.com Unsolicited materials will not be returned. ©2006 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. Page 2 • Beverly Hills Weekly city & schools Hubbard’s Ex-Boss Named Interim Superintendent John Fitzpatrick comes to BHUSD with some mixed reviews from Calabasas. By Kari Hamanaka The Beverly Hills tional leaders in the state,” Hubbard said. “I Board of Education think if John is selected as the interim super- named John intendent, he would do an outstanding job.” Fitzpatrick Interim Fitzpatrick served as Superintendent at Superintendent to Rim of the World Unified for five years take over when before moving on to be Superintendent in Superintendent Jeff 1995 at Las Virgenes Unified in Calabasas Hubbard departs June where, coincidentally, Beverly Hills High 30. School Principal Dan Stepenosky will leave John Fitzpatrick “John [Fitzpatrick] June 30 to become Assistant Superintendent is one of the most out- for Personnel. standing superintendents in the state of “John was recognized because he was at California,” Hubbard said. “John has been Las Virgenes for 10 years,” Hubbard said. instrumental in guiding my career and been “He left that school district excellently. helpful to me through the various jobs that Moreover, he was also instrumental in a vari- I’ve held and has been a career guidance ety of statewide committees. He was also counselor as well as a good friend.” chair of the Superintendent Advisory Group Fitzpatrick, who is currently the at USC for many years. So, he’s been per- Superintendent in Residence at Pepperdine ceived as a real leader in the educational field University, promoted Hubbard, then a drama and a leader among leaders really.” teacher in Lake Arrowhead, in 1991 to While at Las Virgenes, Fitzpatrick aided in become principal at Grandview Elementary passing Measure R in 1997, a bond that School in Twin Peaks. helped finance renovations throughout the “I think John is in the top tier of educa- city & schools cont. on page 4 May 25 - May 31, 2006 • Page 3 city & schools cont. from page 3 down between the Teachers’ Association and helped to restore the teachers’ union’s confi- Hubbard’s departure comes at a time when district and paid for construction of a middle district administration and the school board,” dence in Fitzpatrick at the time. Pope says many school administrators are leaving, school in Calabasas and an elementary school said Sandra Pope, co-President of the Las she found Fitzpatrick’s overall effectiveness which Lurie views as a sign that the district is in Agoura Hills. Virgenes Educators Association and former as superintendent at Las Virgenes, hard to hiring the right people. “He’s very positive and very much a prag- teacher’s union president. “There wasn’t any summarize because of his leadership style. “If we didn’t have a lot to envy and admire matist who focuses on what you can do ver- clear avenue to identify issues and resolve “He’s not a hands-on superintendent,” then we probably wouldn’t see people being sus what you can’t do,” said Donald Zimring, problems.” Pope said. “He was always available to meet, picked out of here,” Lurie said. “In some who served as Deputy Superintendent on the In response to the vote, Fitzpatrick worked but he didn’t initiate the meetings. So, if I had ways, it’s a positive sign but it’s difficult to Las Virgenes school board while Fitzpatrick with the teachers’ union to change the situa- any issue or if any association leader had an lose people.” was there. “I think he’ll do a great job for tion. issue, I could pick up the phone and he would The Weekly reported last week [issue #346] Beverly Hills as the interim. He certainly “To his credit, the vote of no-confidence, meet with us that day, but he didn’t have a on a growing concern about the high turnover knows school districts.” he took quite seriously,” Pope said. “He did- need to have an ongoing meeting with us to among administrators. Despite praise from colleagues, Fitzpatrick n’t blow it off. He didn’t get angry. He direct- be more intimately involved with problems. “I understand that there are members of our came under fire from teachers in Las ed his administrative cabinets to figure out a He felt it was important to know politically community who regard the changes in Virgenes after they voted “no-confidence” in better way to communicate.” what was going on in terms of big political administration and staff as unsettling and I the former superintendent’s decision-making Under Fitzpatrick’s leadership, weekly pictures coming in from Sacramento, and I’m believe we all share a sense of loss as we and communication skills. meetings between district administration and sure that’s what most superintendents do.” learn of retirements or decisions to take posi- “The vote of no-confidence was because the teacher’s association were implemented The roundtable discussions between the tions elsewhere. However, if we simply communications had completely broken as means of resolving issues as a team.