Bill of Rights Celebration
On Monday, December 8, the ACLU of Southern California celebrated the 217th anniversary of the Bill of Rights with dinner for a few hundreds at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Luminaries at the event included honorees Earvin “Magic†Johnson, David Linde, Jermaine Dupri and Betty and Stanley K. Sheinbaum. Emcee Shaun Robinson of Access Hollywood kept trying to quiet the chatty civil libertarians as she kept the evening moving along.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was the first presenter of the night. He gave Magic Johnson his plaque in honor of his civil liberties work. Johnson then stunned the crowd – and thrilled the development office – by auctioning off his Laker seats for the January 16 game.
No on P?
More than 100 people turned out for the first public forum among 11 candidates for an upcoming City Council election in Beverly Hills. The Southwest Homeowners Association held the question-and-answer meeting that focused on the city’s General Plan, Measure P, and the Beverly Hilton Revitalization Plan. Almost all candidates opposed or were neutral on Measure P, which is designed to raise cash for the city. There was also contention over efforts to revitalize the Beverly Hilton, most of it focusing on potential traffic problems.
Painter Killed
Beverly Hills police have arrested Nathan Hall for allegedly attacking two painters, leaving one of them dead, in the first homicide in the city in four years. Authorities say Hall allegedly got out of his vehicle and stabbed 75-year-old Helmut Mende, who was painting the wall of a parking lot. Mende’s co-worker, Jurgen Hapke, came to his aid, and was fatally stabbed. The other victim recovered from his wounds.
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