BEVERLY HILLS – Classes were canceled on the first day back of the New Year on Jan. 5 at Beverly Hills High School after a bomb threat was called in at 11 am. Beverly Hills Police Department Sgt. Max Subin said that authorities did not find any suspicious items at the campus at 241 Moreno Drive. Students were evacuated to nearby Roxbury Park and released to go home even though the campus was cleared and determined safe at about 1 pm.
BEVERLY HILLS – A domestic violence complaint turned into a standoff between a man and police outside a Beverly Hills home on the day before New Year’s Eve. Police tried to serve an emergency protective order about 1 pm to a man at a home in the 100 block of South Clark Drive, according to Lincoln Hoshino of the Beverly Hills Police Department. The man then ran into the house and refused to come out, according to Hoshino. He said the situation was made more dire because it wasn’t initially known if the man had a firearm, or possessed other means to harm himself or others. Shortly after 2:30 pm, the incident “concluded peacefully” with the suspect in custody in connection with domestic violence charge.
BEVERLY HILLS – BHPD Sergeant Brien Weir began the New Year by filing a second lawsuit saying he has been denied promotions and harassed because he earlier filed reported that another member of the department peeked at Whitney Houston’s dead body. Weir’s first complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 10, 2014 alleged misconduct of a detective, Sgt. Terry Nutall, the night Houston died in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Weir complained that on Feb. 11, 2012, Nutall knelt beside and leaned over Houston, removed the sheet covering her body and said, “Damn, she’s still looking good, huh?” Nutall also made comments “to the effect and substance that (Houston) looked attractive for a woman her age and current state,” the lawsuit states. Attorneys for the city have denied any wrongdoing on Nutall’s part. In fact, the lawsuit mentions that Nutall was recently promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant in the police department. As for Weir’s career with the Beverly Hills Police, the new lawsuit says that three months after filing his first case, he was denied a promotions to a police dog-handling position, a job within the criminal intelligence unit and the chance to work prostitution sting operations, all of which would have brought him more overtime pay and other compensation.
BEL AIR – Advocates of peace in the Middle East are mourning the death of Westside Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman, who died of natural causes in his Bel Air home of congestive heart failure. Beerman was a vocal critic of the political policies of Israel, where a tense standoff with frequent confrontations has been the rule as Jews and Muslims struggle to rule a country where both hold sites that are sacred to their respective religions. Beerman advocated building political bridges between the two faiths, regardless of their feelings about each other. His funeral took place Dec. 28 at Leo Baeck Temple in Bel Air. Beerman last appeared at the Temple in October and delivered a Yom Kippur sermon that blasted Israeli Army tactics during the summer’s war in Gaza, the newspaper reported. His death was lamented by the Muslim Public Affairs Council, where senior advisor Maher Hathout called the rabbi “a fearless interfaith advocate whose inspirational legacy will live on forever.”
CENTURY CITY – Hyatt Regency Century Plaza was the host hotel for the Oregon Ducks football team while they were in L.A. for the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl against the Florida State Seminoles. As part of the stay, the presence of University of Oregon was found in the form of a pop-up version of The Duck Store that operated Dec. 29-Jan.1 at the hotel. Located in the hotel’s Constellation Room, The Duck Store boasted a wide range of memorabilia. The cheapest item in the store was a $3.50 lapel pin while the most expensive items were the jerseys, which ranged from $90 to $150.
CENTURY CITY – The Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City hosted Dutch photographer Monica Nouwens on Jan. 8 for a special lecture. She spoke about her project “Look at Me and Tell Me if You Have Known Me Before,” which was on display at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam last summer. In this Los Angeles-focused photography exhibit, Nouwens aimed to genuinely capture the lifestyle of a young generation working and playing in the city. Her subjects are of a hip, trendy crowd living against a financially and morally strained backdrop that is characteristic of such a huge metropolitan destination.
CULVER CITY – While no one can deny that the use of books has declined in an age where literature and other information is available easily online, Culver City’s library is getting a makeover. Los Angeles County Librarian Margaret Donnelian Todd started out the New Year by telling the City of Culver City that renovations to the Julian Dixon Library on Overland Avenue would begin on Jan. 5. As part of the renovations, the library will install 40 new computers for use by children, teens and the general public. Improvements will feature new lighting, paint, furniture, and additional electrical outlets. Also, a new, modern circulation and information desk with self-checkout machines will help enable staff to better serve library patrons. During the closure, an Express Library will be available for limited services at the site of the Mayme Clayton Museum and Library, located at 4130 Overland Avenue.
MALIBU – Deputies responding to a call from a concerned citizen found themselves looking at a live grenade Jan. 1. The explosive device was discovered on the shore at Paradise Cove around 1:13 pm on the first day of the New Year, according to Lt. Seetoo with the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff department. “Arson & Explosives also responded to control the grenade,” Seetoo said. “We were told it was washed up.” The beach was evacuated until the device was removed and no additional grenades were found. There’s no word on whether the grenade was set to go off, or who would want to leave such a thing at the beach. Also plaguing authorities is who might have left the grenade, and why.
MALIBU – A local measure that put limits on chain stores in Malibu is unconstitutional and should be overturned, two property developers contend in a lawsuit filed Jan. 5. Measure R, which restricts the proportion of chain stores in new Malibu developments to no more than 30 percent by square footage and requires that any commercial development of more than 20,000 square feet be submitted to voters for approval, was passed in November. Malibu City Attorney Christi Hogin said she was not surprised by the challenge, but was sure the municipality would ultimately prevail. Measure R’s proponents, who include filmmaker Rob Reiner and Barbra Streisand, argued that Malibu’s “small-town character” was threatened by a possible 1.5 million square feet of new development, including the 25,000- square-foot Whole Foods market in the seaside enclave.
SANTA MONICA – Santa Monica Place has confirmed that The Cheesecake Factory is coming to its shopping mall next year. “We can confirm that The Cheesecake Factory will be opening at Santa Monica Place in the fall of 2015,” said Shoshana Puccia, Senior Manager, Marketing, Santa Monica Place. “We are looking forward to sharing more announcements in the future.” The Cheesecake Factory did not immediately return a call for comment. According to blog Los Angeles Eater, The Cheesecake Factory will take over the space on the third floor of Santa Monica Place currently occupied by La Sandia and Zengo. Both restaurants will continue to operate in the space until March 2015, when the switchover is expected to place.
SANTA MONICA – Santa Monica Assistant City Manager Elaine Polachek will assume the position of interim City Manager on Feb. 1, 2015 to fill the shoes left by Rod Gould who is retiring at the end of January. The unanimous selection of Polachek was made during the closed session at the City Council meeting on Dec. 16. Mayor Kevin McKeown said the council chose Polachek for a number of reasons, including her long history with Santa Monica, her record of successful communication and collaboration with residents and the business community, her admirable performance for years as Assistant City Manager, and her working relationships throughout City Hall and the City’s partners at the School District and Santa Monica College. Polachek has more than 30 years of public administration experience in key positions for the City of Santa Monica including Operations Manager for the Santa Monica Pier, Director of Community Maintenance and Deputy City Manager, prior her current post as Assistant City Manager. Polachek will hold the post until a new city manager is selected.
VENICE – A brand new mobile app for both iPhone and Android launched in December. The free app is designed to help residents and tourists in Venice Beach find places and deals at bars, restaurants, retail outlets and local sights. The Venice Boardwalk App launched on Dec. 5 at the Venice Holiday Sign Lighting event. Founders of the app also partnered with the Venice Art Crawl on Dec. 18 to give attendees a custom map of the exhibits. Here is a direct link to the download page at VeniceBoardwalkApp.com/get. Anyone can also download the app for free by texting the word VENICE to 444-999.
VENICE – The coroner has identified the man whose body washed up on Venice Beach on Dec. 22. He was 61-year-old Chong Kwak of Los Angeles, said coroner’s Lt. Larry Dietz. The man apparently fell out of an inflatable boat near the mouth of Marina Del Rey, and his body washed up near Topsail Court, where the discovery was reported to authorities at about 1:45 pm Monday, said Coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter. The man was declared dead at the scene. An autopsy was pending to determine the cause of Kwak’s death, Dietz said. An inflatable boat was found nearby. The Sheriff’s Department was investigating the death.
WEST LOS ANGELES – Opponents of a law banning the use of single-use plastic bags have shown up at the door of Los Angeles County election officials, bearing petitions with enough signatures to qualify the referendum for the November 2016 ballot. The American Progressive Bag Alliance, which represents the nation’s plastic bag manufacturers and the recycling industry, submitted more than 800,000 signatures to county election officials by the year-end deadline, Executive Director Lee Califf said. “We are confident the Secretary of State’s Office will verify the required 504,760 signatures to qualify the referendum for the November 2016 ballot,” Califf said. Proposition 270 was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 30, giving grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers until July 1, 2016 to stop making single-use plastic bags available to customers. The law would also provide up to $2 million in competitive loans to businesses transitioning to manufacturing reusable bags. If the attempt to overturn SB 270 qualifies for the ballot, the legislation could not go into effect until California voters had a chance to see if it should be made law.
WESTSIDE – Utility customers in Los Angeles can now get a $10 credit if they switch to paperless billing, the Department of Water and Power announced Jan. 7. The offer will be available until June 30 as a way to encourage customers still receiving paper bills to choose the more cost-effective and environmentally friendly option, LADWP officials said. “This program is part of an ongoing effort to reduce our environmental footprint through all the services we provide,” said Randy Howard, the utility’s senior assistant general manager. “Also, when we don’t have to print and mail a bill, the department saves money, which in turn saves our customer-owners money,” Howard said. “We are happy to offer our customers this bill credit, especially right after the holidays.” to sign up for the credit, visit ladwp.com/paperless.
WESTSIDE – The Los Angeles City Clerk put out a call Jan. 7 for 4,000 poll workers to help with elections in March and May. The city will be deploying 6,024 workers for city and school board elections scheduled for March 3 and May 19. Poll inspectors will get a $100 stipend for each day they work, $25 to attend a required training and $50 to deliver or pick up supplies and equipment. Poll workers not in supervisory positions will get $80 stipends. Workers must be U.S. citizens, registered voters, at least 18 years old and literate in the English. English-speaking poll workers who can speak Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai and/or Vietnamese also are needed. Sign-up by calling (866) 899-VOTE (8683) or (213) 978-0363, or emailing clerk.electionpw@lacity.org. The application is at cityclerk.lacity.org/election/pollworkeronline. Information about the election can be found at clerk.lacity.org/elections.
WESTSIDE – Touting the region’s burgeoning tourism industry, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Jan. 6 that about 70.7 million passengers passed through Los Angeles International Airport in 2014, making it the nation’s second-busiest airport. According to airport officials, LAX ranked as the nation’s third-busiest in 2013, behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Chicago O’Hare International. The Atlanta airport is the busiest in the world. LAX had 66.7 million passengers pass through its gates in 2013, according to the airport. The airport also processed 1.9 million tons of cargo and handled 614,917 landings and takeoffs. The 2014 passenger numbers broke the airport’s previous record of 67.3 million passengers, set in 2000. The latest tourism numbers also surpassed previous years. Los Angeles was visited by 43.4 million people in 2014, including a record number of 6.5 million international visitors, the mayor said. Hotel stays were up 3.2 percent from 2013, with 28.04 million nights in 2014.
WESTSIDE – The federal death-penalty trial of the man accused in a deadly shooting rampage at Los Angeles International Airport will likely take place next year, attorneys said Jan. 5. Paul Anthony Ciancia faces a possible death sentence if he is convicted of killing federal Transportation Security Administration officer Gerardo Hernandez during the Nov. 1, 2013, shooting spree that also left three other people wounded — two other TSA workers and one traveler. During a brief court hearing, U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez said he believed the case could potentially be tried as early as this November, but said he could be convinced to accept the proposed February 2016 start date. “We will do everything we can do to be ready that date,” Federal Public Defender John Littrell said, adding that the defense may ask for even more time to prepare.
