E 1 CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS Council Chamber 455 North Rexford Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 2:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Bosse Vice Mayor Gold Councilmember Mirisch Councilmember Friedman Councilmember Wunderlich Mahdi Aluzri, City Manager Laurence Wiener, City Attorney Byron Pope, City Clerk Therese Kosterman, Public Information Manager Chad Lynn, Assistant Director of Public Works/Parking and Facilities Operations Mark Cooper, Assistant Chief of Police Sandra Spagnoli, Police Chief Mark Cuneo, City Engineer David Schirmer, Chief Information Officer ABSENT: None The meeting was called to order at 2:30 p.m. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 1. AUDIENCE COMMENTS. Any person wishing to address the City Council on any matter not on the agenda may do so at this time. However, the State open meetings law (Government Code Section 54950 et seq.) prohibits the City Council from providing a detailed response or acting upon any item not contained on the agenda posted 72 hours before a regular meeting and 24 hours before a special meeting. the City Council at this time, please complete a speaker s card and give it to the City Clerk If you wish to address prior to the commencement of the meeting. Please use the microphone provided, clearly stating your name for the official record and courteously limiting your remarks to three (3) minutes so others may have the opportunity to speak as well. 1. Phil Savenick 2. Thomas White, Municipal League of Beverly Hills
Page 2 of5 A - DIRECTION 1. Employee Recognition: Jack Merluzzo Jack Merluzzo, Utility Services Manager from the Public Works Department is retiring on December 22, 2017 with 25 years of service with the City. Mayor Bosse and the entire Council spoke on Utility Services Manager Jack Merluzzo s tenure, thanked him for service and dedication to the City, then presented him with a Certificate of Recognition. Mr. Merluzzo thanked the Council and staff and stated that it has been an honor. 2. Commission Reappointments (Architectural Commission, Design Review Commission, and Traffic and Parking Commission) The first terms of Architectural Commissioner Sheri Hirschfeld, Design Review Commissioner Ilona Sherman, and Traffic and Parking Commissioner Nooshin Meshkaty are ending on December 31, 2017. They are eligible for reappointment to a second term of up to four years each and have submitted letters of interest to be reappointed. City Clerk Byron Pope reported on the eligibility of candidates Sheri Hirschfeld, Mona Sherman, and Nooshin Meshkaty for reappointment. City Council Ad Hoc Liaisons CouncilmemberWunderlich and Councilmember Friedman each spoke in support of the reappointments. Council approved the recommendations. 3. Request to Approve Additional Costs for a January 21, 2018 Gospel Concert The Beverly Hills City Council previously approved the use of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts for a free anniversary concert in conjunction with the Faithful Central Bible Church, including an estimated $21,468 to cover costs incurred by the Wallis. This item requests consideration of additional $5,850 to cover rental of equipment needed for the concert, for an estimated total of $27,318. Public Information Manager Therese Kosterman reported on the item which was originally approved by Council at the November 7, 2017 study session meeting. She reported on the proposed additional funding required for rental of musical instruments and additional equipment that cannot be transported from the church. 1. Thomas White, Municipal League of Beverly Hills Head of the North Homeowner s Association sponsors Mayor Robert Tanenbaum explained the reason for the additional cost and answered Councilmember Friedman s question regarding securing additional sponsorships. Ms. Kosterman stated that a breakdown of the required expenses is available for Council review. She also stated that the labor estimates were revised and are significantly lower than originally estimated but could change. Council unanimously approved the request.
Page 3 of 5 4. Continuation of Temporary Seating Amenities on Rodeo Drive through June 30, 2018 This report provides a summary of the costs required to maintain the services and amenities on Rodeo Drive through June 30, 2018. Assistant Director of Public Works-Parking and Facilities Operations Chad Lynn reported on the item and stated that it is on the City Council regular meeting for approval to grant the City Manager authority to enter into the contracts. He pointed out that the request has received support from both the Rodeo Drive Committee (RDC) and the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitor s Bureau (CVB). Special Events Ad Hoc Liaison Councilmember Friedman and Mayor Bosse each expressed their support. Mayor Bosse reiterated the support from the RDC and CVB. Mr. Lynn and City Manager Mahdi Aluzri spoke on the schedule for installing permanent seating. Councilmember Mirisch suggested to extend the amenities until at least Labor Day 2018. Ad Hoc Liaisons Councilmember Friedman and Mayor Bosse each expressed their intention to adhere to the suggested expansion date until additional information is received on a permanent solution. Councilmember Mirisch also suggested looking into Beverly Hills branded designs for the permanent solution and to canvass other locations to expand the permanent seating. Vice Mayor Gold suggested using non-potable water in the irrigation design for the permanent solution. 5. Golden Globe Awards Ceremony - 2018 Provides information regarding the 75th Awards Ceremony scheduled on Sunday, January 7, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Assistant Police Chief Mark Cooper presented a brief overview and spoke on the objectives to provide enhanced security and safety for the Golden Globe event scheduled for January 7, 2018. He reviewed the street closures map and times, spoke in depth on the community outreach communications plan, and discussed the fiscal impacts. Assistant Police Chief Cooper and Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli provided clarification on the fiscal impacts. Councilmember Mirisch suggested working with the churches to ensure that their congregants who are traveling from the west side are aware of the impacts to traffic and that they have a path to reach their churches. He also suggested ensuring that drones are not used that are in violation of the City s regulations or that could possibly intrude on residents privacy. City Engineer Mark Cuneo spoke on scheduled road closures during the event to continue the subway construction. Vice Mayor Gold suggested to include identification of travel routes during the outreach process. 6. Consideration of an Agreement Between the City of Beverly Hills and Leon s Jewelry to Manufacture, Distribute and Market City Branded Jewelry 0MG Brands has requested that the City Council consider authorizing Leon s Beverly Hills as the non-exclusive manufacturer and distributor of Beverly Hills branded jewelry.
Page 4 of 5 Public Information Officer Therese Kosterman provided a brief background then introduced Leon s Jewelry owner and designer Leon Haytayan who spoke on the proposed line of jewelry. He provided sample jewelry for Council to inspect. 1. Thomas White, Municipal League of Beverly Hills Branding and Licensing Ad Hoc Liaisons Councilmember Mirisch and Vice Mayor Gold each spoke on the recommendation. Mr. Haytayan and Ms. Kosterman each spoke on pricing. Mayor Bosse asked Mr. Haytayan to provide Council with samples of all jewelry priced over $100. She also suggested to use better packaging to display the jewelry and to include a bracelet and a necklace in the line. 7. Update on the Fiber to the Premise Initiative Status of construction activities and presentation of preliminary time frames. Chief Information Officer David Schirmer provided background information and spoke on current work on the project. He discussed project management and outreach, presented the City s web page that provides information on the project, spoke on the schedule, and discussed his general observations. Councilmember Mirisch suggested that the logo should be presented to the Licensing and Branding Committee. Mayor Bosse suggested to advise each area when their timeline is approaching and on customer service expectations. Vice Mayor Gold suggested to include prewire opportunities to the City s Planning process. Council agreed that net neutrality should be included in the project and in the branding of the project. B ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO CONSIDER (TIME PERMITTING) None C - INFORMATION None
Page 5 of 5 The Study Session adjourned at 4:32 pm to the Closed Session to discuss items that are identified on the agenda that has been prepared for the meeting. PASSED, Approved and Adopted this 6th day of February, 2018 BJIerk LILt BOSSE, MAYOR This meeting was broadcast on live television, on City of Beverly Hills municipal government television access Channel BHTV1O Spectrum Cable.