CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
455 North Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Telephonic/Video Conference Meeting
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
February 15, 2022
2:30 p.m.*
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54953(e)(3), members of the Beverly Hills City Council and staff may participate in this meeting via teleconference/video conference. In the interest of maintaining appropriate social distancing, members of the public can access City Council meetings telephonically, through live webcast, and BHTV Channel 10 on Spectrum Cable.
City Council meetings are broadcast on local Beverly Hills television and on other media platforms. Anyone who participates at the meeting and/or enters the City Council Chamber is subject to having their image displayed. These recordings will remain publicly accessible in perpetuity.
The City Council may act on any item listed on the agenda.
PRESENT: Robert Wunderlich, Mayor
Lili Bosse, Vice Mayor
John A. Mirisch, Councilmember
Julian A. Gold, MD, Councilmember
Lester J. Friedman, Councilmember
George Chavez, City Manager
Laurence Wiener, City Attorney
Huma Ahmed, City Clerk
Cynthia Owens, Policy and Management Analyst
Shana Epstein, Director of Public Works
Helen Morales, Deputy Director of Rent Stabilization
David Yelton, Assistant Director of Community Development/Building Official ABSENT: Lili Bosse, Vice Mayor
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Wunderlich at 2:30 p.m. He held a moment of silence to honor the life of Selma Katz-Bosse, Vice Mayor Bosse’s mother in law, who passed away this morning.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
1. AUDIENCE COMMENTS. Any person wishing to address the City Council on any matter may do so through email. 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. If you wish to address the City Council at this time, please email the City Clerk prior to or during the meeting. Please limit your email remarks to three (3) minutes in length (350 words) that can be read, so others may have the opportunity to participate as well.
D-4
City Council Study Session Minutes
February 15, 2022
Telephone Comment:
1. Barbara Pizik – re: 331 North Oakhurst
2. Michelle Forest – re: 331 North Oakhurst
3. Steve Mayer – re: 331 North Oakhurst
A – DIRECTION
1. Recommendation of the Beverly Hills City Council Legislative / Lobby Liaison Committee for Updates to the City’s 2022 Legislative Platform This item provides an overview of the updates made to the City's Legislative Platform for the 2022 Legislative Session.
Policy and Management Analyst Cynthia Owens presented the City Council Legislative/Lobby Liaison Committee’s proposed updates to the City’s Legislative Platform.
City Council Legislative/Lobby Liaison Committee Councilmembers Julian Gold and John Mirisch each spoke on the recommendations and on the intent to support local control.
Mayor Wunderlich expressed concern over the removal of an item that supported modifying existing law on setting speed limits. Director of Public Works Shana Epstein spoke on the limitations of Assembly Bill 43 which was introduced by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman to give cities more control over their speed limits. Ms. Owens suggested to add a broader statement to the Legislative Platform regarding local control over determining and setting speed limits.
City Council agreed to the Legislative/Lobby Liaison Committee’s recommendations and to Ms.
Owen’s suggested statement. The item will be placed on the March 1, 2022 City Council Formal Meeting agenda for approval.
2. Update and Options Regarding the City’s COVID-19 Related Rent Protections and LA County Updated COVID-19 Tenant Protections Resolution
First Agendized January 18, 2022
Staff will provide an update on rent registry data relative to the COVID-19 Eviction and Rent Increase Moratoriums and request City Council direction regarding whether to continue the tenant eviction moratorium and rent increase moratorium.
Deputy Director of Rent Stabilization Helen Morales presented the item which was first presented to City Council at the January 18, 2022 Study Session meeting. She reviewed background information and then provided options for City Council consideration including the recommendation made by Mayor Wunderlich at the previous meeting regarding the maximum allowable rent increase after the end of the rent increase moratorium. Ms. Morales corrected an error in the staff report regarding the chart referencing the Chapter 6 annual rent increase schedule.
Telephone Comment:
1. Mark Elliot
Video Comment:
1. Mark Lomeli, Senior Manager, Government Affairs and External Relations, AAGLA Written Comment:
1. Earl Goldstein, Housing Provider
2. Sally Fentress
City Council Study Session Minutes
February 15, 2022
3. Carrie Macy
4. Zack Anthony Carrington
5. Cynthia Baseman, Royal Development Company and Fred Wolf, Greystone Properties
6. Jay Cohen
Assistant Director of Community Development/Building Official David Yelton strongly suggested to avoid evictions and to provide tenants with the means to extend their stays.
Mayor Wunderlich requested annual reports based off of Ms. Morales’s report on rent change of newly occupied units from before and after the Rent Stabilization Ordinance’s existence.
He also requested reports regarding the applications for rent subsidies and the anticipated demographical distribution of funds.
City Council agreed to end the residential eviction and rent increase moratoriums on May 31, 2022, to Mayor Wunderlich’s recommendation regarding the maximum allowable rent increase, and to end the one-year payback period on May 31, 2023. City Council also agreed to further discuss any provisions to encourage repayment prior to the end of the repayment period.
B – ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO CONSIDER (TIME PERMITTING)
None
C – INFORMATION
3. Senate Bill 619 - Notice of Intent to Comply with Senate Bill 1383 This report provides the City Council with information pertaining to a resolution providing relief from violations associated with Senate Bill 1383 in compliance with the City’s Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Ordinance, approved at the December 7, 2021 City Council meeting.
Informational report only, item not discussed.
4. Mayor's Cabinet Meeting Highlights - January 10, 2022 This report provides monthly highlights from the Mayor's meeting with Commission Chairs.
Informational report only, item not discussed.
City Council Study Session Minutes
February 15, 2022
The Study Session adjourned at 4:32 pm to the Closed Session to discuss items that are identified on the agenda.
PASSED, Approved and Adopted
this 1st day of March, 2022
QIerk
ROBERT WUNDERLICH, MAYOR
This meeting was broadcast on live television, on City of Beverly Hills municipal government television access Channel BHTV1O Spectrum Cable.