WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS RECEIVED — Beverly Hills City Council, January 28, 2025

WRITTEN PUBLIC

COMMENTS RECEIVED
1 Deborah Blum
Dear City Staff:

My name is Deborah Blum. As I stated in my letters to the Planning Commission on August 8 and November 12, Dale Herd (my husband) and I are requesting an exemption from the proposed total ban on short-term rentals for our historic landmark home, , located at the corner of .

I would greatly appreciate it if you would bring the following points to the attention of the City Council:

Historical Significance:

Our house, a 1913 Craftsman, was built for Edmund Locke (1861-1922), the first judge of Beverly Hills, by noted Los Angeles architect Frank M. Tyler (1876-1961), who built many significant houses throughout the Los Angeles area. In the 1930s, Joseph P. Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. and Edward Kennedy, lived there. My parents bought the property in 1941 from the Locke family. In 1989 my husband and I bought the house from my parents. At the time my husband was a successful screenwriter, and I was a successful producer of feature films.

Financial Challenges:

Soon after taking possession, we discovered the house was close to collapse. We were forced to pour our life's savings into a restoration project, which included repouring the foundation, replacing all the structural beams, redoing all the electrical wiring, and replacing every pipe.

Saving the house was worth it. Not only because it has been our family home for over 80 years and is architecturally significant, but also because it’s a tangible link to the golden era of Beverly Hills — a time when Hollywood icons like Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, and Gene Kelly once strolled the streets. In 2013, the Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission designated it an historic landmark. Our property has been a staple on local bus tours and was, until his passing last year, a cherished stop on Phil Savenick's historical walks.

Over time, it has become clear that maintaining the house comes with significant and recurring financial burdens. The costs of preserving the original character-defining features while addressing structural issues are ongoing. As retirees no longer working in the film business, and now living on Social Security, we struggle to make ends meet. To address this, we propose that the city allow us to regularly rent the guesthouse on our property for less than 30 days, while continuing to reside in the main house where we can maintain close oversight of the rental unit which is a mere 30 feet away. 2 Preservation as an Economic Strategy:

Our rationale is based not solely on what is good for us, but also on how maintaining our house benefits the city of Beverly Hills. Historic preservation is not merely sentimental; it is a proven economic strategy. Cities like Savannah, Charleston, and Pasadena have demonstrated conclusively how the careful conservation of historic architecture can simultaneously drive cultural tourism and stimulate local business growth. Currently, only 18 single-family landmark houses exist in Beverly Hills—each a living narrative of the city's illustrious past. Ours is one of them.

Precedent and Legal Framework:

The Cultural Heritage Commission has set a precedent for carving out incentives for owners of landmark properties, including modifications or waivers from zoning regulations. While the ability to host short-term rentals is not specifically named, the Cultural Heritage site indicates that the Planning Commission and the City Council have wide latitude in determining appropriate accommodations tailored to each property.

There may be other homeowners who are debating whether to apply for landmark status. By creating thoughtful incentives, Beverly Hills has an opportunity to not just preserve its architectural heritage, but also to transform these sites into dynamic economic and cultural assets by granting waivers when appropriate.

Proposed Compliance Mechanism:

We understand that the code enforcement staff may see this carve-out as complicating their job of catching violators. To address this potential issue, we propose a simple and efficient solution: Initiate a system that flags all applicants. Any property owner who is thus identified would then be required to prove that his house has landmark status. The onus would rest entirely on the property owner to validate his exemption, effectively creating a self-regulating mechanism that requires no additional administrative effort from code enforcement.

This approach offers a streamlined, low-effort solution that protects the city's interests while providing a practical pathway for responsible historic property owners to maintain their properties. The city benefits from our work in maintaining our home—we only ask the city for some reciprocity in granting us a waiver that will contribute to our ability as responsible owners in preserving a landmark Beverly Hills home.

I appreciate your careful consideration of this request, and I remain available to discuss any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Deborah Blum
250 East 1st Street, Suite 1201; Los Angeles, California 90012 213.336.5900  betterneighborsla.org
l
City of Beverly Hills Short-Term Rental Data
This report presents data on the short-term rental market in the City of Beverly Hills. The report includes the total number of short-term rentals (STRs) operating in Beverly Hills since January 2022 and the rise of commercial hosts in recent years.

Short-Term Rentals in Beverly Hills
Above is a chart displaying a snapshot of the number of active STR listings on Airbnb from January 2022 to January 2025 in Beverly Hills. The listings are broken down into unhosted units, meaning the entire dwelling unit is being rented out, and hosted units, meaning there is a host on site renting out a section or room of their home. The chart was created using data from Inside Airbnb, which collects listing data from Airbnb to put together a picture of the long term and short-term rental market in an area.1 Better Neighbors LA (BNLA) compared data from Inside Airbnb to determine the number of active STR listings in Beverly Hills in January 2022 compared to January 2025. The chart below displays the growth in STRs, particularly unhosted STRs, over time. According to Inside Airbnb, there has been at least a 191% increase in the total number of short-term rentals from January 2022 to January 2025. As set forth in the chart below, during this time, there has been a 161% increase in the number of unhosted rentals of entire homes and apartments. Though there was a decrease in STRs between August 2024 and January 2025, we believe it is 1 Data on file with BNLA, Inside Airbnb: https://insideairbnb.com/. 0 200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
January
2022
August
2022
January
2023
August
2023
January
2024
August
2024
January
2025
Short Term Rentals in Beverly Hills from January
2023- 2025, Inside Airbnb
Unhosted STRs Hosted STRs
Better Neighbors LA, January 28, 2025 Page 2
250 East 1st Street, Suite 1201; Los Angeles, California 90012 213.336.5900  betterneighborsla.org
likely due to the Planning Commission’s recent efforts to amend the STR ordinance and consider increased enforcement scrutiny, which could explain why some operators would leave the market.

Beverly Hills Short-Term Rentals by Type, Inside
Airbnb
Room Type January
2022
January
2025
%
Change
Entire home/
apartment
318 831 161%
Private, shared
or hotel room
106 152 43%
Total listings 424 983 132%
Short-Term Rental Prices
Short-term rentals in Beverly Hills also continue to increase in price. AirDNA2 combines data from the two top STR platforms, Airbnb and VRBO, to demonstrate the STR market in a particular area. Using data from AirDNA, BNLA determined that the average daily rate of short-term rentals in Beverly Hills increased $95.25 from $436.42 to $531.67 from 2018 to 2023.
3 The chart below depicts the trend in STR prices over time.

Beverly Hills Average Daily Rate of Short-Term
Rentals, AirDNA
Year Average Daily Rate
(adjusted for inflation)
2018 $ 436.42
2019 $ 417.00
2020 $ 365.92
2021 $ 368.08
2022 $ 416.00
2023 $ 531.674
Inside Airbnb, though only representative of listings on the Airbnb website, also validates this trend in price. As of August 2024, the average cost of a short-term rental was $727.30 per night, an increase of 11.7% compared to the previous year in August 2023.

Beverly Hills Average Short-Term Rentals Price, Inside Airbnb August 2023 August 2024 Percent
Change
$ Amount Change
$ 651.20 $ 727.30 11.7 % $ 76.10
2 https://www.airdna.co/
3 Data on file with BNLA. Average daily rate reflects a combined total for unhosted and hosted. 4 Average daily rate for March 2023 was calculated based off of first 3 months of 2023 given data limitations.

Better Neighbors LA, January 28, 2025 Page 3
250 East 1st Street, Suite 1201; Los Angeles, California 90012 213.336.5900  betterneighborsla.org
Commercial Hosts
The rise of commercial hosts, or hosts that have multiple listings, has increased significantly, indicating a trend in the corporatization of housing stock for tourist serving accommodations. Commercial hosts have at least one listing in Beverly Hills, then one or more additional listings on their Airbnb host profile. The chart below breaks down hosts in Beverly Hills by the number of listings on their profiles. In January 2021, the average number of listed homes per host in Beverly Hills was 1.9 and has since risen to 6.9 in January 2025. In addition, 51% of hosts list more than one entire property on their profile in 2025, up from 21% of hosts in Beverly Hills in January 2021. While hosts listing one entire home increased by only 17% since 2021, the total number of commercial hosts has risen by 355%.

Number of Hosts with STRs on Airbnb5
Number of Listings
on Host’s Profile
January
2021
January
2023
January
2024
January
2025
Percent Change from January
2021 to January 2025
1 listing 173 170 197 203 17%
2 to 5 listings 51 52 81 108 112%
6+ listings 11 22 41 106 864%
Commercial Host Total 47 74 122 214 355%
Average listing per
host 1.9 3.6 5.2 6.9 263%
Using data from Inside Airbnb this past November, BNLA uncovered a web of commercial operators in Beverly Hills who are primarily listing apartment units. We found 8 operators who seem to be hosting similar STRs in the city, as demonstrated by their listing photos and descriptions. Each of these hosts had 15 or more listings in Beverly Hills. Based on Airbnb listing data from August 2024, the host Michelle had 39 listings,6 Billy had 33,7 Gabriela had 31,8 Miguel A had 27,9 Theresa had 26,10 Amanda had 25,11 Fernanda had 21,12 and April had 15.13 In November 2024, all of them had active profiles that each had 30 or more listings. Using a common tactic of commerical operators hosting illegal STRs, their profiles have been removed. However, their operation, which based on reviews has been going on across different listings for years, is an obvious example of valuable rental units being converted into de facto hotels. As the screenshots below demonstrate, these STR listings were asking for a few hundred dollars a night per room; however, the reviews made it clear that the STR operators are not trustworthy and many of the units are not in good condition. 5 Data on file with BNLA, Inside Airbnb: https://insideairbnb.com/. 6 Michelle: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/485134033 7 Billy: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/484449751 8 Gabriela: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/466578599 9 Miguel A: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/520941808 10 Theresa: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/520942518 11 Amanda: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/521511226 12 Fernanda: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/484275960 13 April: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/484338505 Better Neighbors LA, January 28, 2025 Page 4
250 East 1st Street, Suite 1201; Los Angeles, California 90012 213.336.5900  betterneighborsla.org
250 East 1st Street, Suite 1201; Los Angeles, California 90012 213.336.5900  betterneighborsla.org
January 28, 2025
Via Electronic Mail: [email protected]
Beverly Hills City Council
455 North Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Re: Better Neighbors LA Comment Letter – Request to Continue to a Date Uncertain the First Reading of a Draft Ordinance Amending Short Term Rental Regulations (Transient Uses) for Single Family and Multi-Family Residential Zones – Agenda Item F-1 Dear Mayor Friedman and Councilmembers,
Better Neighbors LA (“BNLA”) is a coalition of tenants, housing activists, and community members working to curb illegal short-term rental (“STR”) activity with the intent to protect long-term housing.1 We conduct data analysis and research on the short-term rental industry and its impact on affordable housing.

BNLA writes to you regarding City Staff’s request to continue to a date uncertain the first reading of the Draft Ordinance Amending Short Term Rental Regulations (Transient Uses) for Single Family and Multi-Family Residential Zones (the “Draft Ordinance to Amend”) (Agenda Item F-1). BNLA believes the Draft Ordinance to Amend is important to protect long-term housing for Beverly Hills residents. Protecting long-term housing is especially critical now that so many have been displaced because of the recent and tragic wildfires.

On January 16, the Beverly Hills City Council has passed the Urgency Ordinance for Emergency Short Term Rentals (Ordinance No. 25-O-2908) (the “Urgency Ordinance”) to support the immediate housing needs of displaced residents. The Urgency Ordinance will be in effect for up to 180 days. Immediately afterwards, however, displaced residents will be in dire need of long-term housing, not short-term stays of fewer than 30 days (“STRs”). The City of Beverly Hills must pass the Draft Ordinance to ensure as much long-term housing, not STRs, is available to meet displaced residents’ housing needs. The most effective way to do so is to ensure the Draft Ordinance to Amend is already approved and in place to be effective once the Urgency Ordinance expires. Accordingly, Beverly Hills should make it a priority to vote on the Draft Ordinance to Amend as soon as possible.
1 https://www.betterneighborsla.org/
Better Neighbors Comment Letter
Agenda Item F-1

Page 2 of 2 ends

BNLA is concerned about the impact of the wildfires on housing availability in Los Angeles County. Now, more than ever, local governments should take every step possible to protect housing units for families, not for STR businesses to turn a profit. STR rentals of fewer than 30 days offer a temporary stop gap, at best, but at the risk of supporting the conversion of long-term housing units into dedicated STRs. As of January 2025, the average cost of a short-term rental in Beverly Hills was $703.60 per night.
2 Whether offering a whole house, or just a spare room, every STR represents housing that can be offered to a long-term resident displaced by the fires.

We are in support of the Draft Ordinance to Amend, which prohibits STRs in single-family residential, multi-family residential, and Mixed-Use Overlay zones, and creates a specific penalty schedule for violations that set fines to the maximum extent allowed under state law.

The Draft Ordinance to Amend also establishes a one-year minimum lease within single-family residential zones. We encourage the City Council to extend the benefit of the minimum year lease to multi-family residential zones, as well. This would create consistent housing regulations and best promote housing affordability in the city. Long-term housing is best protected by consistent regulations prohibiting STRs across all housing stock.

Consistent lease requirements across all residential zones would also support a more stable community and create a clear administrative path to protecting long-term housing from being cannibalized to serve the STR industry. In November 2024, BNLA identified a web of STR operators in Beverly Hills. (See attached Data Sheet). This group of 8 “hosts” monopolize more than 200 Beverly Hills apartments to serve their enterprise. Egregious operators should be the target of City enforcement efforts. To make Beverly Hills’ housing ordinances more enforceable, the City needs clear and consistent regulations across single, and multi-family, zones. Both Santa Monica and West Hollywood require landlords offer tenants a one-year minimum lease. In fact, West Hollywood recently extended their lease requirements to apply to single-family residences and condos in addition to apartments and rental units. In doing so, the West Hollywood City Council implemented an extension to preserve housing stock for long-term residents. 3 BNLA urges the Beverly Hills City Council to ensure the Draft Ordinance to Amend becomes effective immediately after the Urgency Ordinance expires. Better Neighbors recommends that the City Council protect its residents and housing by banning short-term rentals in all residential units, establishing a one-year minimum lease for all residential zones; and authorizing penalties up to the maximum extent allowed under state law. Should you have any questions, please contact Maura O’Neill at [email protected].

Sincerely,
/s/ Randy Renick
2 Data on file with BNLA, Inside Airbnb: https://insideairbnb.com/ 3 https://beverlypress.com/2024/03/weho-passes-one-year-housing-lease-rule/ CAUTION: EXTERNAL SENDER
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From: Christine Chung
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: Wilshire Metro Closures
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 1:20:58 PM
Please find additional comments for the meeting tomorrow night.

Thanks,
Christine Chung, P.E., ENV SP
Project Manager
City of Beverly Hills - Public Works
345 Foothill Road 2nd Floor
Beverly Hills, California 90210
Office: 310-285-2516
Email: [email protected]
From: circa1971la
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 at 1:17 PM
To: PurpleLine <[email protected]>, Nancy Hunt-Coffey <[email protected]>
Subject: Wilshire Metro Closures
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Dear Mayor Friedman and Council Members,
As a resident, I share significant concerns about the impact of the proposed Metro closure of Wilshire Boulevard on our Southwest neighborhood which is already under assault from speeding, cuthrough, Uber, Waye, etc..

A recent traffic study conducted by The City of Beverly Hills Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program revealed that 1,656 vehicles per day traverse just our block of 200 South Peck per day average, with 65% exceeding the posted speed limit and some reaching speeds of 45– 50 mph. This closure will undoubtedly intensify these alarming conditions.

Such closures are likely to redirect substantial traffic onto our residential streets—particularly Charleville, Gregory, and adjacent north-south streets—causing increased congestion, disregard for stop signs, and speeding.

To address these challenges, I respectfully request the following:

1. Traffic Control Officers (TCOs): Stationed at key intersections to prevent gridlock, enforce traffic laws, and facilitate access for residents.

2. Police Presence: BHPD enforcement to deter speeding and enhance laws

3. Detour Signage and Public Outreach: Clear, well-marked detours directing traffic to major arterials, paired with robust citywide notifications

4. Coordination with Navigation Apps: Ensure Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze prioritize arterial routes to prevent cut-through traffic.

5. 24/7 Hotline: A manned hotline to address resident concerns promptly.

Advance planning and communication will be essential to minimize disruption. I urge the City to prioritize resident safety and quality of life during this project.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Jordan Geller, MD
255 South Peck Drive
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From: Christine Chung
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fw: METRO/WILSHIRE CLOSURE
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 6:12:54 PM
Please find one more comment for tomorrow's CC meeting. Thank you, Christine Chung, P.E., ENV SP
Project Manager
City of Beverly Hills - Public Works
345 Foothill Road 2nd Floor
Beverly Hills, California 90210
Office: 310-285-2516
Email: [email protected]
From: [email protected] >
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 4:07:01 PM
To: PurpleLine <[email protected]>
Cc: Nancy Hunt-Coffey <[email protected]>; Shana Epstein <[email protected]>; Christine Chung <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: METRO/WILSHIRE CLOSURE
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To: The Beverly Hills City Council
From: Stan Hausner
Re: Metro’s Closure of Wilshire
Mayor Friedman and Members of the Council:

As a resident in the southwest area, I am very concerned that the temporary closure of Wilshire by the Metro will have the result of diverting substantial traffic into our residential neighborhood with a great number of cut-through traffic on the east/west streets (Charleville and Gregory) to get past the Wilshire closure and also the north-south streets (100,200 and 300 blocks) to get to Olympic to continue east or west. Despite signage directing the cutthrough traffic to Santa Monica or Robertson.

Drivers heading east or west on Wilshire coming to a Wilshire closure will continue on some alternate route—many through the southwest. And many ignoring the stop signs and ignoring speed limits in our residential area.

Already 56% of the cars in our neighborhood are cut-through traffic!!! The Southwest Homeowners Association has requested in a prior email to the City that:

1. Traffic Control officers (TCO's) be stationed at many (if not all) of the 16 southwest intersections along Charleville and Gregory to prevent gridlock, enforce full stops and enforce the speed limit. Also to temporarily hold traffic as needed to allow residents to access or exit their homes/driveways.

2. That BHPD be onsite as needed for enforcement of stops and speed, and with extra presence to protect the southwest neighborhood homes from "curious" strangers; and the Police Department enforcing traffic regulations along Charleville Boulevard and Gregory Way near the closures to reduce cut-through commuter traffic, particularly on weekdays, and to ensure drivers comply with traffic signs and speed limits.

3. Provide well-marked detour signs to direct traffic to arterial routes, with TCO's in place as needed

4. That the City and/or Metro provide via advertising, email blasts and social media of the closures and detour routes.

5. Coordination of same (stressing the need for detoured traffic to take only arterial routes and not cutting through the Southwest) with Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze.

6. A 24/7 manned hotline for complaints or issues.

The Association also requested, regardless of the option selected, that comprehensive advance public outreach and notifications about the closure and detours be provided to the residents. Whether the 18-weekend or 3-week closure is implemented, City staff and Metro should plan and be committed to release extensive public notices citywide and regionally and update the online GPS traffic applications to ensure residents and commuters are wellinformed.

Thank you. We appreciate your help and concern.

Stan Hausner
310) 926-1411
[email protected]
From: Erin Hoops
To: City Clerk
Subject: Please Support Item #G-2
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 1:07:17 PM
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Dear Council,
I am writing you in support of Item #G-2 on the City Council Agenda for January 28th 2025. An expedited timeline for the Purple Line Extension affects traffic flow for less amount of time, while adding benefit to our city via a completed transit line. A complete closure for less than a month is preferable than only weekends for nearly 5 months. I would prefer it to be completed sooner rather than later.

Thank you so much for your time,
Erin Hoops
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From: Leo Shahbazian
To: City Clerk
Subject: Please Support Item #G-2
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 5:26:21 PM
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Dear Council,
I am writing to show my strong support of Item #G-2 on the City Council Agenda for January 28th 2025. An expedited timeline for the Purple Line Extension affects traffic flow for less amount of time, while adding benefit to the city via a completed transit line. I also believe a three week closure is more palatable than five months of ongoing construction. As they say, rip the Band-Aid off.

As a user of the LA Metro network, I would prefer it be done sooner than later.

Thank you so much for your time,
Leo Shahbazian
92507
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From: Christine Chung
To: City Clerk
Cc: Daren Grilley; Shana Epstein
Subject: 1/28th public comment - FW: Concerns about the Wilshire closure for work on the metro Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 1:07:28 PM
City Clerk’s office,
Please find a resident’s comment below for the Metro item tonight. She requests NOT to include her address as part of the public comment.

Thank you,
Christine Chung, P.E., ENV SP
Project Manager
City of Beverly Hills - Public Works
345 Foothill Road 2nd Floor
Beverly Hills, California 90210
Office: 310-285-2516
Email: [email protected]
From: >
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025 at 12:49 PM
To: Nancy Hunt-Coffey <[email protected]>, Shana Epstein <[email protected]>, Christine Chung <[email protected]> Cc: Ken Goldman >, Sharona Nazarian
>
Subject: Concerns about the Wilshire closure for work on the metro Dear Nancy, Shana, and Christine,
Please include my comments at the City Council meeting where the Wilshire closures will be discussed. I request that you do not disclose my address in the public comments.

Dear Mayor Friedman and Members of the Council,
As a resident of the southwest area of the city, I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposed Wilshire closures, and I respectfully request that you provide our area with sufficient personnel and resources to help us contend with the increased traffic that the closures will create, as outlined by Ken Goldman in his letter to you, copied below.

Thank you.

Rosa Berman
Resident at the southwest corner of McCarty and Charleville To: The Beverly Hills City Council
From: Ken Goldman
Re: Metro’s Closure of Wilshire
Mayor Friedman and Members of the Council:

We residents in the southwest are very concerned that the temporary closure of Wilshire by Metro will have the result of diverting substantial traffic into our residential neighborhood with tons of cut-through traffic on the east/west streets (Charleville and Gregory) to get past the Wilshire closure and also the north-south streets (100,200 and 300 blocks) to get to Olympic to continue east or west. Despite signage directing the cut-through traffic to Santa Monica or Robertson.