CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
Council Chamber
455 North Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL STUDY SESSION
August 5, 2025
1:30 p.m.*
of the public may participate in the meeting by attending in-person or telephonically and the meeting through live webcast or BHTV Channel 10 on Spectrum Cable.
Sharona R. Nazarian, PsyD, MayorJohn A. Mirisch, Vice Mayor Lester J. Friedman, Councilmember
Craig A. Corman, Councilmember
Mary N. Wells, CouncilmemberNancy Hunt-Coffey, City Manager Ryan Gohlich, Assistant City Manager
Keith Sterling, Deputy City Manager
Laurence Wiener, City Attorney
Michelle Ramos-Vergara, Deputy City Clerk
Huma Ahmed, City Clerk
Patty Acuña, Assistant Director of Community Services
Shana Epstein, Director of Public Works
Jessie Holzer Carpenter, Transportation Planner
Max Subin, Police Captain
Jeffrey Newman, Police Sergeant
Todd Withers, Police Lieutenant
Michael Muse, Recreation Services Manager
Stephanie Harris, Director of Community Services
None
Members
may view
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:
ABSENT:
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Nazarian at 1:30 p.m.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
AUDIENCE COMMENTS. Any person wishing to address the City Council on any matter may do so in writing, through email or in-person. 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 or provide an in-person speaker card to the City Clerk prior to or during the meeting. Public E-1
comment via video conference or in-person will be no longer than three (3) minutes per each individual comment, subject to City Council discretion based on the anticipated length in the meeting. The City Clerk will read only the first three minutes (approximately 350 words) of a written comment. In the event of a large number of written comments on one item, written comments may be summarized by the City Clerk’s Office. The entire written comment shall be archived in full as part of the record.A -DIRECTION
1. Recognition: Being Water Wise Student Poster Contest City Council recognition of the winners of the Being Water Wise Student Poster Contest.
Mayor Nazarian, along with the entire City Council, recognized the winners of the Being Water Wise Student Poster Contest.
2. Request for a City Council Meeting Date Change from December 2, 2025 to December 9, 2025
This item seeks City Council approval of a request by Mayor Sharona R. Nazarian, PsyD to switch a meeting date due to a scheduling conflict.
City Clerk Huma Ahmed presented information related to this item.Council provided their comments and supported the date change.
3. Request to De-accession and Destroy Original Fiberglass, Hymn of Life: Tulips by Artist Yayoi Kusama in Order to Authenticate Newly Fabricated Sculpture in Stainless Steel and Authorize City Manager to Submit Confirmation to Deaccession and Destroy Artwork; and
Approval of an Appropriation in the Amount of $ 36,000 from the Fine Art Fund for the Costs Associated with the Storage, Deaccession and Destruction of the Artwork; and Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Amended and Reinstated Incoming Loan Agreement with New York Botanical Garden
Request to de-accession and destroy the original fiberglass, Hymn of Life: Tulips sculpture by artist Yayoi Kusama, and authorize City Manager to submit confirmation to deaccession and destroy artwork, and to approve an appropriation in the amount of $36,000 from the Fine Art Fund for costs associated with storage, deaccession and destruction of the work and authorize city manager to amended and reinstated incoming loan agreement with the New York Botanical Garden.
Assistant Director of Community Services Patty Acuña presented information related to this item.
Council provided their questions and comments regarding cost, timeline, and destruction.
MOVED by Councilmember Wells, seconded by Councilmember Corman to approve item A—3 as follows:
AN APPROPRIATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $36,000 FROM THE FINE
ART FUND FOR THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORAGE,
DEACCESSION AND DESTRUCTION OF THE ARTWORK
Ayes: Councilmember Wells, Councilmember Corman, Councilmember Friedman, Vice Mayor Mirisch, Mayor Nazarian
Noes: None
CARRI ED
4. Submittal of the Proposed Military Equipment Use Policy and Annual Report for Review Submittal of the BHPD Military Equipment Use Policy and Annual Report containing thecurrent inventory, the proposed future purchases, and other associated information as required by Government Code 7070 et seq.
Item taken after Item A-5.
Police Sergeant Jeffrey Newman presented information related to this item.
Council provided their questions and comments.
Police Sergeant Jeffrey Newman and Police Lieutenant Todd Withers responded to Council questions.
Council supported the proposed policy.
5. Conceptual Design Options for Additional Pedestrian Safety Measures on Certain Streets
Per the adopted City Council and Commission priorities for Fiscal Year 2025-26, the Public Works Department has prepared preliminary design options for increasing pedestrian safety for tourists and other visitors utilizing the roadway to take photographs.
Item taken before Item A-4.Director of Public Works Shana Epstein, Transportation Planner Jessie Holzer Carpenter presented information related to this item.Speakers:
1. Donna Rahimian
2. Gay Snow
3. Andrew Kole
Council provided their questions and comments regarding price, liability, signage, and various other topics.
Transportation Planner Jessie Holzer Carpenter, City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, and Police Captain Max Subin responded to Council questions. Council did not support theproposed design options, however, they did support signage alternatives and asked staff tolook into photo opportunities in the adjacent park.
6. Recommendation of the Recreation and Parks City Council Liaisons to Approve the Finalization of the Pickleball Pilot Program and the Conversion of Four Tennis Courts to Sixteen Permanent Pickleball Courts and Making a Determination of Exemption Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Staff recommends the approval of finalizing the Pickleball Pilot program with the proposed conversion of four (4) tennis courts to sixteen (16) permanent pickleball courts which was presented to the Recreation and Parks City Council Liaisons on February 27, 2025, with the direction to bring to the full City Council after the completion of the requested court measurements, sound study and final draft of rules.
Recreation Services Manager Michael Muse presented information related to this item.
Speakers:
1. Michael Lippman
2. Donna Rahimian
3. Marc Friedland
4. Gay Snow
5. Andrew Kole
6. Polly Powers
7. Lili Damavandi
8. Rebecca Damavandi
9. Jackie Smash
10. Teresa Cheng
Zoom Public Comment:
1. Eric Hoffman
Written Public Comments:
1. Chloe Belteau
2. Kim Blando
3. Rebecca Damavandi
4. Franne Goldberg
5. Everardo Gomez6. Cathy Greenly
7. Anne Griffin
8. Tracey Joffe
9. Ki-Teh Kim
10. Nalini Lasiewicz
11. Polly Powers
12. Debra Sarokin
13. Henry Soong
14. Cynthia Trangsrud
Council provided their questions and comments regarding sound studies, fees, potential noise ordinance, and various other topics.
Recreation Services Manager Michael Muse and Director of Community Services Stephanie Harris responded to Council questions.
Council supported moving forward with staff recommendations, and directed staff to start looking at noise mitigation measures like quiet paddles, potentially raising fees, ensuring rules regarding meetups are enforceable, and gathering community feedback.
B -ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO CONSIDER (TIME PERMITTING)
None
C - IN FORMATION
7. Treasurer’s Report for the Month Ended June 30, 2025 This City Treasurer’s Report for the month ended June 30, 2025, includes a summary of cash receipts and disbursements as well as a summary of fund balances.
Informational report only, no action taken.
8. Treasurer’s Report for Quarter Ended June 30, 2025
This City Treasurer’s Report for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, includes a summary of of investment balances and a listing of the portfolio value by each City fund.
Informational report only, no action taken.
PASSED, Approved and Adopted
this 1gth day of August, 2025
HUMA AHMED, City ClerklSecretary
SHARONA R. NAZARIAN, PSYD,
MAYOR/Chair
This meeting was broadcast on live television, on City of Beverly Hills municipal government television access Channel BHTVIO Spectrum Cable.