Good evening and welcome to the City of Africa Hill installation meeting of April 1, 2025. This city council meeting is being held on site here at the Wallace and Emberg Center for the Performing Arts and will also be available to the public live stream on local on local DH channel Tim and video conference. I'm sorry. No. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. I'm going to try. and then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. And then we go to the right. I would like to introduce the niece and nephews of vice mayor Nazarian, Misha and Isaac to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. And signing the pledge in American Sign Language is Liana Mani Chaim. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which which is stands mission under God Intervisible with liberty and justice for all Thank you Misha and Isaac Please remain standing with your hand on your heart and welcome mezzo soprano Shannon Deligion to sing the United States National Anthem and again signing the National Anthem in American's early light, What so proudly we hailed, that the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous night, for the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. The poor little girl, the poor little girl, the poor little girl, the books bursting in air, take her off through the night, that her flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled? the the the the of the great. the whole world. Thank you. honor guard please retire the colors Search team, Broadway diving. One, two, three, four, five, eight, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, four, four, four, five, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, a trained mezzo soprano and creative producer. Thank you also to local student Leana for providing ASL for both the Pledge and pledge of allegiance and the national anthem. I would like to also thank the Beverly Hills Fire and Police Department Honor Guard for their participation in this occasion. It is now my pleasure at the request of Vice Mernazarian to introduce Rabbi Nicole Gusik from Sinai Temple for the invocation. In the Jewish faith, we have just completed the holiday of Porum, and we're right about to begin the festival of Passover. And it's during these holidays in which we note the presence of strong, courageous, inspired women, women that found strength in their heritage and conviction through their roots. As Mordechai says in the poem's story about Queen Esther, and who knows, but that you have come to your position for such a time as this. Then during Passover we have the midwives that defy Pharaoh's orders, Miriam who fiercely protects her baby brother Moses. Each woman was chosen for greatness. And so how appropriate tonight that we celebrate another pivotal moment in history, where the first Jewish Persian woman becomes mayor of Beverly Hills. I am certain that your own mother's spirit is present tonight, holding you close and from the world beyond beaming with pride. Sharona like the other vibrant women that I mentioned this evening, you lead with confidence because it's your faith that roots you, your family that champions you, your soul that guides you, and your heart that pushes you forward. Tonight, Toronto will be sworn in with a very special prayer book. As her grandfather fled Iran with literally the clothes on his back, he left behind his beloved Hussi door, his prayer book. But years later miraculously, this prayer book was rediscovered, brought to Los Angeles, and tonight his granddaughter will stand before us with that very same Hsidur. You, Sharon, are an embodiment of the freedom that he was seeking for his family. You make him proud. You make all of us proud. For you are a unifier, a builder of relationships, someone that seeks to listen and brings together the disparate parts of our community. With your unparalleled light, you lift us and you lift this city higher and higher. Jewish tradition teaches it was in the merit of the righteous women that our ancestors were redeemed. How blessed we are to have this righteous woman, Sherona Nazarian, lead all of us forward. No matter our race, religion, or cultural background, Sherona, you bring us together for a greater purpose. With God's guidance, we pray tonight that you will continue to act with passion, clarity, and vision. Let us open this evening with the words of Shahehechanu. For those that know the prayer, please join me. Baruch, atah, atonai, alohinu, na'le, ha'le'am. to Haffeyanu, Vikyumanu, Vikyanu, Lisman, has a dear God, thank you for giving us life for sustaining us, and bringing us to this holy occasion. And let us say, I'm sure, Sharona Mazotov. Thank you all, Rabbi. I would like to introduce the Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy children's choir under the the direction of Catherine Simon and they will perform the song one day. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'm breathing. And my friends don't take me to a bright year for reason So that's the next year's night time But I never let you have me down So I'm hanging in the deep surrounds I know something you'll all turn All night, I'm can't wait for I can't wait for For the people today I can't keep on wanting a lot To love you another more Here's your thing for today One day, one day, one day One day, one day, oh, one day, oh, one day, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,'s the last year that I come But it never let it get me out So I let it do the taste around I know someday you'll all turn I know all my life I'm grateful I'm grateful for the people today Now we know what a better one There'll be no more one And our still people play One day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one I'm going to play the high and the sound of the night I'll be with you today, all you drink, and cross the beat I'll do the same, I'll see you come to me like a boy Oh, my day, oh, my day, oh, my day Oh, my life, I'm a late boy, I'm a late boy We're the people to say I'll keep on flying away for There'll be no more words and I'll still do the play One day, one day, one day One day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one and say. Thank you. So we would like to thank Harcomt Hillel, Hebrew Academy Children's Choir and Catherine Simon for that beautiful, beautiful performance. At this time, I'd also like to thank the Wallace-Annenberg Center for the performing arts on behalf of our entire city council and community for the use of this wonderful Goldsmith Theatre. So at this time, I'd like to recognize Beverly Hills being the international city that it is. We have many dignitaries who some are seated with us here, others are still waiting to get in. And I'm going to read off the list of those councilors and their individuals who were here. the country of Qatar, Mansour, Abdullah, Al-Sultan, and I'm going to, in advance, excuse my pronunciation of some of the names. From Lithuania, Sandra Betate, from France, Adrian Fraer, from Spain, Gerardo Fueyere, from Hungary, Groff Istvan, from the United Kingdom, Gufog Nikola, from Azerbaijan, Vogar Gurbanov, from China, Hongjiang, Huang, from Armenia, Karen is Raealan from Poland, Polina, Capuz Sinska from Czech, Petra Kassica from Croatia, Renee P from Austria, Michael Bozti from Thailand, Tor Saralamba from Romania, Lucia, Sava from Kenya, Ezra, Simayu from Ireland, Marcella Smut from Japan, Kenco Soni from Italy, Rafaellaella Valentini from Switzerland, Franco Zemerti from Greece, Christina Baruti and from Israel, Yulia Rackinski-Spivovkov. So if I may ask the city clerk if she could please call the roll. Thank you good evening. This is the first roll call for this evening. Council Member Wells. Here. Council Member Cormin, here. Council Member Mirish, here. Vice Mayor Nazarian, here. And Mayor Friedman, here. So with this point time we will take public comments any comments on the agenda, I have some speaker cards here. If there's anyone else who has a speaker card that they'd like to bring up or they would like to fill one out, please see the clerk. We're going to limit comments to two minutes. First card I have is Lana Negrette. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. I'm going to be here tonight. grateful to be here. This is my first Beverly Hills installation and you guys know how to do it right. So we've got to take some notes back to Santa Monica. I won't read this entire commendation, Mayor Lester Friedman, but this is dedicated to you in honor of all the work you've done, your time, your leadership, your expertise, serving the city of Beverly Hills with integrity and commitment, ensuring the city's continued prosperity and exceptional quality of life. We are honored to dedicate this to you for your civic engagement. Your public service has been exemplified through your accessibility, responsiveness and commitment to open dialogue with your community members. And so myself, Lon and Igrady, on behalf of the entire City Council commend you and we offer you this commendation. We look forward to building a relationship and fostering that with the new mayor and continuing to be a partner city from the city of Santa Monica. So we love you Beverly Hills, we are your friends and supporters and we're honored to be here tonight. Thank you very much. One of the really nice things about our Westside cities is that we as mayors of the cities of Culver City, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and who don't forget. Well, in any event, we all get together so often and get along so well. It's really a pleasure and thank you, Lanna, for being here. I do want to set the record straight. Chelsea buyers called me just a little while ago and they're in closed session. She was planning on being here and can't be here. So thank you, Chelsea, for your thoughts. The next speaker card I have is from our county assessor not to be confused with the tax collector Jeff Prang. Good evening mayor and council members. I was asked to come here to add a little bit of excitement to the evening in a way that could only be delivered by the county property tax successor. But it is a pleasure to be here once again at a reorganization meeting in the Beverly Hills City Council. My former neighboring city for many years as a West Hollywood City Council member,, somehow where I got demoted to being the county tax guy. But I want to come here to say a couple of kind words to our outgoing mayor, Les Friedman, who I've gotten to know during the course of his tenure as elected official in the City of Beverly Hills. You know, you you really demonstrate yourself to be, you know, a smart, conscientious and compassionate leader of one of the great cities in California, I represent all eight cities in LA County. Beverly Hills is truly one of the exceptional cities and so much of that is based on the leadership of you, and your colleagues, the creativity, the innovation that you bring and bring tremendous value to the people of Beverly Hills. It's been a real joy watching you as your leadership has grown, as your ability to get effect change, has grown exponentially. And I'm thrilled to be here to recognize you as you are leaving the office of mayor. And I guess my former boss called these demotion parties. But having been a mayor knowing it's your last meeting, it's actually a real elevation. Because as I told you before, the meeting, the only thing better being mayor of a city is being the former mayor. Because they will always call you mayor, and you get all the credit, you don't have to do all the work. And you could spend the next 12 months saying, Shrona, when I was in charge, I did it this way. But I brought for you. always call you mayor and you get all the credit, you don't have to do all the work. And you can spend the next 12 months saying, Sherona, when I was in charge, I did it this way. But I brought for you a proclamation. It says lots of really nice things. I'm not going to read it, but suffice it to say it tries to capture the best of your tendier as mayor. And to my friend, Sherona, it's been such a pleasure getting to know you in the last couple years since we were both on the campaign trail together a couple of years ago to watch you grow and learn and to really contribute to this magnificent city. I'm looking forward to seeing you put you are unique thumbprint on the history of this city over the course of the next year. I brought you a certificate as well. It's not as big as the one I got for less because you haven't done anything yet. We'll fill it in next year when you're the mayor. And for some, I guess the weird thing about tonight, I guess you just have lots of ice mares now. Except for you Craig, you're left out. So you're the only one who doesn't get to be mayor if something happens to Toronto. But congratulations to Toronto to Les and to John and Cragon Mary. It's a pleasure to be with you this evening. Thank you, Jeff. I think. I think. They're not sure. On the next speaker card I have is from Sherwin Schmowell from Assemblyperson Rick Chavez-Siber's office. Honorable Mayor, Honorable Vice Mayor, Honorable Council members, Sherwin Schmoyle from the Office of Assembly Member Rick Chavez-Ber and Proud Class of 2010 Hawthorner alumni. The Assembly Member couldn't make it tonight as he's up in Sacramento, fighting for the people of Beverly Hills, and for the 51st Assembly District. So you'll all just have to settle for me instead. I'm here tonight on behalf of Assembly Members of Bird to honor a very special idea that no matter what land your family may have come from, no matter what adversity you may have faced, whether you are the son of Holocaust survivors or an immigrant who fled tyranny in Iran, you can come to this nation and go on to lead one of the finest cities in the world. Just over one year ago, as the encampments were being assembled at UCLA, I went with a colleague to campus to observe what was happening and I was shocked by what I saw. I hadn't been there for 10 minutes. Before an individual had upon discovering the Jewish heritage of a colleague of mine, and I told us to go back to Auschwitz. Later that week, while on a call with Mayor Friedman, himself, the son of Holocaust survivors, he noticed that I was upset and asked if I was okay. I was distraught and told him what had happened. It was his words of kindness, his empathy, his wisdom, and his support which helped me get through the rest of the day, something I will always appreciate. Mr. Mayor, it is your kindness, your humility, your humanity, and your propensity to treat anyone with the utmost dignity, which has made you such a great leader and a good indecent man. The murder of Masa-Mini by tyrants who regularly brutalized innocent civilians of an otherwise beautiful country was a devastating moment for the Persian-American community. My family included. But with that devastation came an inflection point, a moment to take action. Vice Mayor Nazarian, your drive, your passion, tenacity, and unshakeable dedication to serving the community is deeply admirable. And your ascension as the first Iranian-American woman to serve as mayor of this great city, remind us that racism memory is not in vain. I am in the very first place, and I am very proud of my family, my family, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, my daughter, and I am the president of the United States of America, and I am the president of the United States of America, and I am the president of the United States of America, and I am the president of the United States of America, for a successful second term as mayor and vice mayor Nazirian, on assuming the role of mayor. Thank you very much. So Sherwin and I had a conversation late last week, and Sherwin between you and I, you got back at me. Sure one represents in the field Assemblyperson Zubur and this is the kind of leadership that we have representing us in our community which is really outstanding in the state of California. Thank you. My next speaker card is from Mandy Lafflin from County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath's office. I love having my name called and going down the stairs. It's like I'm on the prices right. It's very exciting. I'll keep my remarks brief. I just wanted to congratulate Mayor Friedman on his successful run as a mayor. Thank you so much for being such a great partner to the county. And we always appreciate working with you. Vice Mayor Nazarian, we are excited for you to be mayor. And we look forward to continuing on relationship with you as well. And also congratulations to the council members on another successful year. Thank you. Thank you. Applause. The last speaker card I have unless somebody else brings one up is from Nick Ferries from Senator Ben Allen's office. Thank you. I want to echo everything Mandy said on behalf of Sender Allen and the State Senate. I want to congratulate and we're excited to be working with Mayor Nazarian going forward as mayor. So congratulations. We're excited to see what you do. And I want to give a big thanks to Mayor Friedman for all the service that he provided to the City of Beverly Hills. We look forward to continuing to work with you. So thank you for both of you, for all of your leadership. Thank you. Thank you. So before we go to any electronic means of communication, I just want to recognize that the Beverly Hills Board of Education members are here. It is Beverly Hills Together and all of the former Beverly Hills mayors that are in attendance. Thank you all for being here. So we'll go to any electronic means, any phone or video or emails. Mayor, we do have one caller for the Agenda's item. It is Apostle the Louis Vuitton Princess. Please go ahead. Good evening, Council. I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person. I'm here in town, but I'm just so behind on my next Louis Vuitton shoe on what they will drive so behind the editing. But I wanted to at least offer my congratulations. So, your congratulations. It's hard to help congratulations. Indeed, to New Mayor Nazarian. If you recall New Mayor, I actually told you a year and and a half ago in council chambers that I believed you were the best face to represent Beverly Hills. I believe that in this moment of time and with happening globally, a strong Jewish woman, a fearless Jewish woman who's also kind and compassionate is exactly what is needed in this moment. And I am very proud that you will be representing the City of Beverly Hills. What we all have to, don't take it personal, the rest of you council members, the fact is, in order to collectively succeed, we have to lean on each other whoever's the best equipped to handle the part. And the Zarian's beauty as well as her tenaciousness and kindness and fierce advocacy for the Jewish people in this moment of time is exactly what we need. And I wish this town for the next panel we have to be the visionary and for the Reed of the Conqueror's initiative to fund one of the agendas I believe we need to do is militarize the Beverly Hills police. If I'll just a brief history, if you recall, back at next night in 2023. I protested the rise of anti-Semitism and warned of the dangers coming exactly 14 days later of my warning, Hamas attacked Israel. Next year, 2024, on June 18th, in city-counciled chambers, I specifically warned of tear cells in this country that will attack the Jewish people exactly five days later On that Sunday Jewish synagogue was indeed attacked by pro-Hamas Extremists Apostle your your time is up. Can you wrap it up in 10 seconds, please? Yeah, so I say all that To warn the Jewish community listening name. I believe there are tear cells that intend harm to this community They want transgenders like me and Jewish people killed simply for being different instead of celebrating the different. At this creation, if it were up to me, I would put a firearm in every Jewish man and young Jewish alabs a hand because we cannot let the path repeat itself where the Jewish people are disarmed and are led to slaughter. Opposal, time is up. Thank you very, very much. That concludes public comment on agenda items. All right. Thank you very much. I would now like to invite council members to share the remarks for our outgoing Mayor Lester Friedman. So we'll start with council member Wells, please. Okay. Thank you. Well, Lester, first I would sincerely like to thank you for making my first year on the council a positive and welcoming experience. From day one, you've led with a quiet confidence, the kind of confidence that really has been a result of your years of service and your deep understanding and your love of our community. As mayor, you quickly took the reins and you unified this newly formed council. And by demonstrating respect, generosity and collaboration, you set the tone and you built this team and I really thank you for that. Also I would say that your leadership has always focused on our community and you've never lost that focus as evidenced by your highlighting all of our departments in the city to show what our city is doing to as well. As we've been grappling with the issues in our city, be it housing or safety or fighting anti-Semitism, you've always put your concern for our residents and focus on serving our community first. When our region faced crisis this time with the wildfires, you once again proved to be a steady voice that we needed just as you were during COVID. And Lester, I would say that your leadership this year has set a high standard for us on this council. You have shown that what leadership looks like showing both heart and strength. And it's really been my privilege to serve with you this year with you as mayor. And I look forward to serving many more years with you and I congratulate you and thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Council Member Corman. Thank you. Well, Lestra, I'm wearing one of your Beverly Holtzka, the LePelpin tonight in your honor. That was your motto and your term as mayor certainly lived up to it. As Mary just said when she and I first came on the council you made the transition to a very smooth and seamless one. We instantly were part of the team. I never got the impression you wanted us to go through some kind of trial here before we did or said something. A lot of people might be surprised to hear this but more than once I heard you tell people you were a member of the city council will happen to be mayor this year and I think that shows how much you value collaboration in teamwork and and and John Wooden would be proud. I agree. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I'm going. I will. Please proceed. Okay. And because you've presided over our meetings, you see the tone for the rest of us. And we had some people appear before us on some pretty contentious issues. And I don't think anyone ever came away feeling disrespected. Everyone talks about transparency in government, but treating people with kindness and respect is equally important and you always did that. You were also unfillingly calm. I never heard you raise your voice or swear once the entire year. I think that is actually an underrated virtue. And again, John Wooden would be proud. I know it sounds like we're saying goodbye tonight. The good news is you're actually just switching seats on the diet, which means we'll still have the benefit or your experience and guidance for at least another year and maybe more. And I'm certainly thankful for that. Thank you, Craig. I'm sorry, mum and my marriage. I got to worry because all these who... So you have to understand John. John has all these little pieces of paper. He writes notes on. I've sat next to him now for many years and he's got a lot of notes there. You can't read any of them. It is a scroll, but I'll try to make sense out of it because I have a lot of thoughts about less. First of all, I'll know how quickly a year goes by. It's just like that. And it's maybe a symbol or microcosm for, if we think a year goes by, quickly, how about seven years that we've served together? How about a generation? How about we look at our kids and think how quickly time goes by and how precious it is and how precious our time together is? This is absolutely not saying goodbye. This is just a nice excuse to have a party and also to hear Shirona's vision, which I know we're all looking forward to, but also to thank Les for not just the year in which he's led the city as mayor, but also for all of his work for the community, even before he was elected to the council, where he served the community and he has made this his home. Les's devotion to community goes even back to before he was living in Beverly Hills to when he was at UCLA, which is just down the road, which feels like Beverly Hills, but it's not. And as Craig mentioned, John Wooden, where Leicester actually worked for a new John Wooden, which to me seems amazing. That's kind of like knowing Albert Einstein or Ellie Wiesel or somebody like that. John Wooden is truly a legend and means a lot. But I don't think that only John Wooden would be proud of Les. I think Bob Boyd would also be proud. But also, more lately Bruce Pearl would be proud. Todd Golden would be proud. John Shire would be proud, and Kelvin Samson would be proud. For all of the UNON sports fans, those are all the four coaches who are in the final four next weekend. Which, for our community, amazingly enough, it's kind of feels like it's the Beverly Hills City Council Council because three of the four happen to the members of the tribe. I will also note less that you may not be the first mayor whose name is Les. We have Bronte. And he's out there. And Les Bronte, thank you and hi. But you are the first me, he's Leslie, your Lesster. And so you are the first Leicester mayor that we have. So there are a lot of other firsts that we are also going to experience with Shirona, the first Persian American Jewish mayor of Beverly Hills, which is amazing. But there are a lot of us, we all have our first as-do-you-us. But the important thing is, as said, that we're not saying goodbye, and I want to thank you for your leadership over this year and for the seven years, and which we've gone through through COVID and riots and attacks on Israel that directly impacted our community and mourning together and being defiant together and working together, but doing everything that we can to protect our community and to keep our community special. We all bring different things to the table, but that's something I believe that we all share. And I want to thank you for it. And it'll be, it was wonderful sitting next to you last year, and it will be wonderful working together again for the next year. Thank you, last year. Thank you, John. Lester, I've known you for a long time, and I consider you a friend. You were even, I sponsored you to come onto the rotary. But this year has truly been special. I've seen you in action. I've seen your leadership. You've made it a very smooth transition for all of us. We all felt welcome and what a difference it makes. So I wanna thank you for your leadership, for your dedication to our community as mayor over the past year. We're so grateful it's been a privilege to be able to serve alongside you as your vice mayor and to step in when needed. I truly appreciate your work. You've set the tone for the entire year. It's been positive. It's been welcoming. It's been kind and respectful. And that's something that we all want to be able to have as council members and to be able to share together. And it's refreshing to see that we, I think we voted the same on almost every single issue and it's interesting how we find common ground together. I value the work that we've done together. I really look forward to our continued partnership as we all work on the council together. The five of us are a team and it's truly my pleasure to be able to work alongside you. Thank you my friend. You leave very big shoes to fill. Okay I would like to... This mayoral term is much different than my first mayoral term. Pongwich, I am about to intern. I was in my home office the entire time. It was my desire to have the theme Beverly Hills together. Unfortunately due to the events of COVID, that program really never got off the first year. So I brought it back. The interactions that we have with our school district and with our seniors have really been highlighted this year. And that really is part of Beverly Hills together at council meetings we have recognized people who are helping other people. Cynthia Harper, one legacy, Reed Southern California, Maple Counseling Center. And it's important that we as elected officials stay in touch with the community both business and residents. We have a new customer service tool. The ASBH program gives a single point of contact for our residents and businesses to ask questions about what is going on in the city, how to do certain things in the city, a way to get immediate and correct answers from our city staff. Thank you for calling City of Beverly Hills. Streamlining the entire process. And I'm really proud to say that that was really an achievement. the safety and security of the community. We are now able to connect private cameras to our police real-time watch center. The police can be able to access a residence or a business's footage immediately. The police can be able to access a residence or a business's footage immediately. The police can be able to access a residence or a business's footage immediately. Portance of Beverly Hills Connect is quick response. To have proper response when needed is super important. The second part of that, it gives real time, watch center ability to businesses and residents if they so choose. The ability of our residents to feel safe in our community, that is really, really important. We are one community and we all have to strive to make it the best community that we can. One of the proudest moments that I have had as mayor is hosting the mayor's summit on anti-Semitism. But even Beverly Hills isn't immune from the evils of anti-Semitism. The people of Israel want to know that there is support in the United States in North America. Having a total mayor's summit where we had over 200 mayor's from the United States and Canada Canada come to the city of Beverly Hills. Had the 1400 slags on display, we had some really good discussions about what we as mayors can do. It really put Beverly Hills at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism. You know, we had a lot of serious things that we did during my air ship, but one of the fun things that we did was the filming of Beverly Hills Cop Axle Folding. We had the premiere at The Wallace, and we had all of the stars from the movie there. To thank Netflix for this beautiful event, and for this wonderful movie, it was just really a fun event. And I'm excited to invite all of you to join me for a special talk series called Less is More, An Hour with the Mayor. Issues that we have, we need to discuss, but more importantly to get that feedback from the residents, social media really has helped us a lot that there's also a downside to it. Sustainability, what we need to do as a community to make sure that we are using those resources to the best that we can use them. Welcome to the inaugural edition of A Day at the Office. Our first event was the car show and how much preparation is necessary in order to put on an event like that. We also did public works, specifically the solid waste disposal portion of it. Picking up to your trash and where it goes and how it is handled. I was able to operate one of the trash trucks which is not an easy task. Getting worse is not doing this. I want to remove that. We went to our emergency management department and we were at the emergency operation center to see what that system looks like during an emergency. You know, the EOC is activated when we have major events in the city. The winds continue. This is such a devastating situation. We continue to monitor the wildfire emergency here in LA County. What really drives our emergency management response? Respond with engine 2 and rescue 2. Overall look at the complexity of what it is like running a city. We highlighted our community services department. Paley Archive officially opened today at the Beverly Hills Library. There are work stations that everybody can come in and use. There's going to be assistance by a staff member. An essential part of what the city does in providing services to its residents. In closing, it has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the city's mayor during this past year and I look forward to my continued participation. Without the support of my family, I wouldn't be able to do this. I thank my wife, especially Simone, who has been so, so supportive of me. And my children, especially my oldest son, who is my law partner for picking up where I couldn't serve in that capacity. And to my other children and grandchildren, the entire family has been so supportive of my endeavors. And I thank you, thank you so much for allowing me to be able to be of service to the City of Beverly Hills. I now invite Mayor Friedman to address the community as outgoing mayor. Well, it was quite a year. Thank you all so much for being here tonight and being a part of this annual tradition. It's hard to believe my second term as mayor has now come to a close. I've had the privilege of living in Beverly Hills for over 40 years and I am honored to continue to be able to serve. First I want to thank the love of my life and partner for almost 50 years this August. My wife Simone. Simone you have been with me during this journey and and shared me with all of the city. Thank you for your unwavering support. Well, at least most of the time. To my children, Joshua, Alana, Adam, and Jeremy, and their spouses, Tanya, Craig, And of course, our six absolutely adorable grandchildren, Ava, Zoe, Leo, Maya, Sela and Asher. We love you and you are absolutely our proudest accomplishment. As you saw, I spent much of the 2020 mayorship in the emergency operation center. And then, as the master of language arts, Yogi Barra said, it was deja vu all over again. This past January, I found myself unexpectedly back in the EOC with Chief Barton and City staff as we communicated on the wildfires in the area. I am thankful that our efforts to keep every hill safe and informed during that uncertain time were well received. As you just saw, highlighting some of the functions that our city provides as residents was the focus of the series A Day at the Office, which I hosted. And it included emergency operations, solid waste disposal, special events, and community services. It was really important for me to expose those city departments to everybody and to take a look at what they all do. Additionally, we had town hall meetings that gave residents and businesses the opportunity to interact on the subjects of sustainability, fire department operations, and internet safety. We were also able to expand our public safety by increasing the number of closed circuit cameras in our neighborhoods and adding automatic license plate readers and especially rolling out Beverly Hills Connect, which is the integration of public private camera technology where residents and businesses can directly tie into our police department's real-time watch center with their own camera systems. And just a few weeks ago, I was thrilled to attend the grand opening of the Paley Archive at the Beverly Hills Public Library. Our partnership allows the Paley Center to have space in our library and enabling the community to access the Paley Archive free of charge. This treasured collection represents more than a century of television and radio history. It is a unique resource that enriches our community. Since Simone and I both came from Holocaust survivor parents, one of the most impactful and special memories was hosting the mayor's summit against anti-Semitism in December, where we had over 200 mayors from North America get together in Beverly Hills. Thank you to my colleagues and all who made this powerful event possible. As many of you know and have now heard, my background has been based upon a teamwork approach in order to achieve success. The team that we have, my city colleagues, city council colleagues and I, are up to the task of leading this incredible city into a prosperous future. Sherona, John, Craig and Mary, thank you for a wonderful year of collaboration and support. I will always be grateful. Now, as Vice Mayor Nazarian prepares to take her oath as mayor, let us join together and offer our support and assistance for the important work to come. Shirona, I wish you the very best in the busy year ahead. It is important to note at this time that the needs of our city in terms of services and capital improvements are always increasing. maintaining the safety and security of our community is always job one. But we must be cognizant of the financial requirements to maintain and adjust the levels of service we have become accustomed to in terms of our police, private security, fire and support for our schools. As I continue my work at a different place on the day, but still as a council member, I pledge to always do what's best for our beloved city. Beverly Hills is positioned for a bright future and the best is yet to come. Thank you all for this privilege. Thank you. Mayor Friedman on behalf of the Beverly Hills City Council we are delighted to offer you these gifts. Please. So this year with the approval of our colleagues on the council we we will have two vice mayors for the year. The vice-mairship term will be six months each. I will now conduct the election for vice-mair. Nominations are now in order for the office of vice-mair. I nominate John A. Marish for vice mayor for the first six months of this term. I second the nomination. City clerk will you please call the rule council member Wells yes council member Cormin yes council member Mirish yes vice mayor Nazarian yes and mayor Friedman yes well the Mirish family along with Los Angeles district attorney Nathan Hawkman and chief deputy Stephen Katz, please come forward and administer the oath of office to newly elected Vice I John A. Mirage. I John A. Mirage. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. Council member Mirish, please repeat after me. I, John A. Mirish. I, John A. Mirish, do solemnly swear, do solemnly swear, that I will support and defend, the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of California, and the Constitution of the State of California. all state of California, against all enemies foreign and domestic, against all enemies foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith in allegiance, that I will bear true faith in allegiance, to the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of California, and the Constitution of the State of California, that I take this obligation freely. That I take this obligation freely. Without any mental reservation. Without any mental reservation. Or purpose of evasion. Or purpose of evasion. And that I will well. And that I will well. And faithfully. And faithfully. Discharge the duties. Discharge the duties. Of upon which I'm about to enter. Upon which I'm about to enter. Congratulations. Thank you. So for those of you who don't know, District Attorney Hockman grew up and was friends with John Mirish during their childhood. And absolutely. And let me start by saying thank you Nathan and Steve. Thank you for swearing me in, but thank you Nathan and Steve. Or should I say D.A. Nathan Hockman and his chief deputy, Steve Katz, for making our community a safer place. Of course, this is also your community. For those of you who may not know, Nathan and Steve both grew up in Beverly Hills. Both of their moms still live in Beverly Hills. Steve and his family still live in Beverly Hills. Nathan and Steve also happen to be two of my very oldest friends. I've been friends with Nathan since kindergarten, and with Steve from our days at Beverly, where Nathan, Steve, David Kippin, and I form the legendary quartet, the Borsum Forsum. I was Nathan's debate partner in the Forensics program led by Bonnie Miller and supported Nathan when he ran for ASB President with the slogan, let the hawk fly into office. Thank goodness for all of us, the hawk has flown into office yet again. Old friends, Stephen Nathan, Nathan and Steve. Many of you too, old friends and old places and old memories are what part of makes this community so special. It's all about home and family and being part of something bigger than ourselves as individuals. The whole being bigger, more important, more meaningful than the sum of its parts. That's who we are. That's what Beverly Hills is to me and always will be. Home. It's home. This is home. We are home. If I were a tour guide, I wouldn't only point out that Jean Kelly lived over there, Fred Astaire down the street and Diana Ross over there on the corner. My maps to Stars Homes would include, hey, look over there on the right that's the Camino's house. Here on Rexford is where the pilots lived. Over there was the Bellisoth home. The Tillins, including their Joe, lived across the block. The Mochein house, there was a few doors down from my cousins, Teddy Mark and Amy, and a block down from Uncle Marvin. The Hawkmans, the Katzes, the Foster's, Brown's, the Marcus's, and yes, Sergey Rothmann and I have lived over there. I've been blessed to grow up here and to serve here. It's a double honor to become Vice Mayor again, to serve as my friend and colleague, Shironaona's vice mayor to help her and our council move the city forward while doing our best to protect everything that makes this town so special. It is also an honor to serve as co-vice mayor with my friend Craig Korman, whom after 10 years of trying and with the approval of his wife Karen, I was finally able to convince to run for council. Beverly Hills is very lucky to have him, and I look forward to teaming up with him as the vice mayor dynamic duo, and the rest of the council to tackle all the various issues we face, including those thrown our way by our politician friends in Sacramento. Thank you, Sharona, Craig, Les, and Mary for letting me serve with you as part of a team, where each of us has something unique to contribute. There's a lot to do, and I'm looking forward to rolling up our sleeves again and getting down to business. Of course, community also means family, and I would be nothing without my own family. My mom, the incomparable Wendy Goldberg, who deservedly is in the Beverly Hills High School Hall of Fame. My sons Vincent and Penzie, my brother Richard, my best friend and his family, and my sister Amanda and her family. My inimmitable aunt Tony, who along with my mom is going to be honored in exactly one month by the Cedar Sinai women's guild and my inspiring Uncle David 96 years young. And of course my amazing fiancé Yamani and Thank you to each and every one of you for being you. Thank you for being there, for being here, for loving me and letting me love you, for being a part of my life and for letting me be a part of yours. You all are why I do what I do. Wanting to keep it fairly brief so that we can move on to the main event, I will mention a couple of bullet points about goals for the next year. First and foremost, I would like for Beverly Hills to establish a sister-city relationship with Dova in Qatar. April Fools. The fact of the matter is when it comes to Qatar, which owns the Mayborn Hotel and which has its consulate in Beverly Hills, we're dealing with a rogue country whose defense minister and deputy foreign minister said, we are all Hamas. No, we're not. So as I do at every council meeting, this one being no exception, I will propose that we designate the Gihadi racist regime of Qatar a state sponsor of terrorism, that we sanctioned. Applause. That we sanction Qatar, freeze its assets and use them to compensate the victims of guitar fungity terrorism. And that we ask the State Department to expel the guitar in concert from the city of Beverly Hills. New hating racists and genocidal sponsors of terrorism are not welcome in our city or in our community. But you, my friends, are all welcome, and I thank you all for joining us tonight. Okay, so no sister cities with jihadi terrorist regimes. But I actually would like for us to explore becoming a charter city. It's a bit of municipal inside baseball, but becoming a charter city would give us more tools to meet the financial challenges we inevitably will face. And it would, in theory at least, allow us to exercise a measure of more local control, including for example giving us the ability to hold city elections not when Sacramento dictates but when we ourselves feel is best for our own community. In my opinion, it's certainly worth doing the work to determine whether becoming a charter city makes sense for Beverly Hills. as a charter city or a general law city, I remain committed to ensuring that Beverly Hills continues to be a beacon against anti-Semitism and other forms of hate. I remain committed to ensuring that we, together, continue to lead the way in our support for Israel with whom we signed a memorandum of understanding ten years ago this September. That's something to celebrate. And I remain committed to ensuring that we continue to set an example as if not the city on the hill than the city with the hills of how the best response to the tsunami of Jew hatred in our world and on our campuses is Jewish pride, pride in community, pride in each other, and pride in our wonderful home. Even when no one else is there, we're here together and we have to have each other's backs. Because that's what community is all about. That's what family is all about. That's what old friends are all about. As one time Beverly Hills residents Steven Sondheim, so elegantly and eloquently noted, and merely we roll along, which was performed on this stage a few short years ago. But us old friends, what's to discuss old friends? Here's to us. Who's like us? Damn few. Thank you very much. Tak sumikki, Maraming Salamat, Jankuyo Ebarso, Philindank, Todorrabah, Abiga Zund, bring our hostages home now, Zanz and Dege Azaddi, and Yisrael Fah. May God bless you all, may God bless America, and may God bless our Beverly Hills community. I will now conduct the election for vice mayor. Nominations are now in order for the office of vice mayor for the second six months. I nominate Craig A. Corman for vice mayor for the remaining six months of the term. I second the nomination. If we could have the city clerk please call the rule. Council member Wells? Yes. Council member Corman? Yes. You have to think about it. I'm sure. Former Vice Mayor Nazarian? Yes. Vice Mayor Marish. Yes. Mayor Friedman. Yes. I'd like to invite the Korman family along with wife Karen Korman. Please come forward and administer the oath of office to newly elected vice mayor Craig A. Cormin. Can we see every choice? All right Repeat after me I Craig a Cormin I Craig a Cormin do solemnly swear do solemnly swear to So that I will support and defend that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of California and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies foreign and domestic against all enemies foreign and domestic that I will bear true faith in allegiance and I will bear true faith in allegiance to the Constitution of the United States to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the State of California That I take this obligation freely and I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion without any mental Reservation or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties and that I will well and faithfully Discharge the duties a vice mayor of the city of Beverly Hills a vice mayor of the city of Beverly Hills Upon which I am about to enter on October 1st 2025 upon which I'm about to enter on October 1st 2025 Thank you. Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming tonight. Okay, so I know it's a bit unusual to install two vice mirrors at once. In fact, I don't think we've ever done it before. But because John will be turning off the council next June after record 17 years on the dius. When he asked me to split this coming year with him so we could have another go round as vice mayor I said yes. I believe he deserves it after giving so much of his time and energy to this community. I'd also like to again thank Lester for his leadership over the past year. It's always good to have a steady hand at the wheel. Now, these installation events have a tendency to go longer than anyone expects, and the spotlight's not really belongs on Lester and Shirana. So I won't take up more of your time with the lengthy speech. I do want to make one observation though. I believe we can all agree with what might be surely described as turbulent times. Half the people feel the country is headed in the wrong direction. Half the people feel quite the opposite and everyone seems on edge. But if you look back at the long arc of American history, it's actually a jagged line of harsh peaks and placid valleys. We sometimes lose sight of that when we've been living in one of the valleys for a while. But before there was COVID, there was polio. Before there were cultural wars, there was the Vietnam War. The genius of America, what's enabled us to endure for 250 years is our flexibility to adapt to changing times and changing values without coming apart. And through all the storms past in present, there's always been one safe harbor, one port a relative refuge, that's local government. Local government, municipal government by definition is nonpartisan. It's there to provide the essential services that allow us to lead the lives we want. Things like public safety, a clean and healthy environment, culture enrichment, and public spaces where we can relax and play. Beverly Hills has always prided itself on providing these things and more. Each of us up here on stage tonight is committed to making sure Beverly Hills continues to provide those things well into the future. That it will always be the place you want to call home. That's something you can count on even in uncertain times. It's been an honor to serve as one of your councilors these past 12 months and I look forward to serving as your vice mayor beginning on October 1st. Thank you. So I think that's our end of our program for the scene. We will now conduct the election for the mayor. I nominate Shirona Arnazarian PSYD for mayor. I second the nomination. And if we could please have the city clerk call the roll. With pleasure. Council member Wells. Yes. Council member Corman. Yes. Former Vice Mayor Nazarian. With pleasure. Vice Mayor Mirorman. Yes. Former Vice Mayor Nazarian with pleasure. Vice Mayor Mirish. Yes. And Mayor Friedman. As my last vote, as Mayor, yes. Given Nazarian family, along with Son's Noah, Aaron and Jonah, please come forward and and administer the oath of office to Newly-elected Mayor, Fiona R. These raises right here. I, State your name. I, Sharon and Nazarian, do solemnly affirm, do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of California, the Constitution of the State of California Against all enemies foreign and domestic against all enemies foreign and domestic That I will bear true faith and allegiance that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California and And the Constitution of the State of California. That I take this obligation freely. That I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties. And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of mayor of the city of Beverly Hills of mayor of the city of Beverly Hills upon which I'm about to enter upon which I am about to enter I'm so lucky I got two vice-mare. It's a hand. One down. One down. Thank you very much. And now, ladies and gentlemen, in honor of Mayor Nazarian Salma Mater, please welcome the USC marching band. I'm going to do it. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to play the drums. I'm going to to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm going to get the first one. I'm here. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to sing the song of the world I'm going to sing the song of the day I'm going to sing the song of the day I'm going to sing the song of the day I'm going to sing the song of the day I'm going to sing the song of the day I'm going to sing the song of the day I'm going to sing the song of the day Three, two, one, two, three. The The The I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. I'm going to play the piano. The the the the the the the the the the the the you Good evening. Who says Beverly Hills doesn't know how to throw a party? Thank you all for being here. I'd like to start with thanking my dear family, my amazing friends, and all of you are absolutely incredible community. I'm deeply grateful for your support which has brought me to this moment. This journey is not mine and loan. It's one that I I humbly share and proudly with all of you and all of my council members. Thank you. Applause. I wanna thank my father, Jacob Rochty, and of course my amazing husband, Danny, of 30 years. Danny, June, I'm so grateful for the life that we've built together, the family we've created. Without you, by my side, none of this would be possible. I love you, darling. And many people wondered who I would choose to swear me in. Is it going to be a celebrity, a rock star? Well, Noah, Aaron, and Jonah, you are my celebrities and more importantly, why I do this. I do it for everyone who is present, for our future, our hope, and infinite potential. At the end of the day, Beverly Hills has star recognition, but I wanna take it back to the basics and what makes Beverly Hills remarkable, community and unity. Tonight, I honor the legacy of those who paved the way, former mayors, dedicated commissioners, dignitaries and all the public servants whose vision shaped this city. And I want to acknowledge my incredible City Council colleagues. Lester, congratulations again on a fantastic year as mayor. John and Craig, I look forward to having you served by my side as my vice-mayors. That's pretty lucky, right? That's amazing. And Mary, it's been a joy to work with you. The five of us are a team and we work together. We may not always agree, but my goal will be to find common ground to serve our beloved community with knowledge, respect, and honesty. So I thank you. Now, it's hard to believe that it's been almost three years since I was installed as a city council member. I knocked on over 3,000 doors, and I have served the community for over 25 years. I even have a copy of my original flyer here to make sure that I stay true to my promises to you. Today I stand before you as the first Iranian American woman to serve as the mayor of Beverly Hills. My journey to this moment has been a long one. I am an immigrant. English is my third language. I came to this great nation due to religious persecution. No one was there to be my voice and things didn't always come easily. But I refused to have a victim mentality. You see, I believe that hard work and dedication are key to getting things done and I promise to work hard for you. I first became interested in public service as a young psychologist and young mommy. I saw areas in the system that needed fixing, and rather than complain, I decided to give back and do something about it. I had the privilege of serving on both the Beverly Hills Human Relations and Public Works commissions. I was proud to spearhead important initiatives, including creating the city's civility statement and the sustainability and participating in the sustainability ordinance, both still used today. I further went on to serve as an LA County Commissioner for Al-Khal and other drugs, where I reorganized and restructured the commission with my colleagues, earning me recognition from the county. Later, I served as the president of the Beverly Hills Rotary Club during the pandemic. I was inspired by the dedication and public service of our beloved community members as we provided scarce masks and hand sanitizers to our elders who were in desperate need. Congratulations to our Rotary Club on 100 years of service above self. These important roles taught me so much. Now as your mayor, I am excited to share my vision for the year ahead and the Beverly Hills of tomorrow. At the core are unity and community, celebrating Beverly Hills's rich history while planning for the future. Tonight I will outline several initiatives for the year ahead. So my speech is about an hour and a half, so please get comfortable. I'm just joking, April fools, about 20 minutes. So first and foremost, responsive and innovative government. As your mayor, I promise to lead with integrity, transparency and a proactive approach as we utilize technology as a force multiplier. We must be prepared with open lines of communication. At the heart of this, as always, is public safety. We honor the courageous men and women who serve this community. Thank you. Applause. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Our world class department, our world class police department led by Chief Mark Stambrooke is the envy of the nation. I am excited to announce even more cutting-edge technology that is coming to Beverly Hills. As you know, our revolutionary real-time watch center is setting the standard for law enforcement agencies around the world. We have drones, automated license plate readers, and close to 3,000 surveillance cameras across our city that monitor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This allows us to capture any suspicious activity and ensure that if you commit a crime in Beverly Hills, you will be held accountable. As we step into this new chapter for Beverly Hills, I'm thrilled to share our vision for a safer, more connected community. Our police department is embracing cutting-edge technology. AI BlueScribe is a game changer that eliminates bureaucracy, streamlines report writing, and gets our officers back on our streets protecting you. And that's not all. We will also roll out software solutions to keep you, our residents and businesses in the loop with real-time updates on calls for service. We're calling it BHTV LiveLink. Imagine a Beverly Hills where transparency, communication, and efficiency go hand in hand, empowering our police and strengthening our community bond. This is my commitment to you. Innovation with a heart keeping Beverly Hills the gold standard for safety and trust. Now mobility is crucial, but planning ahead is equally important. The Metro is almost open. I am excited to share that we finalized an agreement with Metro to install a public safety kiosk at the La Sianica station. This ensures a strong public safety presence presence for locals and visitors. Now, speaking of public safety, I want to thank our Ellie County District Attorney, Nathan Hoffman for being here. Tonight, I am excited to make a major announcement. Are you ready? I have formally requested permission from D.A. Hawkman's office for our city to prosecute state law misdemeanors. This proactive step will ensure that Beverly Hills will never be the target of unwarranted attacks again. So if you're even thinking about committing a crime in Beverly Hills, you'd better think twice. Thank you district attorney, Hawkewin. We look forward to our shared partnership and your excellent leadership. Under the recent fires in the Palisades, I asked our wonderful fire chief Greg Barton to take me to the affected areas so we could proactively improve our emergency preparedness. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected as we share in their grief and work together to rebuild LA. Our Class 1 internationally accredited Fire Department continues to set the gold standard for fire and emergency response. This summer our Fire Department will unveil updated evacuation policies and conduct an evacuation drill. Beverly Hills Fire Department has a proactive approach to wildfire prevention, including improved brush clearance on both public and private property. Now we're advancing these efforts and launching BH Fire Watch, a cutting-edge technology system that leverages cameras and other tools to detect early signs of fire before it spreads. Our fire department continues to lead the successful just in case and nurse practitioner programs, as well as a holistic approach to support the unhoused. We're calling it BHFD Wellness Network. The mission is to protect lives by providing emergency medical services, proactive care, and transparent membership billing. For a minimal fee, our residents can receive the care they need without the high medical transport costs. More to come on all of these initiatives. Now I want to ensure that your hard-earned tax dollars go to good use. We are committed to transparent efficiency that values both fiscal responsibility and the dedicated employees that make our city thrive. My sincere thanks goes to Nancy, Ryan, Keith, Larry, Huma, and our entire city staff. You are the heart and backbone of what means our city so special. We're so incredibly grateful to all of our employees for their dedicated service. Looking ahead, we must make fiscally responsible decisions, especially with projected deficits in the coming year. To maintain our strong financial foundation, I will take a zero-grade-based approach to capital improvement spending, carefully evaluating each of our projects. Over the past year, we have taken a hard look at government efficiency. Going forward, I will continue to work towards aligning both city and commission work efforts with council priorities to eliminate redundancy. I will be hosting town hall meetings called Straight Talk with Sharona. You see no one person has all the answers. This will be an opportunity for us to hear directly from all of you and find solutions together. Our first talk with Sherona will be on Thursday, May 8th at 6 p.m. at City Hall, and I look forward to seeing you there. Now you'll be hearing more from me on social media, so be sure to follow me at Sherona4BH and also watch for my in-the-no with Mayor Nazarian segments. We will highlight the hidden gems of our incredible community, important services and programs that we offer. The three pillars of Beverly Hills are police, fire, and schools. I am delighted to welcome our school district representatives tonight. I am hopeful. I am hopeful and committed to our continued partnership. We are here to support the schools in order for them to best serve our children, the most innocent and precious members of our society. We recognize that economic challenges are ahead and I am committed to ensuring our businesses not only endure but thrive. You see, it's a cycle. When businesses succeed, they generate revenue and trans-occupancy tax, supporting better services, stronger infrastructure, and a thriving community for us all. That's why my next initiative will prioritize business support and outreach. With our Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, we will spotlight the incredible merchants in our city. I'm calling it Spotlight with Sherona launching Wednesday April 23rd from 5.30 to 7 p.m. at Novakoff. I hope you'll join us as we shop and dine local. Through our shining in Beverly Hills presentations at City Council meetings we will honor and highlight small businesses that shape our community as well as a world-renowned luxury brands that make Beverly Hills unique. Beyond businesses, I am excited to explore destination film festivals, food and wine events, cultural events like Art Bas basil, enhancing our city's cultural landscape while generating revenue. It's about bringing the right kind of tourism, one that benefits both our city and our residents. As Beverly Hills continues to shine on the world stage, my next initiative will focus on international relations. As Pasco President of the Beverly Hills Sister Cities Association, I look forward to reactivating programs with Khan, Hurt Saleh, and other international partners. I want to take a moment to thank the Cons generals from 22 countries here tonight. I believe in unity through tourism. I look forward to working with our Council generals, tourism ministry, visitors bureau and the Rodeo Drive Committee to promote Beverly Hills as a global hub and conference destination. All right, quick check in. Are you guys still with me? All right. Next spring, I look forward to hosting an evening of Unity with the Mayor. It will be during Noir Rouge. we will bring in the Persian New Year together as a united community celebrating peace and prosperity. Tonight please enjoy some samples of Persian teas and cuisines at the reception. Nushejan. We will also honor significant events through the year with the respect and reverence they deserve, including international Holocaust Remembrance Day, Black History Month, and Veterans Day. And in May, we will mark Jewish American Heritage Month with celebrations across city, including Agondi. Yes, you heard me right. Agondi and Motsable Cooking Contest, where we merge our beautiful cultures together. And I can't wait to see you there. Sustainability has always been an interest in mind As part of our commitment to conserving water in Beverly Hills, we're excited to unveil a new resource that will help everyone make a positive impact on the environment and save you money. You'll be able to track your water usage, receive notifications about potential leaks, and easily pay your bill all in one place. I'll share more about this in the weeks to come. Now many of you know my formal education centers around psychology. So I'm excited to announce that my next initiative focuses on mental health, human rights, and female empowerment. I have the privilege of serving on the Executive Board of Maple Counseling Center and I have been an advocate for holistic health. During my term, I will debut a moment of unity as City Council meetings to keep us all connected. We will also have moments of inspiration with Mariner's area and on social media to help us stay centered and balanced, especially during these trying times. Our City Council continues to be a leader in standing up to the evils of hate and discrimination and anti-Semitism. When I was a little girl, No one was there to be a leader in standing up to the evils of hate and discrimination and anti-semitism. When I was a little girl, no one was there to be my voice. I look forward to promoting a campaign called Never Again Is Now. This will unite our community and demonstrate to the world that we will lead with courage and not be silent. Because never again is now. I have the privilege of representing Beverly Hills at powerful demonstrations here in our city and across the region. When we say Zanzandigi Ozadi, woman, life, freedom, to be a voice for all women, whether it's to preserve reproductive rights or to support those who were brutalized on October 7th. Now, on that day, we saw one of the most horrific massacres in recent history against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Later this year, we expect to break ground on a permanent October 7th memorial in their memory. When I initially brought this to Council, it was met with overwhelming support, so I'd like to thank my Council colleagues past and present as we move this initiative forward. Beverly, as we move this project forward, I wanna make that clear. Beverly Hills is a city, is a diversity where everyone is free to practice their faith without fear. I am committed to collaborating with our faith leaders to promote peace, tolerance, and social justice. I want to thank all of our spiritual leaders here tonight and thank you for being here. Applause We also need to stay relevant in changing times. While state law is being imposed on us, we need to maintain local control to ensure the fabric and charm of our community remain intact. It's vital to establish affordable housing options that are attainable, especially for young families who represent the future of our city. We are also dedicated to implementing initiatives that support our seniors ensuring they can age in place with dignity and respect. Okay, home stretch. And that's why for my final initiative, we will focus on youth and active adults. Young people, I see you. I'm always amazed at your unique and informed perspectives. I'm creating an advisory cabinet called Sheronas Innovation Circle. Each month we will meet to hear about issues important to our young professionals and discuss innovative ideas to keep Beverly Hills current and forward thinking. If you're between the ages of 18 and 28 and interested in serving in my innovation circle, please email the circle at Beverly Hills.org. Now moving forward, I'd like to explore events where our youth and active adults can come together to form friendships and learn from one another. We will have a series of programs with our teenagers and active adults called Sunday Socials with Shiruna. From tech assistance and book discussions to community dances and backgammon, these gatherings will bring generations together to create meaningful memories. So as you can see it's going to be a very busy year with a lot lot of excitement for the year ahead. I promise to lead with integrity, transparency, courage and strength, but also with kindness, respect, and my heart. Applause My mother of blessed memory was my biggest cheerleader, And while she is not here, she is here in my heart. I will use her encouraging words to empower others. I may be the first woman at Iranian woman in this position, but I certainly won't be the last first. The world is ready to celebrate new first for all, so I invite you all to join me. We are a united community, regardless of race, religion, or cultural background. I couldn't be more proud to represent our amazing community as we build a safer, stronger, and more united, Beverly Hills. I think there's a small video. It's a moment I could have never imagined. As a little girl, I dreamed of a place where the possibilities were endless. And standing here now as mayor of this iconic city, I am truly living the American dream, a dream my parents sacrificed everything for. I feel so privileged to serve this extraordinary community and I promise to listen to your concerns, focus on practical solutions and help build a stronger community through unity. Public safety is Marin Nazarian's number one priority and we know that will continue under her leadership. BHPD LiveLankel allow residents to see when officers are dispatched to their call when they arrive and give them case updates at the end of the call. It will also allow them to rate their experience. By sharing real-time information, LiveLink enhances communication and teamwork. That connection between our police department and the community makes us all safer. The ability of our city to prosecute state law misdemeanors is a game changer. We thank District Attorney Nathan Hockman for supporting our efforts to hold criminals accountable. The Beverly Hills Fire Department has a long history of providing the highest level service to the community. And we are looking forward to working with Mariners Arian in this upcoming year. BH Firewatch utilizes the extensive camera system in the City of Beverly Hills to look for any potential fires. To ensure we have complete coverage of the hillside area, we'll be adding more cameras throughout the year. Also, we'll be holding a voluntary community-wide evacuation drill to ensure residents know what to do if they need to evacuate. This proactive approach will help better serve the Beverly Hills community. Our Fire Department is leading the way with its wellness network. It's about providing a holistic approach and world-class medical care while reducing emergency transport costs for seniors and most vulnerable. The City Council realizes the importance of the business community and what it brings to make the city so vibrant and strong and have the wonderful police force in the fire department and schools of the understand the challenges as a local merchant that I would have. And so I think what's great is the dialogue is always there. Beverly Hoses clamorous, but it's the services that make us really want to live here. If we should have an issue, I feel comfortable picking up my phone and calling Sherona or our police chief and I'll get a response from them. I have restaurants in different cities, and there's no relationship like I have with the city of Berkeley Hills. Communication is critical to the success of our community. I look forward to straight talk with our residents, businesses, and visitors to keep our city on the right track. I've really seen her ability to basically understand and listen and be attentive to what people's needs are and understanding what are those issues because three months from now or six months from now, there's going to be a solution with her. She wakes up in the morning she's thinking, well, how can I improve the quality of life for our community? It's always been about, what can I do to make you feel like you're gonna have real impact? Like your contributions are gonna matter. And that's truly one of her greatest leadership skills. I believe she's an incredible listener. I believe she cares. And I think she has an ability to bring people together from diverse background and across cultures and ethnicities and religious beliefs. And I think that's one of the biggest gifts she has and one of the biggest gifts you can bring to our city. her background in clinical work. So you can see as a leader that she can be tough, she can be stern, but she's also pragmatic, she's also, you know, she really is very collaborative and she really will get down and roll up her sleeves and work in the community, whether it's a local cleanup to, you know, delivering food for families, it's pretty remarkable as an inspiring woman that she is, that she has the time to actually give back. My mom, I'm going to tell you a little bit of a secret about her. She's an absolute queen when it comes to Instagram. I think that's what really keeps her engaged with my generation and allows her to understand we have to make sure that the youth feels welcome and that they have their finger on the pulse of what our generation is experiencing. And by my mom setting up this amazing round table, they're going to be able to have a lot more successes and really continue to build the Beverly Hills brand. Seniors and young individuals are going to be meeting up together on Sundays and they're going to have a chance to dance together, talk together, meet together, maybe come in with your technology that's not working and these young people will be happy to help you. My mom always says, maybe we have enough so that way we're able to give back to others. Now I've really found this niche within my community where I'm able to give back and that's just what I was really taught from a young age. The city of Beverly Hills was the first city in the country to condemn Hamas' attack. And I really think that that speaks volumes to how this city has stood in solidarity with our community and has acted as one with our community since October 7th and even before. I really do draw so much inspiration, courage and power from the city and especially from Sherona, who is a fierce, inspiring woman who stands against hatred and terrorism so powerfully and with such poise and elegance. So not only is she fighting the hatred and making sure that people around us know that we will always stand against terrorism and anti-Semitism. But she's also bringing our community together in beautiful ways. You want to be inspired by your leader. She's not afraid of change. She's a change maker. It's nice to see someone so dedicated to their city. If there's a goal she's set, she's getting there. She's very authentic. She can get her point across very easily because she really means what she says. 30 years ago, I saw this coming. I knew she'd be there, and definitely got something. The safety and well-being of residents are my top priorities. I believe in a strong connection between thriving businesses and a secure community. I am dedicated to creating a healthy, inclusive environment for all and pledge to use my voice to fight injustice. Please join me as we build a stronger, safer, and more united Beverly Hills. Thank you. City clerk, are there any public comments that are not on the agenda? We do have one in person, Mr. Anil decide. Please come forward, sir. Okay. Hello. My name is Sunil Desai. I would like to say thank you very much for the city of Beverly, council and the mayor for your excellent services. And also the second thing I would like to thank you and congratulate for the excellent services just in the last week, couple of days before next to my house, next building, there's a fire to place and the firefighter in the city here was executed. That drill operations very quickly and say everybody, very within a couple of ministry and that and that is the examples of the execution power and the efficiency of the city. On behalf of the city of Barrel Hill people I would like to thank you and I assure the people of Barrel Hill that this city council is more competent than anybody else. Thank you very much for your services. Thank you. Thank you. Now, second thing about I went to the one meeting all the, you wanted to develop the city development for the multi-use of the buildings. Now I want to ask two separate things. One, you want to develop the two separate lot, which is next to the city hall, which is owned by the city. The ownership of the land is owned by the city. So, ask the people to what development you wanted for the land of the people. So, then it will be used for the benefit of the entire city and other people. Let them to give the sedations. What development you want? And second, you wanted to develop the entire Street of the Wilciae, Satamaniqa, or Olympic, and Robertson. What we have to do, because there is a university what individually, so what you can do, you transfer the whole individual and the university to the fund, to the trust fund of the development city of Beverly Hills, and let the will do everything with the fastest time so that they can be finished within the 12 months or two years. Otherwise, if the money you will try to develop, then it will take 100 years and it can never be finished. Thank you very much. Thank you. That concludes public comment for this evening. All right. Well, thank you all for being here. And we'd like to invite you all to move to the reception area. I want to ask my colleagues to please stay for photos, but please move to the reception. And thank you all for being here. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.