PTA Council allocates funds to fight subway tunnel “Schools and subways do not mix. Metro needs a better fix.” The PTA Council voted Tuesday morn- ing to allocate up to $3,500 to create ban- ners, signs, T-shirts and other PR materials with slogans including the one above to send a message to Metro that Beverly Hills does not want the subway tunneling under Beverly High. Terry Fahn of Sitrick and Company, the public affairs firm retained by BHUSD to help with the subway fight, encouraged parents to voice their opposition to the pro- posed subway tunnel under the high school. “Community involvement and commu- nity support is essential to show that there is desire to move the subway tunnel from Constellation to Santa Monica [Boulevard],” Fahn said. Fahn encouraged the community to come out to tonight’s open house meeting about the subway extension hosted by Metro at Temple Emanuel from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Fahn also suggested contacting elected represen- tatives, including Rep. Henry Waxman’s office and County supervisors. “We want everyone to speak in an edu- cated fashion,” Fahn said. “Rhetoric I don’t think is very helpful at this point.” For talking points, Fahn directed par- ents to centurycitysubway.org, the website BHUSD created to support the case for locating the Century City station at Santa Monica Boulevard. Fahn also directed par- ents to the Exponent report, the City’s peer review report that points out flaws in Metro’s geotechnical analysis. Board of Education member Lisa Korbatov said she expects BHUSD’s report related to trenching that was done at Beverly High to be released within two weeks. Mayor Willie Brien gave an update from the City with respect to the subway. “The City Council will be taking this up at its next meeting in closed session [on April 3],” Brien said. “We’ll be looking at all of our options and strategies. The council is united and uniform in their unanimous support of not tunneling under the high school.” Brien announced the City and school dis- trict are working on scheduling an ad hoc joint meeting to discuss the subway issue. At Tuesday’s meeting, the 2012-2013 PTA Council executive board was approved, with Susie Roberts elected president and Jennifer Terrell-Schwartz elected executive vice president. Board of Education hires historical architect for Hawthorne assessment In the wake of several stories published in the Weekly highlighting radical demoli- tion plans for Hawthorne as part of Measure E construction, the BHUSD Board of Education voted 4-0 Tuesday evening to hire a consultant to prepare a historic a ssess- ment report on the campus. The contract was awarded to historical architect G. Taylor Louden, AIA, who is working with Hawthorne architects DLR/ WWCOT as a historic preservation con- sultant. “What I’ve proposed to do is evaluate the structures that are there. Instead of viewing [the campus] from a programmatic, struc- tural, mechanical or plumbing [standpoint], I’m evaluating it for historical, architectural and cultural significance,” Louden said. “Effectively, it’s surveying what’s there, and it can be buildings and all the way down to the details [looking at things like] light fixtures.” Louden said he would prepare a report ranking aspects of the campus in terms of historical significance, and providing recommendations on what can be repaired, rehabilitated, or removed. At Tuesday’s meeting, the board also approved the draft notice of preparation and initial study for the Horace Mann and Issue 652 • March 29 - April 4, 2012 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. Founded: October 7, 1999 Published Thursdays Delivered in Beverly HilIs, Beverlywood, Los Angeles ISSN#1528-851X www.bhweekly.com Publisher & CEO Josh E. Gross Reporter Melanie Anderson Sports Editor Steven Herbert Contributing Editor Rudy Cole Advertising Representatives Tiffany Majdipour Saba Ayinehsazian Negin Elazari Legal Advertising Mike Saghian Eiman Matian 140 South Beverly Drive #201 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 310.887.0788 phone 310.887.0789 fax CNPA Member [email protected] All staff can be reached at: first name @bhweekly.com Unsolicited materials will not be returned. ©2012 Beverly Hills Weekly Inc. 1 year subscriptions are available. Sent via US Mail $75 payable in advance Adjudicated as a newspaper of gen- eral circulation for the County of Los Angeles. Case # BS065841 of the Los Angeles Superior Court, on November 30, 2000. Page 2 • Beverly Hills Weekly WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? You can write us at: 140 South Beverly Drive #201 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 You can fax us at: 310.887.0789 email us at: [email protected] Weekly Beverly Hills ALSO ONTHEWEB www.bhweekly.com SERVINGBEVERLYHILLS • BEVERLYWOOD • LOS ANGELES Issue 651• March22- March28,2012 rudy cole • New mayor forBeverly Hills Page 6 briefs • Metro’s Final EIRrecommends tunnelingunderBeverly High Page 2 cover story • pages 8-9 briefs • Brienannounces goals in firstspeechas mayor Page 3 Willie’s Year The Weekly’s exclusive interview with Mayor Willie Brien SNAPSHOT Weekly Beverly Hills Inside Beverly Hills—BHTV10 Inside Beverly Hills, moderated by columnist Rudy Cole, will next air on March 29 at 6 p.m. and March 30 at 10 p.m. with City Clerk Byron Pope; March 29 at 8 p.m. about Community Development; March 29 at 10 p.m. about Roxbury Park; March 30 at 8 p.m. about Historic Preservation. brief s