Re “One Beverly Hills approved by council,” June 10 issue

The highlight of the June 8 meeting was a technical glitch [when] a public comment praising the project was somehow inadvertently interrupted with a photo of a woman who stated, “Oh my God, I want to vomit.”

[Councilman] John Mirisch again clearly outshined the other council members with his intellect and involvement. The council majority continued to take advantage of the lingering pandemic to rush through the largest project ever, by Zoom, so they could avoid facing their constituents in person. And, their despicable conduct in this regard, caused them to be understandably defensive.

Mayor [Bob] Wunderlich had announced at the previous meeting that public comment was closed, discouraging residents from making public comments at the June 8 meeting. Nevertheless, somehow the lobbyist for the One Beverly Hills project knew that public comments would be allowed and orchestrated a one-sentence email which was purportedly signed by numerous “residents and businesses.”

Councilmember [Julian] Gold, apparently feeling the need for support of his approval of the project, requested that names of these project supporters be read into the record.  Not only were there 11 less names than represented, but the vast majority of the names had already been read at previous meetings. Again, there was no identification of which supporters were actually residents, which were brokers planning to profit on condo sales and which ones simply had investment interests.

Allowing the reading of a list of people who purportedly share a certain position, while the nature of their interests are concealed, should neither be allowed nor given much credence. Residents’ individual comments expressing their concerns during the hearings were essentially ignored, the council majority having pre-negotiated approval of the project behind closed doors.

[Councilwoman Lili] Bosse’s comments bore her characteristic ring of contrived sincerity but were actually just nonsensical and dramatic. For instance, she claimed that the council majority makes all of their decisions with a moral and ethical compass. Really? Is it moral and ethical to push through large development decisions during a pandemic, against the wishes of many constituents, when in-person meetings cannot be held? Was it moral and ethical to push through the mixed use ordinance, against the wishes of the vast majority of residents at the height of the pandemic, to deprive constituents of their referendum petition rights? Was it moral and ethical to negotiate approval of the project before residents had an opportunity to weigh in?

After Bosse’s statements would have been the appropriate time for that comment, “Oh my God, I want to vomit.”

Darian Bojeaux

Beverly Hills