Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian (photo by Edwin Folven)

Four months into her first term, Beverly Hills City Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian is moving forward on her commitment to improve the city and ensure its residents are safe, secure and prosperous.

She has been frequently meeting with people in the community and building relationships with colleagues and staff, all while championing initiatives to address major issues facing the city.

“I love what I’m doing and I love our community,” Nazarian said. “I’m excited about serving the community that I love. There are so many things that I want to do. The council is doing a great job, but there are areas that we can do better. The reason why I ran was for safety and security, so that is going to be something that I am going to focus on.”

Nazarian cited the city’s Watch Center and more than 2,000 closed circuit television cameras as important factors in the fight against crime, as well as other innovative equipment such as drones, and red light cameras that reduce collisions in intersections. She said the city is exploring ways to maintain safety when the Metro subway opens in 2025, including the possibility of creating police substations near the two subway stations serving the city. Maintaining the ranks and supporting the officers is key, and using technology as a “force multiplier” is important in increasing the effectiveness of the police department, Nazarian added.

“I’d like to make it clear that public safety is our No. 1 priority. We need to focus on welcoming people to Beverly Hills, but also keeping our residents and our businesses and our community safe.” Nazarian said. “There are things that we’ve been able to utilize as a community to expedite the process of getting better police response times. The public is very much aware that these programs are in place. [It’s important to be] as proactive as we can because Beverly Hills is being targeted. We need to do everything that we can as a City Council, and my colleagues would agree, to keep our residents and our businesses and the surrounding community safe.”

The new council member also said addressing homelessness is a major focus in the city, and she stressed the importance of collaborating further with neighboring cities, the county and private organizations.

“The truth of the matter is, I don’t think homelessness has borders,” Nazarian said. “I think that it is going to be very important for us to partner with our surrounding cities to find solutions.”

Nazarian also said collaborations and partnerships are important in maintaining the city’s economic vitality. The council and city staff work closely with the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, Rodeo Drive Committee and Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce to promote businesses and the city as a destination for people around the world. Nazarian said part of the challenge is shepherding the city forward while maintaining its character and charm.

“It’s the job of the council to monitor and also be forward thinking with all of those things, while also maintaining the village feel and what makes Beverly Hills so special and unique,” she said. “It’s being able to walk down the street and see your neighbors, and be able to greet them and recognize one another. That’s what makes Beverly Hills so special. It’s having these fantastic trees and the environment that we have within our community, but also being able to have luxury brands and being able to have a variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures and nationalities. This is the melting pot of Beverly Hills. So all of those various aspects are extremely special, and that’s what makes Beverly Hills so fabulous.”

Nazarian said that forward-thinking mentality is guiding the city on its Burton Way Project, where drought-tolerant landscaping and equipment to capture stormwater are being installed on the median to better maintain and utilize the city’s water supply. She also cited the city’s new water plant as a step forward, and said the city should examine the possibility of using more water recycling and desalinization projects, similar to those common in Israel.

Nazarian is familiar with innovative projects in Israel, where she lived after fleeing Iran with her family during the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s. She said she is particularly proud of Beverly Hills taking a stance against violent and unjust acts committed by the Iranian government against women such as Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old who died in September after being arrested for not wearing a head covering. Amini’s death sparked weeks of protests and was denounced by leaders around the world, including the Beverly Hills City Council.

“What’s happening in Iran is not a religious or cultural issue, but a human rights issue. And we are witnessing one of the largest women’s rights movements in history. I am so proud of my colleagues, for taking a stance on this issue and being leaders,” Nazarian said. “We were one of the first cities to have a moment of silence, we passed a resolution recently condemning the acts of the Islamic Republic and we have had ‘Justice for Mahsa Amini’ on our walls of City Hall as a tribute to what is happening in Iran. So I think that bringing awareness, letting people know that they can be a voice for those that don’t have one is important. This is a global issue that we in Beverly Hills have made headway on, and I think it’s really important to let young girls know that they are important, that they matter, that they can make a difference.”

Nazarian, who speaks Farsi, Hebrew and English, also spoke about the importance of promoting education and ensuring Beverly Hills schools are thriving. She said her focus will remain on community building and working together.

“Planning for the future of our city is going to be extremely important – maintaining safety and security, being able to have a holistic approach to addressing our unhoused – these are all things that I’m very passionate about,” Nazarian said. “Being able to listen. I really try to be available for the community. A lot of times people see me in social settings and they will come up to me and say, ‘I’m sorry to bother you…,’ and I say, ‘you’re not bothering me, this is my job.’ I want to be a voice for the community and I’m proud of that. Good leadership is about being available, being approachable and being able to make a difference.”