It seems everywhere I look, there are signs of proposed projects to come.

City staff likely is considering these piecemeal, as if each might exist in a world all of its own, with utter disregard to the neighborhood. This is not real life. If you have not experienced traffic escaping the major thoroughfares to the side streets, endangering children and disturbing the neighborhood, you clearly have been most blessed to simply not leave your home.

The new buzzwords are “three distinct waivers for low cost and very low-cost housing.” So we bow to California law and allow five-, six- and seven-story buildings smack in the middle of side streets, for three more units each.

Gone will be the Beverly Hills we know, and those who think they will escape the new reality – possibly because they live in a very large house in the Flats – might find themselves not as isolated as they may think.

Let us not raise our hands in defeat and claim, “the state allows it.” Make it difficult for developers to demand and receive all they want and more. Make sure there is ample parking, for instance. Yes, the developers will have to dig deeper and pay more, and profits may not be as luscious and decadent as they are now, but it will be good for everyone for years to come.

Our city leaders, who for years have emphasized the process and experience in a field called city planning, should assume responsibility in these challenging times. They are challenging because they are shaping our future for half a century to come, if not longer. Following EIRs and the like is not just to comply with the law by placing a checkmark, but to apply common sense and measurable benchmarks to evaluate projects and their effects on the surrounding community.

Our city leaders have not been elected to be a rubber stamp. They are not plastic ducks. They should set the tone and paint the bigger picture, and staff should follow. Culture and entertainment are important and provide community building, but a community that is congested to a standstill, with traffic endangering children who dare to play in the streets, with insufficient parking day or night and increased crime, is not a livable community. Before rushing to approve more and more projects with waivers because of a California law, fight. Fight for Beverly Hills. Fight for the city we love. Fight for our homes and for our future.

You are our guardians, do not let the moment overwhelm you. Do not slumber or sleep at the wheel. Our future and wellbeing are in your hands.

Ari Bussel

Beverly Hills