Barry Axelrod is running for City Council to strengthen the relationship between city government and local businesses. (photo courtesy of Barry Axelrod)

Barry Axelrod, the owner of the popular South Beverly Drive bakery Beverly Hills Cookies, is running for one of three open seats in the June 2 Beverly Hills City Council election in a field of 11 candidates. A businessman and entrepreneur for the past 50 years, Axelrod hopes to bring his business acumen to city government, and strengthen the relationship between the city and local businesses.

“I think most of the politicians, and most everybody who is running, they’re all running on a platform [of] ‘I’m going to make the city safer, I’m going to do all kinds of different things’ that they themselves really can’t do, especially when you’re just going into a City Council,” Axelrod said. “You’re part of a team. I believe that I can be part of a team that can help make some changes in Beverly Hills. The businesses really need help. The businesses and the government need to work together, which just isn’t happening.”

Axelrod’s background includes varied titles – car designer for General Motors, real estate agent and developer, and proprietor of storefronts from “Marina del Rey to Rosarito, Mexico.” After facing setbacks at his previous Beverly Hills bakery during the pandemic, he began operating Beverly Hills Cookies out of his kitchen, which eventually grew into the South Beverly Drive store.

“Like any other organization, the City Council and the government is a business. They have to figure out ways to make money,” Axelrod said.

At a time when local businesses are struggling amid a decrease in tourism and rising costs, Axelrod said the city government needs to listen to local business owners.

“I don’t think a lot of the people in city government really know how to run a retail location, and they’re not really being responsive to the businesses,” he said. “A retailer doesn’t really have time to wait two, three, four, five, six months, just to get a simple sign approved.”

He cited a complicated permitting process, high taxes and excessive regulations as the main issues facing businesses. He also said the local government is not doing enough to maintain city streets.

“The two biggest issues people are actually voicing, and they’re concerned about, is cleanliness and safety. I think that takes a team effort,” Axelrod said. “I remember walking down the streets and seeing Dean Martin and Marilyn Monroe and all these people walking up and down the streets going into the restaurants and so forth. You don’t see that anymore.”

As Beverly Hills faces projected budget deficits in coming years, Axelrod said the City Council needs to be more “entrepreneurial” in finding ways to save money and generate revenue.

“Until I get in there and really take a look at why [a deficit is] happening and what’s going on, my guess is there’s expenses and there are certain ways to be creative – to get things done,” Axelrod said.

He lamented the cancellation of Next Night, an annual block party on South Beverly Drive which was put on hiatus in 2025 due to costs.

“That hurt South Beverly Drive. North Beverly Drive seems to get a lot more money. There has to be a way to make that kind of operation successful by getting money from the outside instead of having to put money into it,” Axelrod said. “There are lots of ways to raise money for events, and Beverly Hills is the kind of location that people want to be involved in.”

He said that while the city currently promotes businesses on Rodeo Drive, it does not do enough to help businesses in other areas. Axelrod suggested increasing representation for retailers by putting together merchant organizations, where business owners can work together with the city and exchange ideas.

“I’d like to see Rodeo Drive be a little more prodigious in working with the rest of the city. Rodeo Drive is obviously a great location, great stores, but they’re kind of a little area unto their own,” he said. “I’d like to see Beverly Hills be more cohesive.”

In 2025, the city approved several large-scale builders remedy developments – affordable housing projects that exceed the city’s usual height and density codes. The builder’s remedy takes effect when a city’s housing element, or affordable housing zoning plan, is out of compliance with state requirements. Beverly Hills’ housing element was out of compliance between 2021-24.

“There’s only so much space and so much room for people. If you get into a scenario where your population is too dense, it’s going to be a big drain on the community, on transportation, on the fire department, the police department. Now, with Metro opening, everybody is really concerned about that. It’s going to be a big burden on the city,” Axelrod said. “The city has to be a little bit more diligent in figuring out how the city and the developers can work together to create something that will make money for everybody … We have to be creative. Until I can really get in there and take a look at the books and records and see how the city is responding to them, it’s nothing I can just make a promise on, and say, ‘Oh, you should do this.’”

Axelrod believes the Wilshire/La Cienega Metro station opening May 8 will bring challenges to Beverly Hills, including public safety.

“I haven’t really heard a whole lot from anybody that is creative enough to really make a big change,” Axelrod said of the city’s preparations for the station. “In order for me to be able to make a statement on whether there’s anything good or bad happening, I have to take a look at it, see what they’re planning for, what their budget is, what’s behind the scenes that we really don’t know.”

However, he suggested increasing police and fire department presence in the area, and placing “kiosks” throughout the city with a directory similar to a mall, where pedestrians can find information about shops, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions.

He added that the city should do more to address homelessness.

“I’d have to really take a look at what the city is doing and if they’re doing everything that they could do to solve the issue. We have had several issues of course in our store, as have our neighbors … It’s a big issue to the people, and to the clients and to the people walking the street,” Axelrod said. “One of the big things we need to do is to get the government moving a little bit faster. That has always been very difficult. I think I can make that happen.”

As the Beverly Hills Unified School District is currently facing many controversies, including lawsuits alleging racism and retaliation, Axelrod said the school board appears too divided.

“It seems like there’s a lot of animosity between the people,” he said. “When there’s animosity you’re not going to get anything corrected. I don’t think anybody is listening to what the other person is saying.”

In the past year, Los Angeles became a focal point in the federal immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. Southern California saw many large-scale raids, arrests in nearly every community and protests against the federal government’s actions. While some cities, including neighboring West Hollywood, have taken a hardline stance against the Trump administration’s policies, Axelrod said he does not believe federal immigration issues should be the focus of local government.

“I believe in law and order, and I believe laws are made for a reason. Sometimes even if you don’t agree with those laws, you have to follow them until you can do something to change it,” Axelrod said. “We have no control over the federal government … It’s a mess, and it’s something I don’t think that the City Council can handle easily.”

Ultimately, Axelrod hopes to bring a business perspective to the City Council, finding creative solutions to issues facing Beverly Hills.

“I’m running on a ticket as the people’s candidate. I can’t go in there making a lot of promises for things that have been going on for years that can only be changed with people working together. One person can’t make that change,” he said. “But I have enough creativity, and I’ve been in business long enough and I’ve worked with people long enough to believe I can influence it quite a bit.”