State Of The City Address
Key points from Mayor Julian Gold’s address on the current state of Beverly Hills’ public safety, economic health, and community prosperity
By Mayor of Beverly Hills Julian Gold
I had the honor of delivering the State of the City address on September 28 at Greystone Mansion. The event was sponsored by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, and the audience contained more than 400 of our residents and business owners. Below are some key points I made during the address. The full event may be viewed at https://vimeo.com/869717786.
Serving my third term as Beverly Hills' Mayor is an honor; it is nearly half over, and I stand to highlight some of our achievements and discuss some challenges going forward.
The city's post-pandemic economic recovery is progressing. Our four major revenue sources (Sales, Property, Business, and Hotel Taxes) have returned to our 2019 pre-pandemic revenue levels. Numerous new businesses, including 12 restaurants and several retail stores, have opened with the help of the Chamber of Commerce and our city staff, Major brands like Chanel, Cartier, Rolex, and Patek Philippe, to name a few, have made extraordinary investments in their store redesigns. This reflects well on how business views the City’s financial health.
We all know that public safety is everyone’s first concern, I'm proud to share that our Police Department now boasts full staffing with 145 sworn officers; this is a level we have not seen in many years. There are also significant improvements as a result of our Real-Time Watch Center, drone surveillance, and other new programs. These have ensured a safer Beverly Hills for everyone.
Addressing homelessness, the council has allocated an additional $14 million over a decade to support our efforts to house the homeless. Partnering with Step Up On 2nd, we will be able to offer 30 permanent and 20 temporary housing units annually with all the appropriate wraparound services. Our approach not only provides housing but ensures we can enforce city laws, such as prohibiting camping in our parks. I'm thrilled about the advancement of our nurse practitioner program within the Fire Department's EMS. This pioneering initiative, recognized nationally, even by institutions like Johns Hopkins University, has already served over 2000 patients and had more than 5,000 patient encounters.
As a result of this program, we can offer alternatives to traditional emergency medical services. These programs come with a price tag. Public safety costs nearly $170 million from our $320 million general fund budget. Based on projected inflation rates (4%/year), we foresee an increase of nearly $30 million in the next five years for public safety alone. It is likely the other city services’ costs will inflate at the same rate. These financial challenges require strategic planning-there is no current obvious source of these funds. As a result, I have initiated the Mayor's Blue-Ribbon Committee to evaluate our current and future programs and expenses and to suggest sustainable financial strategies to support those programs and expenses.
“I urge every voter to understand each candidate’s perspective on city growth and their plans to ensure Beverly Hills’ economic prosperity.”
As March approaches, we anticipate a significant council shift. Two long-time Councilmembers (Lili Bosse and I) will be leaving the council. It's imperative that our next council maintains a pro-growth stance. We need the revenue that comes from growth to support the growth of our existing programs and new programs in the future. This is crucial for our city's economic viability. I urge every voter to understand each candidate's perspective on city growth and their plans to ensure Beverly Hills' economic prosperity.
Lastly, remembering Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, “All progress is precarious. . . ,” I believe our success lies in anticipating change, adapting, overcoming challenges, and remaining resilient. Beverly Hills always rises to the occasion.
It was a beautiful evening at Greystone. Thank you to the Chamber for sponsoring the event and to all who attended.
Sincerely,