Peter Ostroff
A Voice for Beverly Hills — Past, Present, and Future
Way Too Early Take on City Council Race
The article discusses the upcoming Beverly Hills City Council election scheduled for June 2, 2026, emphasizing the need for early engagement and discussion to attract qualified candidates, particularly as three council seats will be open. The author reflects on past electoral experiences and encourages potential candidates to consider running, while also critiquing proposed term limits for city commissioners as potentially detrimental to civic engagement.
Way Too Early Take on City Council Race
As the next Beverly Hills City Council Election is less than a year away on June 2, 2026, my “way too early” take is overdue.
I tried to stimulate interest in the November 2024 election for the Board of Education but waited too late to start the process. As I noted then, a robust list of good candidates can lead to a meaningful public discussion of issues. Such discussion and debate is very important for the City. Unfortunately we did not get that during the race for three open seats on the Board of Education and only four candidates.
I have learned from my ineffective attempt to encourage Board of Education candidates in addition to the highly qualified-incumbent Dr. Amanda Stern, who was running for reelection, that I should not wait until the last minute.
This is a way too early commentary on the June 2, 2026 City council election intended to stimulate discussion, interest and maybe a well-qualified candidate or two.
There are three open seats as the fourth term of Vice Mayor John Mirisch, the second term of Lester Friedman and first term of Mayor Sharona Nazarian are coming to an end.
I am NOT now endorsing anyone but, rather, reporting. And with an opinion or two or comment or two. Also, I welcome any comments or suggestions that you wish to offer.
Given the importance of name recognition and incumbency, I will start with our three incumbents. While neither Mayor Nazarian nor Councilmember Friedman have announced their candidacy, I am certain that both are considering running, Mayor Nazarian for her second term and Councilmember Friedman for his third term. Similarly, Councilmember Mirisch may be considering running for his fifth term. Councilmember Mirisch had completed three terms when the Beverly Hills voters approved a three term limit on elected officers in the City. At the same time, John Mirisch was elected for his fourth term. He may consider running for a fifth term in the event that he can present a strong legal argument that, under California law, terms completed prior to enactment of term limits for General Law cities, such as Beverly Hills, do not count against the limit.
All three would be strong candidates. However, whether or not Councilmember Mirisch is eligible to run, no Beverly Hills Councilmember other than John has served more than three terms. Assuming that Mayor Nazarian and Councilmember Friedman run, it is realistic to observe that there is, at most, one open seat that is up for grabs.
Others who have run unsuccessfully in the recent past and who may be considering running again include (in alphabetical order):
Tiffany Davis – finished 9th in 2024
Andy Licht – finished 5th in 2022
Vera Markowitz – finished 6th in 2022
Nooshin Meshkaty – finished 6th in 2024
Alissa Roston – finished 3d in 2024
I note that for these, it may be an uphill battle as no candidate who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council once or more times ran again successfully in more than 20 years. However, Nancy Krasne was elected to a second non-consecutive term by seven votes in 2013 after losing in 2011. Alissa Roston may be an exception as she finished only one place below the two successful candidates.
Here are other potential candidates (alphabetically) who should consider running; their candidacies can only enhance the campaign discussions.
Karen Afra-Maghen – Chair, Traffic & Parking Commission
Noelle Freeman Batista – Commissioner, Human Relations Commission; Chair of Next Beverly Hills; very knowledgeable about City issues.
Alan Block – Commissioner, Cultural Heritage Commission; former commissioner Planning Commission and Recreation and Parks Commission.
Bobbe Jo Dawson – recently completed a term as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Jill or Lee Egerman – Son and daughter-in-law of former Mayor Mark Egerman; very active in Beverly Hills Education Foundation.
Dr. Erica Felsenthal – recently completed a six year term on Health & Safety Commission; member of City’s Climate Action & Adaptation Committee (CAAC); sponsored Day of Wellness for the City.
Howard Fisher – former member of Planning Commission; City Treasurer.
Lori Greene Gordon – Cultural Heritage Commissioner; former member of Planning Commission; a brilliant and energetic member of the community; ran in 2020 and finished third to $100,000+ of PAC opposition and City staff thumbs on the scale.
Isabel Hacker – former member of the Board of Education.
Terri Kaplan – Chair, Planning Commission
Myra Lurie – Co-Chair of Maple Counseling Center; former member of Recreation and Parks Commission; member of CAAC; former member, Board of Education.
David Mirharooni – former Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce; member, City Council Property Owners Task Force.
Mark Nehoray – current chair of the Public Works Commission
Wendy Nystrom – member of the Public Works Commission; co-chair of CAAC
Rebecca Pynoos – currently vice chair of the Architectural & Design Commission; former member of the Cultural Heritage Commission; member of softball team that I coached in early 1990’s (and tried to hide in right field).
Tara Riceberg – Commissioner, Recreation & Parks Commission.
Gary Ross – accomplished labor and employment lawyer; member of Planning Commission; former member of Health & Safety Commission.
Amie Nebenzahl Sherry – former member of the Recreation & Parks Commission.
Dr. Amanda Stern – educational psychologist; now in second term as elected member of the Board of Education; reelected as top vote getter.
Tina Wiener – President of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.
Allison Witmer – effective slow growth activist.
Jeff Wolfe – Vice Chair of Planning Commission; former member of Public Works Commission.
Bob Wunderlich – former Mayor and Councilmember; narrowly (less than 1%) lost bid for reelection in 2022.
Note to the above: Please consider tossing your hat in the ring.
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I understand that the City Council has enacted or is considering enacting a rule limiting service on City Commissions to six year terms on two commissions. This strikes me as a bad idea for several reasons. It could serve to preclude service from some of our residents who are most knowledgeable about the operation of the City. We have enough trouble attracting applicants for service on City Commissions as it is. On several recent occasions, interviews to fill commission vacancies had to be postponed because there were insufficient applicants. I have heard no justification for this arbitrary rule other than that City Councilmembers are limited to 12 years (three four year terms) so let’s impose the same limits on commissioners. But term limits for Councilmembers were voted on by the voters. No such expression of a need for limits on Commission service has occurred.
Peter Ostroff is a long-time Beverly Hills resident of over 50 years who retired in 2017 after a distinguished 50-year career as a trial lawyer. Since 2018, he has served on the Beverly Hills Planning Commission. In addition to his work on the Commission, Peter has chaired the BHUSD 7-11 Surplus Property Committee and contributed to planning efforts for the District Offices site on S. Lasky Drive and future uses of the Hawthorne School property. He also served as Co-Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the City's Climate Adaptation and Action Plan.
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Undocumented Residents – An Over Reaction to a Manufactured "Crisis"
In his article, Peter Ostroff argues that the current immigration crisis is largely a manufactured issue, fueled by inflammatory rhetoric from political figures like Donald Trump, which has led to aggressive enforcement actions against undocumented residents that are often disproportionate and harmful. He advocates for a more humane approach, suggesting that offering amnesty to long-term, law-abiding undocumented individuals, coupled with better border security, could be a more effective solution than the current punitive measures.
OBH Closing Argument
In a letter to the Beverly Hills City Council, Peter Ostroff expresses strong opposition to the One Beverly Hills developer's request for $550 million in tax-exempt bonds, arguing that it represents a "bait and switch" tactic that poses significant financial risks to the city and its residents. He emphasizes the need for thorough analysis and public accountability before proceeding with such a substantial financial commitment, highlighting widespread resident outrage and concerns about potential liabilities.