WHOSE CITY IS THIS, ANYWAY?

By Mitch Waldow

Although primarily a residential community, Beverly Hills' elected officials seem to focus more on the needs of the city's businesses than the concerns of its residents

But that was long ago, and Beverly Hills no longer is the little village it once was. Yet we're still a residential community. Most of us did not move here because we shop on Rodeo. We were attracted to the fine schools and city services. The fancy stores are wonderful, but they cater more to tourists, and that's just fine.

The local tourism trade has a very effective lobby in the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber wants to see business grow. For business to grow, it needs more space. So there has been a strong undercurrent of lobbying by business to raise building height limits. This has manifested itself in calls for a "re-vamping of the General Plan." And part of that re-vamping presumably would allow for taller buildings on Wilshire Boulevard. And one Chamber official told the L.A. Times he'd like to see more "night life" in Beverly Hills.

The Chamber has every right to help its members, but the Chamber's positions often conflict with the interests of the residents. Our City Council, rightly concerned that it meet its fiscal responsibilities, too often accepts the Chamber's arguments on why we need growth. And to make matters worse, the Council provides many hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Chamber and Visitors Bureau. These are tax dollars -- money that could be spent on more police for the residential neighborhoods.

Overscale development creates traffic. Traffic brings noise, crime and stress. The business of Beverly Hills IS NOT business, and the business community, though needed and necessary, ought not to be setting the city's planning agenda.

Beverly Hills belongs to its residents. We want sensible growth. We want a livable environment, with safe streets, free of speeding cars. This isn't Paris or Las Vegas. It's our city and we want it back.