BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Dr. Julian Gold was sworn in as mayor Tuesday, marking the third time the veteran council member has ascended to the top job, with a focus on finance, health and electric infrastructure.
Councilmember Lester Friedman was sworn in as vice mayor, taking over that job from Gold.
Tuesday marked the completion of Councilmember Lili Bosse’s third term as mayor since she was first elected to the City Council in 2011. In Beverly Hills, council members vote to appoint a mayor for one-year terms on a rotating basis; the mayor serves as head of the council and as a ceremonial representative at events.
Find out what's happening in Beverly Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Bosse received big accolades during the ceremony Tuesday night at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, including a state Senate proclamation from Sen. Ben Allen.
Bosse reflected on the city’s emergence from the depths of the pandemic and gave seemingly every individual who works in City Hall a personalized message of gratitude.
Find out what's happening in Beverly Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We were able to feel like a community again,” she said. “We were able to get that sense of family, that sense of connection and for me, this is an opportunity to thank all of you.”
In a speech after he was sworn in, Gold invoked President John F. Kennedy: “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
As Beverly Hills is in a strong position coming out of the pandemic, “I believe now is the time to take stock of our circumstances, consolidate our resources, make thoughtful and deliberate plans for our future,” Gold said.
Gold said he asked city Treasurer Howard Fisher to assemble a blue ribbon committee tasked with outlining financial priorities over the next 5 to 10 years, how much those things will cost and how the city will pay for them.
While the city previously discussed creating an independent health department to take over the services provided by the county and found that would not be feasible, Gold wants to explore something differnet: creating a health services department.
Such a department could consolidate mental, physical and emotional health services provided by the city, all under one roof. “I believe we can provide a better service with faster response and at lesser cost as we remove duplication of efforts, he said.
He plans to engage the community and commissions in discussions to come up with a plan, working with Bosse, who had begun discussions around this proposal during her mayoral term.
In response to electricity service disruptions over the last year, Gold said he wants to create a task force that would explore the benefits, risks and costs of increasing Beverly Hills’ electricity independence. That could include the creation of a microgrid, which allows cities to produce or store some of their own electricity.
He plans to showcase people and organizations benefiting the city through a program called People Helping People, which honored public safety personnel, Music Mends Minds and others at Tuesday’s ceremony.
Additionally, he is planning a Mayor’s Minute showcasing local businesses on social media and “Office Hours With Dr. Gold,” a virtual town hall program.
Gold was first elected to the City Council in 2011. He previously served on the Traffic and Parking Commission and Recreation and Parks Commission.
Gold, an anesthesiologist of 40 years, has served as co-chairman of Cedars-Sinai’s Anesthesiology Department, co-managing partner of General Anesthesia Specialists Partnership Medical Group, a professor of clinical anesthesiology at USC Keck School of Medicine and on the board of directors at Cedars-Sinai.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Click Here: essendon bombers guernsey 2019