The City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday establishing a two-year pilot program that will preserve historic buildings in Beverly Hills . Priority will be given to public theaters, buildings designed by a master architect or listed on a state/national historic preservation register, applications that are submitted early, as well as buildings characterized by “necessity, uniqueness … properties that would include some additional sustainability measures,” Associate Planner Peter Noonan said. The Mills Act program provides a property tax reduction for qualifying homeowners. Officials will select the first round of participating properties by Jan. 16. The program will cost the city $25,000 for administration services and training by a historic property consultant. “It’s been a little bit of an uphill battle in Beverly Hills,” Councilman John Mirisch said of getting a historic preservation ordinance in the books. “Hopefully this will be one of the first steps that we can take, and we will continue working on something that makes sense for the entire community and is balanced.” Council members also referenced the Kronish House , which was designed by master architect Richard Neutra and recently faced the possibility of demolition. Many residents and historic preservation advocates from other Los Angeles communities, including members of the L.A. Conservancy, came to the Aug. 2 council meeting to oppose the owners’ plans to raze the 1955-built structure. “Under pressure from the Beverly Hills City Council, historical preservationists and the public, the owners agreed to a 70-day delay and sold the property to buyers who have said they intend to restore the home,” according to a statement released by the city. “We are deeply appreciative to everyone involved in the effort to save this incredible home,” Mayor Barry Brucker said in a statement. “The owners and their representatives were extremely cooperative and sensitive to the concerns of the council and the preservation community. I look forward, through the Mills Act pilot program, to preserving many more of the historic properties in Beverly Hills.” Mitchell Dawson, an attorney representing the Kronish House’s former owners, Soda Partners LLC, said “compromise, good efforts and skilled negotiation cured a problem and made it a great result.” The Planning Commission is currently working on a historic preservation ordinance to establish guidelines for preserving Beverly Hills’ historic architecture. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Read the rest here: Council Approves Mills Act Pilot Program
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Do Gays And Lesbians Deserve The Same Protections As Other Minorities?
SAN FRANCISCO — Gays and lesbians are not entitled to the same heightened legal protection and scrutiny against discrimination as racial minorities and women in part because they are far from politically powerless and have ample ability to influence lawmakers, lawyers for a U.S. House of Representatives group said in a federal court filing. The filing Friday in San Francisco’s U.S. District Court comes in a lesbian federal employee’s lawsuit that claims the government wrongly denied health insurance coverage to her same-sex spouse. Karen Golinski says the law under which her spouse was denied benefits – the Defense of Marriage Act – violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. But attorneys representing the House’s Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group counter that DOMA is subject to a lower level of court scrutiny because gays and lesbians don’t meet the legal criteria for groups who receive heightened protection from discrimination. Under that lower standard, DOMA is constitutional, they argue. “A spate of recent news stories only confirms the conclusion that homosexuals are far from politically powerless,” the filing says, arguing that the court should deny Golinski’s motion for summary judgment in her favor. “Accordingly, gays and lesbians cannot be labeled `politically powerless’ without draining that phrase of all meaning.” The filing cites a poll of Americans showing support for gay candidates, New York’s decision to legalize gay marriage, and the lifting of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces. Golinski’s attorney, Tara Borelli, said in a phone interview Saturday, “We don’t think that DOMA can survive a court review under any level.” A recent ruling by a District Court judge in Massachusetts supported that view, Borelli said. Golinski’s case has received support from the Obama administration. In a brief filed in July that urged the court to find DOMA unconstitutional, the administration argued that it reflected Congressional hostility to gays and targeted an immutable characteristic – sexual orientation – that has nothing to do with someone’s ability to contribute to society. The administration also characterized gays and lesbians as minorities with limited political power. It had previously said it would not defend the marriage act. The House’s Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group stepped in to defend it. See the rest here: Do Gays And Lesbians Deserve The Same Protections As Other Minorities?
