Julian Gold Means Business

Beverly Hills will have fewer vacant storefronts if new City Councilman Julian Gold has his way.

Gold, who won one of two open council seats in the , ran on a platform of making it easier to do business in the city. He takes office Tuesday at a time when the number of shuttered businesses in town is notable.

“I am hopeful that the City Council will come together on the notion of streamlining the way we do business,” the former told Patch. “We also need to be aggressively recruiting companies to open in our stores.”

As a junior member of the council, Gold will not have the power to set the agenda. But he has had discussions with incoming Mayor Barry Brucker about prioritizing ways to make it easier to do business in the city.

“The fear that it will take you months longer to open a business in the city may be enough to stop a small business from opening here," Gold said. "We can’t afford that, as these businesses provide the revenue streams that allow the city to fund the library and parks and everything else."

Last September Patch wrote about the opening of The Salad Bowl on North Canon Drive. Less than a year later it's closed, even after the owners went through an to get the proper permits to open the restaurant.  

Gold said he wants city staff to scrutinize the procedures needed to open a business to see if some steps can be eliminated. He also wants to review the approval process in other cities to see how they compare.

Another goal for Gold is to ensure that city agencies take a more uniform approach to home and business construction. He said that homeowners in the midst of construction are sometimes told different things by the and the Division of Building and Safety.  

The co-chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Gold also advised Beverly Hills residents not to worry about .

“From what I’ve read the levels of radiation [in Southern California] are trivial," he said.

Gold will be sworn in 7 p.m. Tuesday at the , 8949 Wilshire Blvd. Planning Commission Chair Lili Bosse won the other open council seat and will also be sworn in, along with Vice Mayor Brucker, who is scheduled to be installed for a one-year term as mayor, and Councilman Willie Brien, who is scheduled to be installed as vice mayor.

According to a news release, the city “bears no cost” to use the Academy facilities. The installation is open to the public and free parking with shuttle service will be available in garages located at 8920, 9025 and 9100 Wilshire Blvd.

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