Planning Commissioner Brian Rosenstein and His Beverly Hills Roots

While meeting some residents for the first time during Lili Bosse's City Council campaign, it occurred to this 51-year resident that many people I work with have deep roots in Beverly Hills. One such individual is Planning Commissioner Brian Rosenstein.

Brian's great grandparents, Tom and Anita May, moved to Beverly Hills in the 1930s and lived on the 700 block of North Canon Drive. Tom's father, David May I, started the May Dry Goods and Mining Supply in Colorado in the 1860s, which he grew into the May Department Stores Company.

David May II, Tom's son and Brian's grandfather, lived on the 700 block of North Canon Drive for most of his life. He married Rita LeRoy, who lived on the 600 block of North Camden Drive. She was the daughter of Mervyn and Kitty LeRoy. Mervyn, who worked in the film industry and produced The Wizard of Oz, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

David and Rita had a daughter, Anita May, who grew up on the 700 block of North Canon Drive. In 1969 when Anita was 15, the Rosensteins moved to 708 N. Canon Drive. Brian's father, Arnold Rosenstein, was 16 at the time. His family had come from Long Island, New York.

After graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1971, Arnold married Anita. They have been together ever since.

Brian grew up on the 600 block of North Canon Drive where his parents still live today. He attended Hawthorne School and Harvard-Westlake School. Since graduating from college, Brian has been working in the family’s management and investment businesses. He is also a board member and vice president of the May Foundation.

You will see Brian attending most city meetings. Before serving on the Planning Commission, he was on the Traffic and Parking Commission. Brian is a board member and treasurer of Beverly Hills CPR, a member of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, on the boards of the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden Committee and Temple Emanuel, and a graduate of Team Beverly Hills. He is also active in local political campaigns and volunteers often throughout the community.

"I am a fourth-generation resident with a deep love and respect for our community and its history. I love being a part of anything that makes Beverly Hills a better city, especially for the residents, because we the residents are the heart and soul of this community," Brian wrote me in an email. "As a planning commissioner, I always have the best interest of our community in mind in everything I do and every decision I make. I am a resident first and everything else second."

Brian is not simply "giving back" to his city. His commitment to Beverly Hills is a part of his DNA.

Thank you for reading. Russ