'The Best Is Yet To Come': Lili Bosse Kicks Off 3rd Term As Mayor

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Lili Bosse was sworn in on Tuesday for her third term as Beverly Hills Mayor with Jonathan Gold stepping in as Vice Mayor.

The evening was complete with performances by the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, singer Ty Taylor and singer Kandace Lindsey. Being one of the city's first major in-person events in since the start of the pandemic, the room buzzed with energy among the massive crowd. The crowd filled a two-level theater and spilled over into an outdoor viewing area.

As the city said goodbye to first-term Mayor Bob Wunderlich, who will be up for reelection to the city council come June, a couple of themes emerged at the fore of the city's political mind including crime and pandemic recovery.

"If this was a Zoom meeting, and we had to pick a password for it, I would suggest that the word would be resilience. It aptly describes our city and its responses to the challenges of this time," Gold said.

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Councilmembers Celebrate Bob Wunderlich

Councilmembers applauded the outgoing mayor's leadership throughout the pandemic, as his term began and concluded primarily on Zoom.

"We experienced feelings and experienced a world that seemed chaotic, and we had to be apart. Under your leadership, Bob, you took us to where we can finally be together again," Bosse said.

Wunderlich addressed challenges and successes during his year at the helm, and celebrated community programs like Wellness Wednesdays, Sing For Hope, The Bob Pod and more.

"What is very special about you is your humility, your modesty, your kindness. I think you're probably the only the only person I know who went to Harvard and never tells anybody," Bosse said.

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Welcoming In Lili Bosse

City Council unanimously approved Bosse as mayor at Tuesday's meeting to the sound of raucous applause. She was sworn in by Nicole Avant, whose mother, Jacqueline Avant, was fatally shot in her Beverly Hills home last year.

"Lili is a woman of substance. ... You're a woman of grace and intelligence. You're capable and you're kind — you're thoughtful, hardworking and effective in every single thing that you put your hand on. I've seen it, and it's true," Avant said.

In her remarks, Bosse celebrated her fellow council members and city staff's work, remembered late actor Sidney Poitier and doubled down on her disavowal of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"Most of you know me well and know I always look for the positive no matter how difficult the situation, but I think it's fair to say these last two years were unlike anything we could have ever imagined. Our world changed," Bosse said. She added: "Tonight starts a new chapter in the story of Beverly Hills and we're going to write it together. My passion and purpose on the city council has always been to provide a safe and healthy city for the people and businesses of Beverly Hills."

Looking Ahead

Bosse Announced a number of new city programs and initiatives at Tuesday's meeting that will be discussed at Tuesday's council meeting. Many were focused on public safety and law enforcement.

The city launched a new alert system called "BHPD alert," which will allow residents to sign up for emergency alerts directly from the Beverly Hills Police Department, Bosse said. This program supplements existing city notification systems.

Among other law enforcement-related initiatives, the city will introduce a real time watch center to monitor the city's extensive camera and drone network, Bosse said. The city will add 16 automated license plate readers throughout the city.

The city on Tuesday will consider the creation of an independent public health department, Bosse said.

All these initiatives are supplemented by business development and mental health programs spearheaded by Bosse, she announced on Tuesday.

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