Commentary: Mayor Says 'Courier' Is Wrong About Cultural Heritage Commission Appointments

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Commentary submitted by Beverly Hills Mayor Barry Brucker.

Beverly Hills Courier publisher Clif Smith's March 16 tabloid headline “Brucker Punishes Mirisch: Puts Himself and Brien First” (note that there is no reporter byline) is the most recent example of Mr. Smith's misleading pattern of using salacious headlines and gutter-ball journalism to try and fracture our City Council.

This story was about who was appointed as the Council Liaison interviewed for the newly formed Cultural Heritage Commission. The unnamed reporter, aka Clif Smith, writes:

A City Hall source, who spoke on condition of anonymity (not Mirisch), told The Courier that eliminating Mirisch from the post was “retaliation” against Mirisch for championing reforms at City Hall…and Brucker made the move also to help position himself and (Vice Mayor) Brien for re-election bids.

This line smacks of Clif Smithisms.

First of all, if the unnamed source doesn’t have the guts to identify themselves, then they are either cowards or fictional. Former Courier owner March Schwartz would never have fictionalized a front-page “news” article. Secondly, the use of the word “reforms” oddly resembles Mr. Smith’s favorite editorial word “reformer.” Thirdly, his reference innuendo to campaigning for re-election is creative but unpersuasive. 

Let me tell you what I did tell the reporter, whose byline we see less and less these days, due to her articles being taken over and fictionalized by Mr. Smith. 

I told the reporter that due to the compressed timeline and not knowing if the selection of the Cultural Heritage Commission would be completed prior to the mayoral transition on Tuesday, I felt it best that the mayor and vice mayor participate as these liaisons to ensure a smooth transition into Vice Mayor Brien’s term as mayor. 

Secondly, Mr. Mirisch’s new work schedule (with the exception of daytime council study sessions) is very tight and his availability is evenings only after 6 p.m. His timeframe would make it difficult to schedule 3+ hours of interviews and would require city staff to work overtime. In addition, Mr. Mirisch was out of the country from March 5-15. 

The delusion and fantasy that this was some sort of vendetta toward Councilman Mirisch, as the “unnamed Courier author” suggested, is simply more rhetoric and mistruths generated by Mr. Smith because he is hell-bent on fracturing this council. FYI: The Council Liaison along with Chair Noah Furie worked efficiently and expeditiously, and the council unanimously approved the selection of four new CHC commissioners on March 6.   

Mr. Smith, instead of creating more fictional stories with the intent of disparaging and punishing council members who do not succumb to your pressure tactics and journalistic bullying, why don't you write about the positive action we took, and celebrate the establishment of our new Cultural Heritage Commission and all it stands for in protecting our treasured historically significant homes and buildings?

Barry Brucker
Mayor, Beverly Hills 

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