Key To The City: Beverly Hills Council Honors Local Doctor

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The city council on Oct. 18 honored two-time Beverly Hills Mayor and physician Charles "Chuck" Aronberg with a key to the city for his long-term advocacy for the city.

Aronberg served on Beverly Hills City Council for 12 years, serving two terms as mayor in 1974 and 1979, Mayor Lili Bosse said. Even as he continued to work with the Beverly Hills community, he has served as a guide for many mayors to come, she said.

"[Aronberg is] a truly beloved leader who has truly shaped this city and so many of us," Bosse said. "Chuck, your impact on our community has been truly inspirational, and your accomplishments are never ending. Our city would not be where it is today if it wasn't for you. ... None of us would be standing here if it wasn't for you."

In Beverly Hills, Aronberg worked to establish height and density ordinances to maintain the city's beloved village-like feel, Bosse said. He worked to steward the city's paramedic program and was a key supporter of Greystone Mansion.

Aronberg was recognized for his 65-year career in medicine, serving as the team doctor for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and now-Las Vegas Raiders, and team physician at three Olympic Games, Bosse said. He has long been an advocate for public health and safety, advocating for seatbelt legislation alongside Ralph Nader.

"You are the role model for those generations of leaders that follow, and that's your legacy. Keys are nice and we love giving it to you — it's beyond appropriate," Mayor Pro Tem Julian Gold said. "But truly your mark is not the key — it's in all those who followed you, all those who used you as inspiration, all of those who used you as a moral compass and all those who saw the involvement of one man in a community in an effort to make it better. For that we are forever indebted."

The district in January awarded posthumous keys to the city, which Bosse called the council's "highest symbolic honor," to actors Betty White and Sydney Poitier.