Meet Craig Corman, Candidate For Beverly Hills City Council

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Craig Corman is vying for one of two open seats on the Beverly Hills City Council.

Mail-in ballots have already been sent out for the March 5 election, in which voters will decide between 10 candidates running for the council seats being vacated by Mayor Julian Gold and Councilmember Lili Bosse.

Learn more about Corman's goals for Beverly Hills:

Education:
Beverly Hills High School (1977); B.A., Stanford University (1981); J.D., University of Michigan Law School (1984)

Occupation:
I am an attorney and have been an active member of the California Bar for almost 40 years, though I am currently mostly retired.

Family:
I've been married since 1990 to my wife Karen, who is also an attorney and a retired partner at law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. We have two children: Kyle (age 26) and Paige (age 22).

Age:
64

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
I don't have any immediate family members working in politics or government. A cousin, Eric Meyer, works in the United States Foreign Service.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?
I have served as an appointed commissioner in the city of Beverly Hills for 13+ years — I am currently in my sixth year on the Cultural Heritage Commission, and prior to that I served for eight years on the Planning Commission. Planning commissioners usually serve for a maximum of six years, but I was reappointed twice to fill unexpected vacancies, which I believe is a sign of the confidence the City Council had in me and my service.

Why are you seeking a seat on the City Council?
I’m running for City Council because Beverly Hills is facing unprecedented challenges that need to be effectively managed if we're going to maintain the quality of life we've all come to expect and enjoy. I've lived in Beverly Hills nearly all my life, so I understand the history of the city and how it has evolved, and I have a track record of solving difficult problems, particularly while on the Planning Commission. Plus, I like helping people, and serving on the Council is a great way to help a lot of people all at once.

What do you think are the top three issues for voters in this election, and how do you plan to address them?
I believe the top three issues for voters are public safety, including working on the unhoused crisis, planning for future state-mandated housing growth, and improving government efficiency. These are complicated issues, but I believe my experience in city government, my legal background, my demonstrated ability to craft innovative solutions to complex problems, and my reputation for independence and fair dealing with conflicting stakeholders all make me uniquely positioned to help deal with these issues in the years ahead.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
We have many talented people running for City Council in this election. I believe what sets me apart is my lifelong knowledge of our community, my 13+ years of experience in city government, my legal training and history of actually drafting key parts of our development code, and my demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with others.

I've also centered my candidacy on being completely independent of special interests and outside influences — I won’t accept contributions from PACs or corporations; I won't accept endorsements from public employee unions with whom I'd be negotiating collective bargaining agreements while on the council; I'm the only candidate who won't accept campaign contributions that can trigger a presumption of undue influence under state law (SB 1439); and I'm the only candidate who has publicly pledged that, if elected, I will never represent anyone for money in connection with any matter pending in Beverly Hills for the rest of my life. I am only running to help make things better for the people of Beverly Hills.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
Other important issues I am focused on include strengthening infrastructure and environmental sustainability (including transitioning to a green energy environment and reducing water consumption), diversifying businesses, and addressing problems caused by traffic on our streets.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
Again, I believe my professional experience as an attorney and my extensive experience on the Beverly Hills Planning and Cultural Heritage Commissions make me uniquely qualified to serve on the City Council.

I would also point to the lead role I played in crafting three pieces of significant legislation while on the Planning Commission — the Trousdale View Preservation Ordinance, the current Historical Preservation Ordinance, and the Hillside Ordinance — as evidence of my ability to come up with innovative solutions to complicated problems, which is what the City Council will need to do in addressing the issues Beverly Hills now faces.

With respect to the Trousdale View Preservation Ordinance, for example, rather than simply adopt a "Tiburon"-style ordinance (giving neighbors a private right of action against their neighbors) or a "Palos Verdes"-style ordinance (creating a simple administrative process with broad discretionary standards), which were the two options initially proposed by our city staff, I helped devise a multi-step process with objective criteria and shifting costs along the way to incentivize cooperation early on; this has proven to be immensely effective in resolving view disputes in the Trousdale area.

With respect to the Historic Preservation Ordinance, rather than rely exclusively on traditional, broadly subjective standards for determining historic eligibility, I helped devise and draft additional objective standards that have enabled us to protect truly historic structures while also allowing older, non-historic, and functionally obsolete structures to be easily redeveloped.

And with respect to the Hillside Ordinance, I created a series of R-1 permit standards to reign in overdevelopment in the Hillside Area without unnecessarily limiting property owners' rights. Taken together, I believe these ordinances reflect the kind of innovative leadership that Beverly Hills will need going forward.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
During my eight years on the Planning Commission and five years on the Cultural Heritage Commission, I believe I earned a reputation for being thoughtful, independent, and always willing to listen to all sides on a matter before making a reasoned decision in the best interest of the city. This is why I’ve been able to run a "big tent" campaign with supporters who are "pro-development" and "anti-development," "pro-landlord" and "pro-tenant," and "pro-business" and "pro-resident." Many of these supporters will be the first to say we don’t always see eye-to-eye, but they know they can trust me to consider all viewpoints before making reasoned decisions that are in the best interest of the city, and that's what they want most in a member of the City Council.

Similarly, while I haven't always agreed with my fellow commissioners, I've always respected everyone's opinions and never let honest disagreements turn into anything more than that, and this may be why may be why every commissioner I've ever served with supports my candidacy. I believe it's important to work openly and collaboratively with others if you want to get things done, and I intend to bring this philosophy with me to the City Council.

Corman's campaign website