“Divine Design” Benefit May Be Homeless

Hollywood Courier
City Considering Leaving HIV/AIDS Event Homeless
Abbey Hood
Published 07/02/2009 – 6:27 p.m. CST

Key community business leaders and residents are criticizing the City for turning its back on Project Angel Food by basically “kicking it out of Beverly Hills.”

Every year since 2006, the non-profit hosts its largest fundraiser, a four-day shopping event called “Divine Design,” at the former Robinsons-May site at 9900 Wilshire to help pay for the 11,000 meals they provide weekly to people with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life threatening illnesses. Its supporters include celebrities Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Selma Hayek, and Sean Hayes to name a few.

This year’s event is scheduled for November.

Last week the City notified Project Angel Food director Margaret Steele that they were barring the event from 9900 Wilshire site citing “significant and serious safety issues,” identified in a fire department inspection report allegedly made last fall.

The 2008 report cites trip hazards, missing exit signs, missing panic hardware and inadequate fire alarm notification and sprinkler systems.

“Divine Design does wonderful things, (but) the public safety staff is concerned that we not risk, or God forbid, cause the life or injury of anyone from an unsafe condition,” said City Manager Rod Wood in a statement issued by the City’s public relations department.

Wood’s statement and the City staff’s position raise serious questions about the credibility of city management. Supporters of the benefit claim the manager’s position is hard to reconcile with the following facts:

”¢ The same week the letter was sent to Project Angel Food notifying that the site was a safety risk, another event, “CABoom,” was held at 9900 Wilshire, which drew an estimated 1,200 people.

”¢ Two months ago, the City issued a fire and event permit to hold a multi-day auction of Michael Jackson’s property which drew thousands of people to the same building.

”¢ An independent fire inspection agency licensed by the state of California approved the building’s safety sprinklers on April 1. Its report, a copy of which was obtained by The Courier, states the fire sprinkler system is “in full compliance with the State Fire Marshall code requirements,” and recertified the building.

The City counters these statements by criticizing the independent report. Beverly Hills Fire Captain Greg Barton told The Courier that the inspection was a “quick once-over. . . only a cursory report ‘eyeballing’ issues.” He claimed that a more detailed investigation of the site in 2006 concluded that the site did not meet fire code. Notwithstanding, the BHFD has allowed multiple events to be held in the building since the alleged 2006 report.

This begs the question, if the issues were identified in 2006, why was Divine Design or any agency allowed to hold events there since the report?

City Spokeswoman Cheryl Friedling and Barton answered by stating safety has always been an issue but they have used personnel to overcome problems.

“The fire department has had people on site to make it work, they have used the fire department to augment the safety issue,” said Friedling.

But this was at no cost to the City. Divine Design has had to pay $80,000 to the City for permits and for the hiring of fire personnel.

“Of course we would pay for permits and fire safety personnel again this year,” said Steele.

When answering why CABoom and the Michael Jackson auction were approved despite the safety questions, Wood answered, “The Jackson exhibit and CABoom folks had ‘rented’ the facility already and set up and conducted all of the advertising and promotion to this location for those dates they granted only those two events occur and that they could fully satisfy Fire and Building. They were able to work it out through some extraordinary efforts and staffing.”

Friedling added that every day that goes by the site is deteriorating without any investment from the property owner. She said the owners originally planned to demolish the building this summer to build condos, but lost financing. “Now they are trying to generate revenue (by bringing in events like Project Angel Food),” she said.

Contradicting Friedling, The Courier learned that the owners of 9900 Wilshire have donated the site to Project Angel Food every year free-of-charge since.

In fact, the site has been donated to Project Angel Food since 2006 when New Pacific Realty owned the property.

“We donated the site free of charge,” New Pacific said in a statement in 2006 before selling the project to Candy & Candy, who also let the organization use the building for free.

Project Angel Food actually generates revenue for Beverly Hills:

Ӣ Since 2006, they have generated $182,000 in sales tax, said Steele.

Ӣ Contributed more than $77,000 to four crucial charities: The Beverly Hills Education Foundation, Police Association, Fire Association and The Maple Counseling Center, said Steele.

”¢ Hired many Beverly Hills based companies including Style Firm, Di Moda PR, 360 International and rents out the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s ballrooms for its opening Gala dinner.

“Project Angel Food is a wonderful organization, helping people when they most need it. In addition to the meals they provide for the truly ill, their major fundraiser, Divine Design, generates substantial funds for our local non-profits in Beverly Hills including Police, Fire, Maple Counseling Center and the Beverly Hills Education Foundation,” said BHEF President Devorah Hankin.

“Having Divine Design in Beverly Hills is a win-win for so many in need including our community schools. Personally, I love attending the event, find great buys and enjoy knowing that I’m helping so many by shopping!”

The Maple Counseling Center President Jerrie Heslov added, TMCC greatly admires Project Angel Food.

“Seeing what they have done and the money they have invested in our community, it would be a bitter disappointment if they left,” said Les Bronte, resident and former TMCC president.

Project Angel Food representatives will speak in front of the City Council at the July 7 meeting asking them to reconsider. Key business executives are scheduled to speak at the meeting on behalf of Project Angel Food.

In a statement received shortly before The Courier’s deadline, Wood inferred keeping Project Angel Food in Beverly Hills is not totally out of the question.

“It may still be possible to find a solution for this one last year for Angel Food, but at this time that is not certain,” he said. “The issue here is, can the facility be made acceptable one last time? That is not known and won’t until the departments sit down with Angel Food and work out a plan.”

The decision will ultimately be left to the Council.