Eleven Candidates Qualify for Beverly Hills City Council Race

The field is now set for the June 2 Beverly Hills City Council election, with 11 candidates officially qualifying to run for three open seats in what is shaping up to be one of the city’s most watched races in years. The seats are currently held by Mayor Sharona Nazarian, Councilmember Lester Friedman and Councilmember John Mirisch, who is not on the ballot after a court upheld the city’s term limit ordinance. The city clerk’s office says all 11 City Council candidates accepted Beverly Hills’ voluntary campaign expenditure limits.

The qualified candidates, in the ballot order posted by the city for the June ballot, are Roger Tanenbaum, Rebecca Pynoos, Jonathan Mariande, Andy Licht, Ariel Rofeim, Lester Friedman, Sharona R. Nazarian, Russell Stuart, Clayton M. Saunders, Barry Axelrod and Andrew Kole. The filing period closed March 6.

The race brings together two incumbents and a broad mix of first-time council hopefuls from business, law, education, entertainment, planning, activism and public safety. Nazarian is seeking a second term on the council, while Friedman is seeking what would be his third and final term. Both are running on experience and continuity at a time when Beverly Hills is preparing for the opening of the Metro D Line extension and continuing debates over development, safety and neighborhood character.

Among the challengers, Andy Licht enters the race with one of the longest records of city service in the field, having served on the Cultural Heritage Commission and previously on the Planning Commission and Traffic and Parking Commission. Rebecca Pynoos, who has also served on city commissions, has positioned herself around planning, transparency and resident engagement. Jonathan Mariande has centered his campaign on structural reform at City Hall, including the idea of a charter study commission. Ariel Rofeim has framed his candidacy around generational change, public safety and restoring confidence in city leadership.

The remaining candidates round out a field with sharply different backgrounds. Russell Stuart, a current Beverly Hills school board member and businessman, is running on a record tied to education, public safety and civic leadership. Barry Axelrod, owner of Beverly Hills Cookies, has focused on communication between residents and City Hall, along with quality-of-life issues affecting businesses and neighborhoods. Andrew Kole comes from media and business and has cast himself as an outsider voice focused on public input and fiscal scrutiny. Roger Tanenbaum has emphasized family legacy and service, while Clayton M. Saunders has presented himself as a business and security-minded candidate.

Even at this early stage, the contours of the race are becoming clear. Public safety is likely to dominate much of the campaign, especially with the long-anticipated Metro opening drawing closer. Development, planning, fiscal stewardship, resident trust and the future direction of Beverly Hills will also be central themes as voters choose three members of a council that will shape the city’s next chapter.