Pynoos Caught Changing Her Story About BHPD and Stolen Signs

The October 4 exchange unfolded in the BH Neighborhood Chat on WhatsApp after someone shared Cienfuegos's Instagram post. According to information provided to the Standard, his video montage identified a white Tesla Model Y as belonging to fellow school board candidate Jackie Kruger and showed a license plate matching the vehicle residents had reported to police in connection with alleged thefts of campaign yard signs.

The residents' accounts described a vehicle approaching their properties and signs being removed. Those allegations and the reported plate match formed the context for the discussion Pynoos entered. The vehicle identification and the identity of whoever removed the signs remain matters requiring verification.

A message accompanying the shared post declared that the person responsible for stealing signs supporting Cienfuegos and Judy Manouchehri had been located. At 3:08 p.m., Pynoos responded:

"Our BHPD has deemed this is incorrect and has sadly targeted a minor in our city who is not responsible for stolen signs. Please do not share this. It is not factual and has now jeopardized the public safety of a family. Thank you."

Her message presented the allegation as something BHPD had determined was incorrect. It also categorically declared that a minor was not responsible and urged residents not to share the material. The wording did not clearly identify who had targeted the minor.

At 6:17 p.m., after the Beverly Hills Standard sought clarification from Pynoos and city officials, she posted a different explanation of her source.

"The information that I referenced in my comments was not shared by BHPD but rather by a community member."

Pynoos said she had posted as a concerned resident, was not speaking for the city, and was concerned about the sharing of a home address and other personal information that could be used to intimidate or harass residents. She apologized for confusion.

The follow-up changed the stated basis for her original assertion. It did not explain why she had attributed a determination to BHPD, whether she verified the community member's account, or what supported her statement that the minor was not responsible. It also did not address the vehicle identification or reported license plate match underlying the discussion.

Community member Michelle Yasharpour challenged the private-resident explanation in a 6:28 p.m. reply.

"You may have posted as a resident, but you are a sitting councilmember, and people reasonably assumed you were speaking with knowledge of the police department's findings."

The exchange follows other instances of Pynoos entering school board controversies. During her July 7 City Council installation remarks, she raised community concerns about a school board member being passed over for leadership, addressing the dispute surrounding Amanda Stern and the board vice presidency.

In a separate back-to-school social media caption provided to the Standard, Pynoos acknowledged that the City Council and school board are separate governing bodies, then called for Stern to be restored to the leadership rotation.

"I hope our school board will honor our voters and reinstate her into the lineup."

She expressly connected her argument to her council role.

"As City Councilmembers, we oversee our City Clerk's Office, which administers our municipal elections."

Pynoos wrote that this gave councilmembers a responsibility to uphold election results and safeguard public confidence. She was invoking her city position while advocating a particular outcome in the separate school board's leadership dispute.

In a September email to Beverly Hills Weekly publisher Josh Gross, Pynoos challenged coverage of Board of Education candidate Kimberly Lifschitz's social media posts and questioned why the publication had not focused on her campaign kickoff. She also questioned why it had not covered what she characterized as Russell Stuart's social media bullying.

"As an elected official, I find the amplification of such bullying deeply troubling."

Gross defended the coverage as newsworthy. The exchange prompted a complaint asking city officials to examine whether Pynoos's invocation of elected office created an appearance of pressure on the publisher.

Pynoos subsequently denied intending to influence the publisher and said she had written from a personal account as a private citizen, expressing her own views rather than those of the city or council.

Across the September email and Sunday's WhatsApp exchange, Pynoos invoked her elected status or a purported police determination, then explained that she was speaking personally. Her installation remarks and back-to-school post further document her involvement in school board disputes. The recurring question is how she distinguishes personal political advocacy from statements carrying the authority of her office or city institutions.

Rebecca Pynoos, city manager Ryan Gohlich and the chief of police Max Subin were all contacted for comment. None had responded by publication time.