





New Member

0 posts



Joined: Feb 2013





Newbie0 postsJoined: Feb 2013







Beverly Hills City Hall - city passed resolution condemning Brunei and asks its government to divest all its properties in the city



The city's mayor, Lili Bosse, said she made a "personal decision" not to return to the hotel as long as it is owned by the Sultan, and called the planned laws in Brunei "shocking and inhumane," claiming that they must be met with a strong statement of support for the human rights of the people of Brunei. "We are standing for human rights, we are standing for dignity and we are standing for those who don't have a voice," said Bosse, who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.



The City Council meeting was marked by strong emotions. Robert Tanenbaum, the trial attorney and novelist, called on a stronger resolution that declared a boycott, saying the millions that the city collects in bed taxes and other taxes blood money. "You cannot bifurcate the asset that gives money back to Brunei, that continues its horrendous and inhumane policies," he said. Jimmy Delshad, former mayor of the city, called on a stronger statement, saying that it is "important to make bigger noise than just that", suggesting for a citywide boycott. Just last week alone, the hotel seen US$1.5 million in lost bookings, spurred by the boycott movement.





Protests in the city against Brunei and its presence there



In the past 24 hours, another 2 big-name clients, Clive Davis and Jeffrey Katzenberg, have cancelled their businesses with the hotel. Outraged stars include Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Osbourne and Stephen Fry. The Global Women's Rights Awards is off, the Courage in Journalism Awards ceremony has been pulled, the Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment breakfast will no longer be with the hotel, and for the first time in more than a decade, the prestigious Night Before the Oscars charity event is not being held in the Beverly Hills hotel.



Media tycoon Haim Saban, the Egyptian-born American Jewish billionaire, has announced that he is boycotting hotels owned by the state of Brunei, the second billionaire to do so after Virgin chief executive Richard Branson. Saban has excellent relationship with the Democratic Party, especially Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the media industry. The billionaire however, said he would be willing to take over both the embattled Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air if he could purchase the properties at a fair price, claiming that the Sultan's investment is a stain in the city.





The city for rich and famous regards the Sultan's presence as a 'stain'



"We are boycotting," said Saban. "And, yes, we would be interested to buy both the Beverly Hills Hotel as well as the Hotel Bel-Air, but we won't pay a stupid price, nevertheless it won't necessary be me, if someone else buys it and the ownership change from the Sultan of Brunei to others, we will lift the boycott and still be enjoying the Polo Lounge and the Wolfgang Puck restaurant at the Bel Air." The Beverly Hills Hotel has been a haven for Hollywood's elite since 1912, but now the stars are rushing for exits over the hotels' current owner, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who has decided to enact Sharia law - targeting gays - in his home country of Brunei.



Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Originally a rural farming town, today it is a city for the rich and famous, a playground for the wealthy identified by its palmtree-lined streets, sunshine and attrocious property values. The zip code of Beverly Hills, 90210, is among the most expensive zip code in America, usually associated with the symbol of wealth and fame. Even with only around 35,000 inhabitants, the city has an incredible concentration of luxury boutiques. Rove Drive for instance, is well known internationally as an epicenter of luxury, with its reputation for outrageously expensive shops catering to outrageously expensive and unique people.





The Beverly Hills Hotel owned by the Sultan of Brunei





SOS:



http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=...eles&id=9529969



https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/beverly-h...tel-1201173821/



http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/06/showbiz/...protest-brunei/



http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-l...0506-story.html



This post has been edited by rivost: May 7 2014, 02:48 PM

The Beverly Hills City Council on Tuesday night passed a resolution condemning the Sharia laws targeting gays and women in the Southeast Asian Sultanate of Brunei, and also put forward a divestment notice against its government. The resolution, approved in a 5-0 vote, calls for Brunei to divest ownership of the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel property if it does not drop plans for the draconian laws, which include punishment like stoning to death for gay and lesbian relationships. It also calls on the country to drop investments of any other properties it owns in Beverly Hills, one of the most affluent city in the world.The city's mayor, Lili Bosse, said she made a "personal decision" not to return to the hotel as long as it is owned by the Sultan, and called the planned laws in Brunei "shocking and inhumane," claiming that they must be met with a strong statement of support for the human rights of the people of Brunei. "We are standing for human rights, we are standing for dignity and we are standing for those who don't have a voice," said Bosse, who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.The City Council meeting was marked by strong emotions. Robert Tanenbaum, the trial attorney and novelist, called on a stronger resolution that declared a boycott, saying the millions that the city collects in bed taxes and other taxes blood money. "You cannot bifurcate the asset that gives money back to Brunei, that continues its horrendous and inhumane policies," he said. Jimmy Delshad, former mayor of the city, called on a stronger statement, saying that it is "important to make bigger noise than just that", suggesting for a citywide boycott. Just last week alone, the hotel seen US$1.5 million in lost bookings, spurred by the boycott movement.In the past 24 hours, another 2 big-name clients, Clive Davis and Jeffrey Katzenberg, have cancelled their businesses with the hotel. Outraged stars include Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Osbourne and Stephen Fry. The Global Women's Rights Awards is off, the Courage in Journalism Awards ceremony has been pulled, the Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment breakfast will no longer be with the hotel, and for the first time in more than a decade, the prestigious Night Before the Oscars charity event is not being held in the Beverly Hills hotel.Media tycoon Haim Saban, the Egyptian-born American Jewish billionaire, has announced that he is boycotting hotels owned by the state of Brunei, the second billionaire to do so after Virgin chief executive Richard Branson. Saban has excellent relationship with the Democratic Party, especially Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the media industry. The billionaire however, said he would be willing to take over both the embattled Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air if he could purchase the properties at a fair price, claiming that the Sultan's investment is a stain in the city."We are boycotting," said Saban. "And, yes, we would be interested to buy both the Beverly Hills Hotel as well as the Hotel Bel-Air, but we won't pay a stupid price, nevertheless it won't necessary be me, if someone else buys it and the ownership change from the Sultan of Brunei to others, we will lift the boycott and still be enjoying the Polo Lounge and the Wolfgang Puck restaurant at the Bel Air." The Beverly Hills Hotel has been a haven for Hollywood's elite since 1912, but now the stars are rushing for exits over the hotels' current owner, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who has decided to enact Sharia law - targeting gays - in his home country of Brunei.Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Originally a rural farming town, today it is a city for the rich and famous, a playground for the wealthy identified by its palmtree-lined streets, sunshine and attrocious property values. The zip code of Beverly Hills, 90210, is among the most expensive zip code in America, usually associated with the symbol of wealth and fame. Even with only around 35,000 inhabitants, the city has an incredible concentration of luxury boutiques. Rove Drive for instance, is well known internationally as an epicenter of luxury, with its reputation for outrageously expensive shops catering to outrageously expensive and unique people.SOS: