BEVERLY HILLS—Residents of Beverly Hills passed Measure BH during the city’s election on Tuesday, June 5. With all precincts reporting, Measure BH received 2,302 votes in favor of the measure, and 1,569 votes against the measure. It was passed winning 59.47 percent of the vote. The measure required at least a 55 percent vote for passage.
Measure BH is a $385 million construction bond for the Beverly Hills Unified School District for renovations to the school district. The bond allows repairing/replacing old floors, walls, restrooms, windows, roofs, classrooms, plumbing and electrical systems: modernizing science labs, buildings, facilities, classrooms and science equipment; installing energy efficient systems; replacing heating/ventilation, air conditioning, air filtration, and lighting systems; improving building safety for earthquakes and fires; enhancing security systems; upgrading schools for improved accessibility for disabled persons; removing hazardous materials, including oil well remediation and site repurposing; upgrading outdated electrical systems to enhance modern computer technology, data and communication; and upgrading and expanding wireless systems, telecommunications, Internet and network connections, including purchasing computers, hardware, equipment, and modern learning technology for classrooms. Bond proceeds may not be expended on teacher and administrator salaries and other operating expenses.
The bonds shall not exceed the maximum interest rate or maturity as allowed by law. The tax levy authorized to secure the bonds shall not exceed the Proposition 39 limits per $100,000 of taxable property in the District when assessed valuation is projected by the District to increase. According to the District’s Tax Rate Statement, the best estimate of the highest tax rate required to fund the bond issue, which is estimated to be the same in every fiscal year, is $44 per $100,000 based on a projection of assessed valuation available when the District filed its Tax Rate Statement.
The BHUSD indicates on its website that the bonds levy on average 4.4 cents/$100 assessed value. Schools that can see upgrades as a result of the passage of Measure BH include Beverly Hills High School, El Rodeo School, Horace Mann School, Hawthorne School and Beverly Vista School. The projects are expected to be completed as needed.
