Meet Rebecca Pynoos, Candidate For Beverly Hills City Council

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Rebecca Pynoos, 42, is vying to be elected to the Beverly Hills City Council.

In the June 2 election, voters will choose from a list of 11 candidates running for three council seats. Incumbents Lester Friedman and Sharona R. Nazarian are seeking reelection. The seat currently held by Councilman John Mirisch is open, as Mirisch has reached his term limit.

Among those running is Pynoos.

Learn more about Pynoos' goals for Beverly Hills:

What is your educational background?

I hold degrees from Brandeis University and the University of Southern California, where I earned a master’s in social work focused on policy and planning. I am the only candidate with any educational experience in urban planning — and I have completed continuing education coursework in urban planning at USC’s School of Architecture, UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, and UCLA.

What is your professional background?

I’ve spent most of my career at the intersection of policy, planning, and real-world implementation. I began at the Clinton Foundation and later at Jewish Family Service, working on city and federal grants and community initiatives.

I pursued training at UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC in planning.

I’ve lobbied in Sacramento with regional leaders, and participated in programs like the Rautenberg New Leaders Project and ULI to better understand how systems can work for communities.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes. I am the current chair of the Beverly Hills Architecture and Design Review Commission at 42. I was the youngest appointee to the inaugural Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission at 28.

As an outgrowth of seeing how much state policy was impacting Beverly Hills and seeing as we had no seat at the table, I ran for a seat on the LA County Central Committee and was selected as an alternate member, where I regularly engage with local and regional leaders around issues impacting all of us.

What are the top three issues facing Beverly Hills right now?

Public Safety — My top priority is strengthening safety for every resident, business, and community member in Beverly Hills. From Trousdale to the Southeast, people should feel secure in their homes and confident in their neighborhoods — nothing is more important.

Development & Housing — State mandates and 16 out-of-scale builder’s remedy projects stem from the city’s repeated failure to adopt a compliant housing element. With my background in planning and regional connections, I will ensure we achieve compliance and avoid losing local control again.

The Metro — Smart planning around the Metro is essential for both safety and economic vitality. Through thoughtful design, strong community input, and a station-area safety plan —including BHPD presence, lighting, retail, and streetscape improvements — we can create a safer, more vibrant environment

How should Beverly Hills approach state housing mandates while addressing concerns about density, neighborhood character, and infrastructure?

To meet our RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) obligations by 2029, we must move from a defensive, reactive posture to a proactive, master-planned approach. We must advocate for ourselves and first, we must start now.

Right now, compliance is the only way to restore local control. Without it, the state dictates our land use, creating the "out of scale" projects that disrupt neighborhood character. To achieve this, we must have a council person well versed in regional planning, with strong connections with like myself or Craig Corman, as a point person on this. We will need the best consultant who has achieved results for other similar municipalities.

By providing clear objective design standards, which we developed in collaboration with our Architecture and Planning Commissions together, we can both help shape projects and offer developers the predictability they need to invest in our city while ensuring new projects enhance our architectural integrity as much as possible.

Finally, we must modernize the entitlement process. By leveraging my experience on the Architecture and Design Review Commission, I will ensure Beverly Hills meets its housing goals through smart, intentional planning and intend to work hard to never see another builders remedy project come to our city again. But we must provide outreach and education about new state policy — and also always treat our residents as partners, not as obstacles. That level of respect and engagement is something I bring to all of this.

What opportunities and challenges do you see with the Metro D Line extension, and how should the city respond?

Currently, Metro presents a major missed opportunity. Instead of embracing it as a chance to thoughtfully enhance the long-ignored La Cienega corridor, with pedestrian improvements, business enhancement like the Golden Triangle, and smart streetscape planning for safety, the city has largely treated it as a threat. Planning has centered on a police presence rather than on infrastructure that real riders will actually use.

Residents rightfully have concerns about a mass of riders coming into their neighborhoods, yet the city has done nothing apart from planning a police presence. We need to use urban planning tools and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) — the process of designing security into architecture to provide public safety and public realm improvements in addition to policing. Otherwise, we are leaving safety and money on the table.

Leadership means holistically planning for everyone, not just a narrow slice of the community. I also believe Metro is a missed economic opportunity to have brought in new business. Our council has only focused on enhancing the Golden Triangle instead of thoughtfully enhancing what will become our most major transit corridor the region and international world will watch May 8th and following. It should be just as vibrant and well maintained as Rodeo Drive. I will absolutely make it my focus to enhance the LaCienega area with resident and rider facing retail to enhance economic opportunity and safety for the city.

Why are you a better choice than your opponents?

At 42, I bring a new voice grounded in deep third-generation roots and 14 years of service on city commissions. I currently serve as chair of the Architectural and Design Review Commission. I grew up in the Flats and now rent in South Beverly Hills, giving me firsthand understanding of our community. With a background in grant management, social work, and urban planning, I bring both lived experience and policy expertise. My commitment is proven — I’ve long been engaged in local issues and regularly attend council meetings because I truly love this community.

Beverly Hills doesn’t need more of the same — we need a fresh, thoughtful voice to guide our city through the next four years of local and regional challenges toward a stronger future. I was encouraged to run by current leaders, former mayors, and community members who recognize my dedication. I’m proud to be unanimously endorsed by the LA County Democratic Party, along with the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills Democratic Club, Democrats for Israel Los Angeles, the League of Conservation Voters, state Senate candidate Brian Goldsmith, and other respected leaders.

As the only candidate focused on crucial issues of Metro and housing — and as a South resident where most of our city lives, I will prioritize public safety — and can also best represent both the luxury and livability needs of Beverly Hills. I’m committed to restoring accountability, accessibility, and transparency at City Hall with leadership that puts residents first.