John A. Mirisch
John A. Mirisch is an American politician and former film studio executive. He is currently a city council member of Beverly Hills, California. He also served as mayor from 2013 to 2014, from 2016 to 2017, and from 2019 to 2020.
John A. Mirisch | |
---|---|
73rd, 76th, and 79th Mayor of Beverly Hills | |
Former | |
In office March 27, 2013 – February 25, 2014 | |
Preceded by | William W. Brien |
Succeeded by | Lili Bosse |
In office March 2016 – March 28, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Julian Gold |
Succeeded by | Lili Bosse |
In office March 20, 2019 – March 31, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Julian Gold |
Succeeded by | Lester Friedman |
Personal details | |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican[1] |
Relations |
|
Children | 2 |
Profession | Politician |
Early life
John A. Mirisch was born to a wealthy family in Beverly Hills.[2][3] He has a brother and a step-sister, the daughter of his mother's second husband Leonard Goldberg.[3] His grandfather, Harold Mirisch, alongside his great-uncles Walter Mirisch (1921–2023) and Marvin Mirisch (1918–2002), founded the Mirisch Company in 1957.[2][3] He attended Hawthorne Elementary and Beverly Hills High School.[2] He graduated from Yale University magna cum laude in 1985.[2]
Career
Mirisch began his career at 20th Century Fox.[2] He later worked as managing director of the Austrian office of United International Pictures, following by the Swedish office.[2] He served on the boards of the Austrian and Swedish Film Distributors' Associations and the Swedish Academy Awards Selection Committee.[2] He worked as an executive both at IMAX and at Paramount Pictures.[3]
Mirisch was elected to the Beverly Hills City Council in 2009.[4] As councilor, he opposed plans to annex Holmby Hills, Los Angeles as part of the city of Beverly Hills.[5] He served as vice mayor of Beverly Hills in 2012, and became mayor for the first time in 2013.[3][6][7][8][9]
During his tenure as mayor, Mirisch established the Sunshine Task Force to improve local governmental transparency and public participation.[3] He has also spearheaded the Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission to honor the city's rich history and architectural legacy.[3] His first term ended in March 2014, when Lili Bosse was sworn in as mayor.[10]
Mirisch is a vocal opponent of degrading local government authority to determine residential zoning, leading to conflict with YIMBY activists.[11]
Mirisch served his second term as mayor from March 2016 to March 2017[12] and began his third term as mayor in March 2019.
Personal life
Mirisch has two sons.[3] He is a member of the Geelong Football Club of the Australian Football League.[3] He is a dual Swedish-American citizen and also a citizen of Canada.[3]
In 2016, the city of Beverly Hills was ordered to pay $9,357 in legal fees to a journalist who filed suit for release of police records related to alleged domestic abuse by Mirisch. The records included incident reports from police visits to Mirisch's home.[13] An affidavit filed by Magdalena Mirisch for a restraining order during divorce proceedings in 2011 claimed that Mirisch emotionally abused her and was neglectful toward their son.[14]
In the next election for Beverly Hills City Council on March 5, 2017, Mirisch was re-elected, placing first in a field of eight candidates.
References
- "Beverly Hills mayor John Mirisch booted from 26th Senate District ballot, may appeal". Daily Breeze. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- Campaign website Archived 2013-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
- The City of Beverly Hills Mayor and Council Members
- Martha Groves, Mirisch elected to Beverly Hills City Council, The Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2009
- Martha Groves, Holmby Hills seeks annexation by Beverly Hills over potholes, The Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2012
- Matt Lopez, Vice Mayor John Mirisch Officially Files Papers for Beverly Hills City Council Re-Election, The Beverly Hills Courier, November 6, 2012
- Matt Lopez, John Mirisch Installed As Beverly Hills Mayor At 2013 City Council Installation Ceremony Archived 2013-11-11 at the Wayback Machine, The Beverly Hills Courier, March 27, 2013
- Marla Schevker, Matt Lopez and Laura Coleman, John Mirisch Wins Top Spot In Beverly Hills City Council Race Archived 2014-03-20 at the Wayback Machine, The Beverly Hills Courier, March 7, 2013
- Matt Lopez, John Mirisch Ready to Lead As Mayor of Beverly Hills Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, The Beverly Hills Courier, March 21, 2013
- Laura Coleman, Beverly Hills News – John Mirisch Reflects On His Term As City’s Mayor Archived 2014-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Beverly Hills Courier, March 20, 2014
- Mirisch, John (September 15, 2021). "The one element missing from the discussion of housing: Tolerance". CalMatters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- Talbot, Victoria (March 31, 2017). "John Mirisch Looks Back On His Year As Mayor" (PDF). The Beverly Hills Courier. Vol. LI, no. 13. pp. 4, 27. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- "Home". Archived from the original on 2016-10-03.
- "Mayor Sam's Sister City - Home of Los Angeles Politics: The Politics of Subways gets nasty in Beverly Hills".