Beverly Hills City Council 2026

JonathanMariande

A filmmaker, father, and neighbor who got tired of just having opinions at the dinner table. The only candidate running on a Charter Commission to modernize how Beverly Hills governs itself.

JUNE 2 Vote June 2, 2026
The Charter Commission Join the Campaign
The Issue

Beverly Hills Needs a Charter Commission. Here's Why.

Beverly Hills has operated as a general law city since its incorporation in 1914. It has never adopted its own city charter. Unlike the 121 California cities that have adopted charters giving them authority over municipal affairs, Beverly Hills relies entirely on the state's default framework. The result is a governing structure increasingly out of step with the threats and pressures facing the city, from state-mandated builder's remedy projects that override local planning, to public records lawfare draining city resources.

When I walked into City Hall to pick up my filing paperwork, a senior city official asked me why I was running. I half-jokingly said I'd been wondering whether Beverly Hills could just become its own state. They didn't laugh. Instead, they pulled back the curtain on something most residents never see: a flood of public records requests pouring into city offices. Not from concerned neighbors, but from outside actors exploiting the California Public Records Act to extract sensitive city data. Police rosters. Infrastructure blueprints. Sewer system designs. Thousands of pages demanded within days, leaving the city legally unable to ask a single question about who is requesting the information or why. When the city can't keep up, the requesters sue. And they win, because the law as written is on their side. As a general law city, Beverly Hills has no charter of its own and limited authority to craft local solutions to modern problems like these.

🏛️
No Charter, No Local Authority

Beverly Hills has been a general law city since 1914 and has never adopted its own charter. A Charter Commission would put every aspect of governance on the table, from transparency rules to development protections, and give residents the chance to decide whether the city should finally adopt one.

📄
Public Records Lawfare

Outside actors are exploiting the California Public Records Act to demand thousands of pages of sensitive city data. When the city can't comply at volume, they sue. And they win. A charter city has more tools to address this.

🏗️
State Override of Local Planning

State-mandated "builder's remedy" provisions override Beverly Hills' local planning authority. The Charter Commission is how we find the tools to push back and protect our community's identity.

🗳️
A Real Voice for Residents

A Charter Commission gives residents a genuine seat at the table to rebuild the city's foundation. Not just another committee, but a structural mechanism with real authority to make changes that stick.

About Jonathan

Not a Politician. A Neighbor.

Jonathan Mariande
"Beverly Hills deserves someone who will ask the hard questions without an agenda. The Charter Commission is the mechanism to make sure the answers actually stick."

Jonathan Mariande is a filmmaker who freelances with the Los Angeles Times on major entertainment photoshoots, including the teams behind their Envelope magazine shoots. He has produced independent documentary work in Iraq and Antarctica.

Born in Anchorage, Alaska with family roots in New Orleans, Jonathan has called Los Angeles home for twenty years and has lived in Beverly Hills since 2022. His wife Stephanie is a tech entrepreneur building e-commerce AI models. Together they are raising their young daughter, who attends preschool in Beverly Hills.

He's not running because he was recruited by a party or a donor. He walked into City Hall to pick up candidate paperwork with a half-serious question about statehood, and left with a mission. A senior city official asked him why he was running. The conversation that followed revealed something most Beverly Hills residents never hear about: the legal exploitation draining city resources behind the scenes. That was the moment the campaign began.

Beverly Hills is losing staff hours and taxpayer money to preventable lawsuits and legal exploitation, because the city's general law framework hasn't kept pace with the modern world. The city's own senior officials have described the scope of the problem firsthand: outside actors flooding the city clerk's office with thousands of public records requests, demanding police rosters, infrastructure blueprints, and sewer system designs, not to protect residents, but to exploit outdated law. When the city can't comply fast enough, they sue. And as a general law city without its own charter, Beverly Hills lacks the local authority to fight back. A Charter Commission is how we get the tools to change that, and how we make sure Beverly Hills never has to lose that fight again.

Campaign lawn signs carry a simple message:
VOTE JUNE 2 / JONATHAN / BEVERLY HILLS CITY COUNCIL.

News & Press

Latest Coverage

Press Release

Jonathan Mariande Announces Campaign for Beverly Hills City Council

2026: Campaign Launch

The only candidate running on a Charter Commission to modernize Beverly Hills governance and protect the city from public records exploitation.

Request Full Release →
Media Inquiries

Interview Requests & Press Materials

Available Now

Jonathan is available for interviews, editorial boards, and community forums. Contact the campaign for press materials and scheduling.

Contact Press Team →
Coming Soon

More Coverage Being Added Here

Check Back Soon

As the campaign grows, press coverage will be posted here. Submit your coverage for inclusion.

Submit Coverage →
Press Contact
Jonathan Mariande Campaign  ·  [email protected]
Email Press Team