For Beverly Hills Official, It’s a New Kind of High Life

Working as a city employee in Beverly Hills could be considered a career apex--the city is world famous and financially sound, and there is a black-tie party about once a week. But for Assistant City Manager Peggy Curran, there is still higher ground to conquer . . . about 8,500 feet up in the Colorado Rockies.

Last week, Curran, who has been with Beverly Hills since February, 1992, announced that she was resigning her $100,000-plus job to become city manager of the tiny ski hamlet of Telluride, Colo., at a salary of about $80,000 a year.

Avid skiers, Curran and her husband will be leaving balmy Beverly Hills on Aug. 1 to start her new job Aug. 29--in plenty of time to get ready for a full season of skiing. There will be some adjusting to do: The town is measured in blocks, not miles, everyone leaves their keys in their cars, and the nearest stoplight is 65 miles away.

Said Curran: “Beverly Hills has been wonderful, but adventure beckons.”

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WANTED: Mole to run district office of State Sen. Tom Hayden.

Well, not exactly.

But Hayden (D-Santa Monica) has put out a job announcement calling for candidates to head up a revamped district office--now to be called a “Community Office.” The office’s charge: “identifying and investigating scandal, corruption and wrongdoing by the area’s governmental agencies that harm the people--and organizing community activists to protect our residents.”

Hayden aide Sarah Rath says her boss is looking for someone with an investigative bent as part of his effort to identify and expose fraud and special-interest abuse. The office director would also assist Hayden in examining appointments to state boards and commissions.

“We would want to be able to have someone to monitor all levels of government--but focusing on state government,” Rath said.

Oh, and Hayden is offering annual pay of $50,000 (depending on salary history) plus benefits.

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ENDORSEMENT ABSENCE: Vanquished primary candidates usually fall into line behind their party’s nominee, swiftly putting intra-party rivalry aside.

Such is not the case with the runner-up to Richard Sybert in the Republican contest in the highly competitive 24th Congressional District, which stretches from Malibu to Reseda. Robert K. Hammer, a Newbury Park investment banker and first-time candidate who received 17% of the vote, pointedly vowed to withhold his backing.

Hammer had questioned his opponent’s commitment to the district because Sybert moved there last fall in order to run. Sybert, who grew up in Southern California, cited Hammer’s failure to vote in a number of elections. The two locked horns on other issues as well.

“While I will give the devil his due and the 15 minutes of fame he will demand, the man fresh from Sacramento will receive no endorsement from this camp; nor, given the way that campaign was run, can he legitimately expect one,” Hammer said in a note to a reporter.

Not surprisingly, Sybert did not see things the same way.

“That’s obviously just sour grapes,” Sybert said. “I’m sorry he feels that way. That is not proper behavior and I hope, after he calms down, that he will come to the same conclusion.”