Westside : BEVERLY WHO?

The Beverly Hills City Council’s decision this week to continue funding a fancy, $1.5-million tourism campaign with ads celebrating the city’s healthy appreciation for conspicuous consumption begs one question: Why does a city as famous as Beverly Hills, known worldwide by its 90210 ZIP code, need to advertise?

The trio of ads, funded with a portion of the city’s hotel bed tax, show an elegant couple wining, dining and shopping in the city made even more famous by a family of TV hillbillies and a trio of Eddie Murphy films.

Mayor Allan Alexander says the town, referred to as “The Province of Beverly Hills” in the magazine ads, is competing with cities nationwide that threaten to attain the stature of home to the rich and famous--such as Miami.

“There are attempts to replicate this type of elegance throughout the country,” he said. “We have to stay on the cutting edge.”