The city's ambassador, Gregg Donovan, has been laid off because the city says it just can't afford him.
For the past dozen years, the jovial, stentorian-voiced actor greeted visitors in top hat and tails, telling them "Welcome to Beverly Hills, you have arrived."
Donovan's face is even plastered on souvenir maps and T-shirts.
He says he got the word of being let go last month from his bosses at the Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau.
"How could they do that?" asked CNN's Larry King who bumped into Donovan during a recent morning stroll. "He's a Beverly Hills institution."
The 51-year-old says he's hoping to land a similar job, perhaps in Hollywood.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
