By Julie BUTCHER

Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council reviewed several recommendations in a report from the appointed Charter Review Committee, ultimately opting to continue to deliberate on the issue of moving to districts and district elections rather than the current system of at-large elections for five Councilmembers who each represent the entire city. Also reviewed was whether the city should have a directly-elected mayor or continue to select a mayor on a rotating basis from the sitting Councilmembers.

No votes were taken on the committee’s recommendations but the Council expressed a variety of opinions on the pending matters.

The Council appointed the 12-member committee in 2024 to consider potential changes to the city charter, the city’s constitution. At the time, the areas of consideration were district elections; the direct election of a mayor; the possibility of expanding the size of the council; council compensation; and changes to the city’s civil service system.

In April 2025, the committee voted 5-5 on the issue of district elections. In August 2025, a final vote of 7-5 was recorded, recommending against transitioning to district elections and to directly elect a mayor citing concerns over diminished citywide accountability and the potential for increased divisiveness and more parochialism. 

According to city staff, the majority of the committee members did not see how creating districts would address the challenges facing the city.

Proponents of having districts note the possibility of increased opportunities to seek office, given the reduced cost of running for office and fewer constituents, that the change might encourage more representation across different areas and interest, such as improving representation from south Glendale and from the renter community, for instance.

“Sixty percent of Glendale’s residents are renters yet 90% of us up here are homeowners,” observed Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian. 

Mayor Ara Najarian said that he believes the 7-5 vote against districts underestimates the strength of community opposition to the idea of district elections.

Councilmember Dan Brotman said that while he was not ready to move forward with district elections, “We don’t know where the community stands on this and we won’t know where the community stands on this until we take it to the voters.”

On the issue of Council pay, the committee recommends a public review every two years of Councilmembers’ compensation. The committee believes that the Council has tools necessary to begin to solve the problem of unreasonably low “pay” for the supposedly “part-time” council.

Mayor Najarian added, “As we move into election season, all you potential candidates need to know that your income, your way of life, the quality of your life is going to take a huge hit if you achieve your dream of being elected to Council.”

“It’s a wonderful job to have, to help the city, but you get paid nothing – and if you have another day job, you cannot hold that day job and work as a city Councilmember,” the mayor said.

A 2023 change in state law allows general law cities, such as Glendale, to increase compensation for Council members up to $2,550 per month and to increase that amount by 5% annually or by an amount pegged to increases in the cost of living by a vote of the Council. Currently, Glendale Councilmembers receive a monthly stipend of $1,430, an amount voted on in 2011 and unchanged since 2013.

“Whether I agree with you or not, you work very, very hard. This is a very hard job. This is a very time-consuming job. And I think that you have to be appropriately compensated,” Council regular Beth Brooks told the Council. She suggested tying Council salary to the area wage average.

Councilmembers want the committee to look at the possibility of appointing the city clerk and treasurer, positions that are currently elected citywide. There appeared to be no support for the consideration of an elected city attorney.

The committee will continue to deliberate outstanding issues including potential changes to the city’s civil service system. Details about the committee’s work can be found on the city’s website at https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/city-clerk/boards-and-commissions/charter-review-committee.

In other Council business, an ordinance was introduced to amend the city’s building code to add a “reach code” requiring homeowners to install an electric heat pump rather than replacing a furnace when replacing an air-conditioning unit. 

Patrick Murphy criticized the lack of outreach on this issue and commented that it will cost homeowners. 

“Using Glendale Water and Power’s public benefit fund to provide rebates is not equitable as it will cause renters to subsidize homeowners to change their systems. Please do not make the claim that people are not being forced to replace their systems because if they choose not to do so, the code calls for extensive upgrades, which can be as costly, if not more so than the new heat pump, but without rebates. That is the definition of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

“This is not a State of California issue as this ‘reach code’ is just that – it is reaching beyond the requirements of the state,” Murphy concluded.

The Council will vote on the ordinance at an upcoming meeting, possibly as soon as at its next meeting.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian opposed the code change, opting instead for more choices for homeowners.

Mayor Najarian believed the rebates are “frankly obscene, that we are giving thousands of dollars to multi-million-dollar homeowners so they can upgrade to the latest fad.”

At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, Councilmember Brotman reported on a meeting with residents of Ivy Street where seven families have been cited for allegedly having improper “parking pads.” At Councilmember Brotman’s request, the city will stay enforcement actions against those alleged illegal installations while the city develops a more equitable policy to address tight parking situations like those in the Ivy Street neighborhood.

Finally, the Council gave final approval to the development of an eight-story, 105-unit multi-family project at 820 N. Central Ave., on the southwest corner of Central and Arden avenues, replacing the existing commercial building and two surface parking lots currently there. The development will include 73 two-bedroom units, 186 on-site parking spaces, and 3,388 square feet of publicly accessible open space. The project secured preliminary approval from the City Council in November 2024 and from the city’s design review board in June 2025. It is exempt from CEQA environmental review as an “in-fill development project.”

The Council will meet next on Tuesday, Nov. 18.