By Julie BUTCHER

Mayor Ardy Kassakhian announced upcoming events early in Tuesday night’s meeting of the Glendale City Council before the council took up a lengthy discussion on the future of delivery robots.

Glendale’s Summer Concert series started at the Brand Library this past Friday evening with the folk funk band Dustbowl Revival and will run through the summer on Fridays starting at 7 p.m. Details can be found at https://www.brandlibrary.org/summer-music-series.

The concert series is organized by the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Program, with support from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, Glendale Community Services & Parks and the Brand Associates.

Mayor Kassakhian urged folks to bring a blanket or a lawn chair, pack a picnic, and enjoy a free concert from “an incredible line-up of live music from around the world in one of Glendale’s most beautiful settings.”

Glendale’s mayor also invited the public to a Summer of Soccer Viewing Party for the World Cup’s third-place match on Saturday, July 18 from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. on the Artsakh Paseo, 125 N. Artsakh Ave. More information can be found at https://www.glendaleca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/56082/18?backlist=%2F.

“After the match, stay downtown and join us for Cruise Night,” Mayor Kassakhian encouraged participation in the City’s 31^st Annual Cruise Night celebration, starting at 5:30 p.m. “in the heart of Glendale” on Brand Boulevard, commemorating Glendale’s 120^th and the United States’ 250^th birthdays.  

Cruise Night information can be found on the cover of this newspaper and also at https://www.glendalecruisenight.com/.

Additionally, Mayor Kassakhian reported that Santa Clarita Councilmember Jason Gibbs has been elected to the Metro board to represent the north Los Angeles County cities previously represented by Glendale Councilmember Ara Najarian.

The council did not adopt an immediate moratorium on the operations of Personal Delivery Devices (PDDs) – delivery robots operating in the public rights-of-way – but instead opted to develop a framework to allow for a citywide pilot program for its continued usage.

Two companies have been operating delivery robots in Glendale.

Speaking on behalf of one of the companies, Kelly Jones of Serve Robotics told the council her company is “committed to being a responsible and collaborative partner.”

“Serve shares the City’s goal of creating safer, more accessible and livable streets and we believe that delivery robots can play a small but meaningful role in that future. Ninety percent of our business partners are mom and pop shops, such as the Original Kebob Factory and their subsidiary Muffin Can Stop Us.”

Jones detailed 20,000 robot deliveries since January 2025, supporting 182 local businesses. 

“That means 20,000 fewer car trips, 20,000 fewer cars double-parking, circling the block, distracted driving – especially along streets identified for the City’s Zero Vision [plans for reducing pedestrian fatalities] such as Brand Boulevard, Colorado Street and Central Avenue.

“Our model is focused on short trips, typically less than 1.5 miles, which helps reduce the kind of vehicle trips that contribute to congestion, emissions and double-parking in commercial corridors,” the company spokesperson noted.

City manager Roubik Golanian reported that since Mayor Kassakhian raised concerns about the unregulated robots roaming the streets back on March 31, City staff has conducted additional research, met with the device operators, coordinated among City departments, reviewed regulations adopted by neighboring cities and reached out to the business community.

Public Works manager Petra Beglarian summarized the results of that work and the recommendation from staff to adopt a framework for piloting the devices.

PDDs are electrically propelled devices used to transport food, groceries and retail purchases. Those requiring complete human control are considered Level 0 – 2 on the scale of automation. Level 3 devices use conditional automation and require human oversight. Level 4 devices operate independently within defined conditions and Level 5 devices operate with full automation.

Of the 38 businesses surveyed, 13 restaurants are currently using the delivery robots; these businesses report a rating of 7.5 usefulness (out of 10). The businesses that are not using the devices report that the technology is not available to them yet. Restaurant users cite reliable and efficient deliveries and positive customer reactions while reporting limited impacts on staffing, workflow or order volume. Several retail businesses not currently using delivery robots cite concerns about pedestrian safety and sidewalk congestion. The Glendale Chamber of Commerce offered tepid support for their use in specified areas.

The cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood regulate the devices in varying ways. All set levels of automation; operating areas; parking and staging rules; insurance requirements; ADA accessibility and customer service standards; methods of enforcement and standards for data reporting.

Staff recommends a one-year pilot allowing 25 devices per operator (currently two) in a delineated geographical area.

Councilmember Dan Brotman said that he wants the devices “regulated but not banned.” He suggested adding a prohibition on the devices transporting dangerous materials. 

Councilmember Elen Asatryan indicated that she “is not for a moratorium.” She urged the addition of speed limits for the devices.

Councilmember Alek Bartrosouf expressed concerns about limiting the pilot to any geographical area, noting that all businesses should be able to participate. He reported that in Los Angeles, the delivery robots integrate information into the City’s 3-1-1 system for reporting service needs and hopes that the same can be coordinated with Glendale’s MyGlendale app. Bartrosouf also suggested the opportunity for revenue sharing beyond simply recouping city costs, concluding that he is in favor of “services that can ultimately reduce vehicle miles traveled.”

Mayor Kassakhian voted against the details of a proposed pilot and introduced the measure to implement a moratorium of the devices. 

“I’m not saying these devices don’t have some utilitarian purposes but discouraging people to get out of their homes or offices to pick up a meal just seems like us going in the wrong directions as a society,” he said. 

The plan to implement a citywide pilot passed on a vote of 3-2 with Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian joining Mayor Kassakhian in voting “no.” A detailed framework for the pilot will be reviewed by council again in the future.

Due to new laws passed recently at the state level, the City has updated some of its outreach tools. All of the council agendas and materials now appear in the most commonly used languages in the area. Public comments for City meetings will now happen through Zoom as well as by phone. The new dedicated line is (818) 745-0355 and the Zoom ID is 1659278910. Both numbers appear on the screen for all City meetings.

On Tuesday night, the council proclaimed July 2026 as “Parks Make Life Better” month and highlighted the important community services provided in the City’s parks.

“Our parks are one of the shining jewels of the ‘Jewel City’ – they are absolutely the envy of our neighboring cities,” Mayor Kassakhian boasted. “Our parks are a great way to fall in love with Glendale. We love our parks: 47 parks and recreational facilities along with more than 5,000 acres of open space and programs and services that enrich the lives of our residents.”

A video can be seen at https://www.instagram.com/p/Dax-qBZDd0V/.

The council reviewed updates to the Beeline report it reviewed earlier this year and made recommendations for changes that will be reviewed by the council at an upcoming meeting. 

The council voted to appoint Councilmember Brotman to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.