By Julie BUTCHER

“We appreciate you and you are often the singular voice of reason on the board,” Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian said in welcoming Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger to a meeting with the Glendale City Council on Monday, March 2 in the Glendale Police Dept.’s Community Room. “And we know you’re proud representing the City of Glendale.” 

Supervisor Barger thanked the Council and commended the showing of law enforcement, recognized the close coordination between her staff and city staff, and acknowledged her pride in representing Glendale – “the work you do every day, the largest center of the Armenian Diaspora” she said. Barger’s chief of staff, Anna Mouradian, lives in Glendale, she shared.

The supervisor addressed a long list of issues of mutual concern. First, the supervisor expressed her adamant opposition to a measure to increase the county’s sales tax. The City of Glendale has also voted to oppose putting the tax increase on the ballot. 

“Glendale’s sales tax would be 11%. This is not good public policy,” Supervisor Barger said. “It’s bad for small businesses. Backfilling the loss of federal funds by increasing local taxes is a bad idea. Cities in the Antelope Valley would have the highest sales tax in the country. Of the 20 cities I represent, not one of them supports this.”

Los Angeles County voters will decide in June 2026 on a proposed temporary 0.5% (half-cent) sales tax increase, aimed at offsetting a $2.4 billion loss in federal health care funding. If approved, this could push the total sales tax rate to 10.25% in many areas and as high as 11.75% in cities such as Lancaster and Palmdale.

On the topic of mental health and homeless services, Glendale City Manager Roubik Golanian recognized the county’s leadership. Glendale’s interim police chief Robert William reported that the police department fields a group of four police officers and two mental health clinicians as a regular homeless team but that federal funds have helped support overtime work to provide additional coverage. 

Supervisor Barger shared the city’s concerns, adding that it is “immoral” to allow people to remain homeless. She advocated for more board-and-care facilities to address the need. 

Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian cautioned against locating these facilities in residential neighborhoods.

“In every city, people want the homelessness issue addressed,” Supervisor Barger stated – but everyone wants it addressed in someone else’s neighborhood. She urged developers to start talks with the community at the beginning of project developments to secure as much early buy-in as is possible.

Funding for an emergency housing voucher program is anticipated to end by the end of the year, affecting 188 Glendale households, and the Council and supervisor discussed possible alternatives to fill the funding gap.

Supervisor Barger spoke critically about plans to expand the size of the board of supervisors from five to nine and to create an elected county-wide executive position not covered by term limits who would be responsible for the county’s massive $47 billion budget.

Commenting on her more than 40 years of service, Barger said that while it is “far from perfect, I love the county.”