By Nicole MOORE

The Crescenta Valley Community Assn. held its monthly meeting, with an unusually large audience, on Thursday, Feb. 22. The Association is a volunteer-based, multi-jurisdictional committee that focuses on land use issues in the La Crescenta, La Cañada, Montrose and Sunland-Tujunga areas.

The February meeting had a higher than usual number of participants due in large part to the Welcome to Glendale signs on Foothill Boulevard. The meeting’s participants shared various opinions regarding the monument signs, some stating they are an “eyesore” and are “potentially deadly.” Even La Crescenta’s younger residents chimed in on the matter.

“My friends and I don’t like it … The youths of [the La Crescenta area] are against the signs,” said Becky Raghavachary, a student at Rosemont Middle School.

Certain participants expressed dissatisfaction regarding the CVCA’s inability to help with the removal of the signs, ending with about 10 people walking out of the meeting in frustration. Members of the CVCA were quick to clarify that they do not hold power and it is up to the five members of the Glendale City Council to determine whether the signs will be removed. Participants cited they were under the impression the Association was able to support the signs’ removal. Additionally, when it was revealed a few members of the CVCA’s steering committee were in favor of the signs, and thus there was not a consensus on the matter, some of the participants of the meeting were clearly upset.

Philip Settle, a La Crescenta resident since 1975, was able to defuse the meeting’s somewhat heated discussion. Settle acknowledged the frustration felt throughout the room but affirmed, “Bottom line, we need to reach the Glendale officials.”

Then Mark Langford, local resident and author of “Thank God It’s Wednesday: The Business Professional’s Guide to Realizing Purpose, Passion and Life/Work Balance,” spoke to the members of the CVCA and the meeting’s participants about an online petition for the removal of the signs – removethesigns.org – and urged those who wanted the signs removed to sign the petition.

Toward the end of the meeting, the CVCA took a headcount of those in attendance who were in favor and those who were against the signs; the results they would report back to city officials. The vote was recorded at being 44 against and four in favor of the signs.

Other items mentioned during the meeting included the possibility of a mixed-use condo on the 3000 block of Foothill Boulevard. The main concern expressed over the proposed project boiled down to the developer not currently meeting certain standards, including issues with the proposed building’s height.

Also, the Glendale Tenants Union is attempting to gather signatures on a petition for rent control ordinances. According to the CVCA, currently landlords in the City of Glendale are able to increase rents on their units with few, if any, restrictions. The petition states landlords can only increase their rents by a maximum of 4% per year.

The next Crescenta Valley Community Association meeting will be at La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd. on March 22 at
7 p.m. All are welcome to attend.