By Julie BUTCHER

On Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council voted to defer the 11.3% electric rate increase set to go into effect on July 1 of this year opting instead to spread the increase over the next three years. The rates will increase by 5% on Nov. 1, 2025 then 2.95% rate increases would take effect on Nov. 1 of 2026 and 2027.

“It still hurts but this is a way of smoothing it out. No way to sugar coat it,” said Mayor Ara Najarian explaining the deferral of the rate increase, part of an overall rate adjustment package that saw rates go up 14.8% in December 2023 and 11.3% in July 2024. 

In related activity, the council authorized the utility to issue the last batch of electric revenue bonds totaling $230 million to fund the repowering of the city’s Grayson Power Plant.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian voted against both actions, noting that he opposed the repowering project and that this “cannot be pinned on me.”

City Manager Roubik Golanian presented the results of the city’s customer satisfaction survey, explaining that the city has contracted for a professional public opinion survey with a “reputable research firm” to gauge the level of satisfaction of Glendale residents with the city and the services it provides. 

“I’m pleased with the overall results showing that eight of 10 are satisfied with our services; this is directly attributable to the dedication and hard work of the men and women of this organization,” Golanian noted.

The “totally independent” survey was conducted in March and utilized a variety of means to survey 839 random registered voters. The same firm conducted similar surveys in 2014, 2016 and 2018 and therefore has comparative data available. 

“In this day and age, where people are polarized and feeling a little queasy about government overall, to get a 79% satisfaction rating is very, very good and we’re not seeing this in every city – you’re one of the cities that stand out,” the pollster told the council. Of that 79%, 28% said they were very satisfied and 51% indicated they were satisfied with city services. High ratings went to the city being safe, centrally located and clean and orderly; respondents noted the condition of the city’s streets as well as feelings of social cohesion and community as assets. 

One in 10 acknowledged the need for added revenue for services while 20% indicated an unfamiliarity with future financial needs. The main issues of concern for city residents are: reckless driving, speeding and overall traffic safety; housing and its affordability; the overall cost of living and inflation; and the cost of utilities. Residents ranked concerns about gang and juvenile violence; the availability of recreational programs; and the lack of restaurants at the lower end of community concerns. 

The city services ranked the highest are fire protection and paramedic services; library services; trash collection; and city parks. 

“We rarely see a citizen survey where fire isn’t number one – this shows strong appreciation for firefighters and paramedics; this is not unique. We don’t typically see library services among the highest ranked services and your scores are very high here,” a representative of FM3 Research detailed the survey results. 

Overall, the results of the survey show an alignment of city policy priorities and public sentiment. Repairing and updating fire stations ranked high as do prioritizing housing services and affordability; hiring additional qualified police officers; and making it faster and easier to receive city permits. Of those surveyed only 20% indicated bike lanes to be a priority. 

Ninety-two percent of respondents felt a high level of safety in the city overall and in their neighborhoods specifically. 

The city plans to post the full survey on its website today at https://www.glendaleca.gov/home.

The Glendale Police Dept. recommended new contracts for towing services with two tow companies: Gay’s Automotive & Towing. Inc. for one district and Mid Valley Towing, Inc. for the second district. Speakers from Crescenta Valley Tow protested the awarding of the five-year contracts.

The council authorized expending up to $5,000 to sponsor glendaleOUT’s Pride in the Park picnic in Adams Square on Saturday, June 7 after further discussion and by a narrow vote of 3-2. Mayor Najarian raised his continued concerns about the potential conflict of interest Councilmember Dan Brotman potentially has on the issue as his domestic partner serves on the board of Glendale Arts, designated as the financial administrator for the event. Mayor Najarian also criticized glendaleOUT’s leadership, reporting the group’s founder’s recent arrest. 

“How can we in good conscience funnel money to an organization led by this person?” he asked.

“This is not a gift to glendaleOUT, not about any one individual or their personal behavior; it’s about supporting the only PRIDE event scheduled in this city,” Councilmember Brotman responded. 

Councilmember Elen Asatryan agreed, noting that the funds would be going to support the event, “supporting a community that has seen a lot. I think it’s the least we can do.”

“It’s sad to see more people concerned about dividing our city against each other than bringing it together,” Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian added before the final vote.

At the beginning of the meeting, the council issued a proclamation designating June as PRIDE month. 

“PRIDE month reminds us that while every individual is unique, all of us deserve equal rights, dignity and respect,” Commission on the Status of Women vice-chair Seda Khajayan told the council.

Shant Jaltorossian of glendaleOUT described the group as a grassroots organization “dedicated to building, evolving and moving forward the local LGBTQ+ community. As neighboring cities have grown their support for their LGBTQ+ community, the city of Glendale has retreated when confronted by a loud minority of bigots.”