By Julie BUTCHER

Early in Tuesday night’s meeting of the Glendale City Council, Councilmember Alek Bartrosouf reminded Glendale that public cooling centers are open across the City for people to get a bit of relief from the extreme heat. Here is a list of cooling centers, pools and splash-pads, and other tips for dealing with the heat: https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/community-services-parks/beat-the-heat.

On a vote of 4-1 with Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian voting “no,” the council approved a $3.8 million contract with Motive Energy to complete the Ground Mount Solar Project that leverages the decommissioned Brand Landfill and uses the flat three-acre area above Brand Park for a solar project estimated to produce approximately three million kWh/year of clean solar energy – estimated to power 514 homes annually.  

Glendale Water & Power’s (GWP) Business Transformation Manager Bryan Salazar told the council that the project furthers the city’s goal of utilizing 100% carbon-free energy by 2035, that it converts the inactive landfill into productive publicly owned infrastructure and that the engineering, environmental review and permitting of the project has been substantially completed since it was approved by the council in March 2023.

Councilmember Dan Brotman emphasized the importance of “locally generated energy.” Councilmember Elen Asatryan raised concerns about the appearance of the project from the hiking trails in the area. More details about the project can be found at https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/glendale-water-and-power/projects/city-owned-solar-program/brand-landfill-ground-mount-solar-project.

Congresswoman Laura Friedman attended Tuesday night’s council meeting to share an update on her work, noting that the past year has been challenging and difficult, not only because of the slow recovery from tragic wildfires but due to the “daily attacks by the Trump Administration against California including not providing the FEMA relief fire victims deserve.”

Friedman introduced the “Don’t Penalize Victims Act,” an amendment to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, she explained, was reducing the small amount victims received by funds raised by charities and friends or from GoFundMe efforts. The legislation is bipartisan and incorporated into a larger FEMA bill now pending.

The local congressperson shared concerns about the pending merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. and the potential impact on the local workforce and the economic impact on the region. 

Friedman has been appointed to co-convene House Democrats’ Housing Affordability Working Group, a group that focuses on housing and housing costs. She was the first West Coast sponsor of the No Mask for ICE agents and border patrol officers – “They should act like every other law enforcement agency.” She also stated that she is involved with increased safety for public transit and a national film tax credit to keep film and TV production in the U.S. She shared she has successfully secured funds for Glendale’s traffic camera program, for Central Park, and for the Verdugo Communications Center, which is a tri-city regional emergency dispatch center that serves 944,000 Angelenos. To reach the congresswoman’s office in Washington, D.C., call (202) 225-4176; to reach the local office in Burbank, call (818) 524-4384.

Mayor Ardy Kassakhian welcomed the congresswoman and emphasized the need to find assistance for 108 Glendale families who have emergency federal housing vouchers with funding that is ending prematurely.

Mayor Kassakhian segued to recognizing Aug. 26 as Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the certification of the 19^th Amendment in 1920 and the progress made by women. He adjourned the council meeting in the memory of “an icon, the late great Dolly Parton.”

“This is a big moment for public art,” said assistant director of Library, Arts & Culture Jennifer Fukutomi-Jones to council. She introduced a new mural ordinance. The responsibility for approving murals moved from the Design Review Board to the arts and culture commission in 2020 and the process for approving murals has been in the works since.

Councilmember Asatryan criticized the amount of time the new process will take as well as the costs and fees proposed. The council will consider further details before the ordinance is adopted. Mayor Kassakhian said that he wants to support expressions of public art but that he also wants to “remove the bureaucratic sludge” involved in doing so.

The council approved the hiring of Rachel Friede Dimond as the new director of Community Development. Here is the information the city shared about her qualifications and background: https://www.glendaleca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/9661/1097.