By Julie BUTCHER

One of numerous public speakers at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Glendale City Council aired his concerns about the chair of the committee appointed by the Council to explore possible changes to the city’s charter, expressing criticism of the chair’s advocacy in bringing issues back for repeated votes. 

In recent social media posts, local Glendale residents have expressed worry that the commission is being coerced on the issue of district elections for members of the Glendale City Council rather than the current process of electing all five members of the Council at large.

Another commentator spoke against dedicated bus lanes anticipated by the North Hollywood to Pasadena rapid bus project (No Hwd BRT), well underway to link the Burbank airport to Pasadena through Glendale and Eagle Rock. 

“I appreciate the Council’s desire to build more efficient public transportation; however, I do not believe this model is right for Glendale,” said the speaker.

The speaker explained that the plan calls for the elimination of an entire traffic lane, even though less than 3% of Glendalians commute using public transit and fewer than .05% commute by bicycle. 

“The increased traffic and chaos on the roads are not the biggest concerns,” she added, noting that the transportation project would trigger state-mandated rezoning in all neighborhoods within a half mile radius in all directions of every dedicated bus stop.

“So, for context, on the Glenoaks route, that’s roughly from San Fernando on, for all four proposed stops,” she said. “The entire neighborhood will be rezoned for six to seven story apartment buildings.”

On another issue, Damian Sullivan urged the Council to reconsider plans to level the 1936 Sears building to allow the building of housing on the site.

“It’s hard to squeeze 90 years of history into two minutes,” Sullivan summed up the past of the store “that put Glendale on the map” as a center of commerce. He explained that while the outside of the building may look plain and boxy, inside is the historic Sears tower. The city’s design review board is set to “greenlight the demolition” of this part of Glendale history; the future of the property will be decided by the full Council.

“We need to come together and figure out something [because] we can’t let the developer take our [Sears] building for 682 units,” Sullivan said in concluding his remarks.

Alan Durham addressed the Council, noting that he had been following the draft Land Use Element closely and appreciates the city extending the comment period indefinitely. 

“There has been almost a sole focus on the city-owned parking lots and whether they might be developed at some point, but I’d like to point out that the draft Land Use Element is a much more comprehensive document, highlighting where denser development should occur in the city over the next couple of decades. It’s important for people to look at the maps and see what’s proposed for their neighborhoods – it’s not just about the parking lots – look at the maps; they’re color-coded and show where, in each neighborhood, it’s proposed to have denser development in the future.”

The planning documents can be viewed at GlendalePlan.com and comments can be submitted at tinyurl.com/GlendalePlanComment.

Additionally, the city and the Montrose Shopping Park Association have scheduled a series of informational meetings https://www.glendaleplan.com/rsvp. The next meeting is set for Saturday, Sept. 13 at noon at the Glendale police sub-station at 3600 Ocean View Blvd. #11.

The Council acted to update the responsibilities of the city’s Commission on the Status of Women and debated the creation of a similar commission to address issues of concern to men.

“Men’s issues are quite clear – they have higher suicide rates, higher rates of workplace death and injury, lower college graduation rates; they’re underrepresented in custody awards, have higher rates of homelessness, alcoholism, drug abuse – these are legitimate public policy concerns that are excluded from formal city consideration because there is no Men’s Commission,” said Mayor Ara Najarian, adding that “there has to be a forum for these issues affecting men to be addressed and that’s the only fair thing to do.” He added that the name ‘Fathers, Sons, and Brothers” has been suggested to him.

Elena Bolbolian, the city’s chief innovation officer, described recurring themes and efforts being made nationally and in various localities. The state of Washington has a commission focused on boys and men; Washington, D.C. has a commission on Fathers, Men, and Boys; New York City has a program that focuses on employment and education; and Boston operates an Office of Male Engagement to coordinate services. 

The Council agreed to collect data and convene a working group to investigate the possibilities including the creation of a new commission.

Councilmembers Elen Asatryan and Ardy Kassakhian both commended the successful chess tournament hosted for the first time in Glendale over the Labor Day weekend. 

According to the American Chess Academy, “Glendale recently hosted the 2025 Southern California Open Chess Tournament, welcoming more than 300 players from across the country over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1. From rising youth competitors to internationally ranked grandmasters, the tournament showcased talent at every level and awarded more than $50,000 in prizes.”

Academy president Armen Ambartsoumian thanked the Council for its participation and sponsorship and shared a brief video about the chess tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWLbCaRtpmU.

“I’m a big fan and promoter of the game of chess,” Councilmember Kassakhian observed. “I think it teaches a lot of important life lessons as well as teaching young people how to focus on things that are not electronic.”

The Council voted to delay action requiring the installation of heat pumps in Glendale residences but approved Glendale Water and Power’s expansion of incentives to encourage energy efficiencies.

Early in Tuesday’s meeting the Council issued a proclamation designating September as Suicide Prevention Month, citing the importance of “raising awareness of mental health resources and the importance of early intervention.”

Mayor Najarian read from the proclamation, adding the necessity to “honor the work of organizations dedicated to suicide prevention and reaffirming our commitment to encouraging open conversations, compassion and connections with our community.” He noted that suicide remains the second highest cause of death among people aged 25-34 and added that help is available with a call or text to 988 or a visit to the https://988lifeline.org/ site.

National Alliance on Mental Illness local chapter board chair John O’Malley accepted the proclamation acknowledging the organization’s 40 years in Glendale. Local resources are available at https://namiglendale.org/.

After a lengthy hearing, the Council approved the expansion of a residence at 906 Whitehaven Terrace, including the addition of a second story, affirming conditions set by the design review board. 

The architect explained that the owners simply want the same opportunity to enlarge their home as their neighbors have had. 

“We’re trying to be as neighborly and acting in as good will as possible,” explained the architect. 

Finally, the Council adjourned in the memory of former city clerk Doris Twedt who spent “more than three decades serving the people of Glendale with dedication, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to good government,” recalled Councilmember Kassakhian.