CV Weekly looks back at year that was – truly – unprecedented.

January

The float Dodo Bird Flight School that was entered into the 131st annual Tournament of Roses Parade by the City of La Cañada garnered laughs and the Bob Hope Humor Award.

Several new laws went into effect on Jan. 1 but perhaps what captured the most attention was the implementation of AB 5, a law that changed the way California defined contract and independent workers.

A smoke shop in the 2600 block of Honolulu Avenue was investigated after a complaint was made that the shop sold tobacco products to minors. At the conclusion of the investigation, detectives arrested 23-year-old Krikor Kozian of Tujunga for furnishing tobacco and vape products to minors.

The Crescenta Valley High School robotics team launched a new season of robot-building for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition.

Los Angeles County transitioned from polling places to Vote Centers, which allow voters 11 days to cast a ballot in person. Demonstrations of new equipment were held throughout the area informing voters of the new ballot marking devices and other changes.

“Hepcats” and “cool dudes” dusted off their dancing shoes for the 10th annual Jazz Night at the Café swing dance held at Crescenta Valley High School.

An evacuation drill was held for residents in the Briggs Terrace and Paradise Valley areas of the Crescenta Valley. The drill was a preparation exercise so residents would know how to safely exit the areas in case of disaster.

The election season kicked off with candidates vying for seats on the Glendale Community College board of trustees, the board of education as well as government on the state and federal level. Early advertising in the CV Weekly was a response to the change in California primary voting from June to March.

Crescenta Valley residents fell victim to a series of scams. Several targeted elderly people resulting in a luncheon for them called “Smarter than a Scammer” hosted by the Glendale Police Dept. and the Community Services and Parks Dept. to inform the elderly and other at-risk individuals of possible scams.

The Glendale City Council pondered a proposal for a 22-story building, which would include 348 units, primarily residential. Though Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian shared his concerns about the project – saying, “I don’t know how we got in this situation” – he ultimately voted to approve the project.

Food insecurity for college students was behind a drive for items for the Glendale Community College Food for Thought Pantry by The Giving Express. The organization collected food and toiletries for college students at the parklet at Rosemont and Orange avenues adjacent to Monte Vista Elementary School.

The 10th anniversary of the La Crescenta Library included storytelling, an overview of the historical heritage of the area and music by the high school jazz band.

The monthly meeting of the CV Town Council included the induction of new board members by County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

A tentative agreement on wages was reached between the Glendale Unified School District and the California School Employees Assn.

February

The Glendale homeless count found fewer people unsheltered. Teams were placed around city neighborhoods to search areas frequented by homeless people. Mayor Ara Najarian shared that the Glendale Police Dept. outreach team was able to help a homeless family of eight who were living in their car.

Wind gusts exceeding 55 mph tore through the Crescenta Valley, downing trees and power lines.

Shoppers in the Montrose Shopping Park were surprised by an unexpected increase in metered parking and the amount of time to pay to park was expanded by two hours.

Tensions rose at a Glendale Unified School District board meeting as students and parents urged passage of a resolution that would recognize the culture, contributions and value of African American students and community members.

Holocaust survivors shared their stories at assemblies held at Crescenta Valley High School. 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps.

An information event on the new voting system was held by CV Weekly and the offices of Assemblymember Laura Friedman, Senator Anthony Portantino and LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

Bingo-Palooza that included red carpet events to games called by a drag queen was held around the community. The funds raised at these events benefited several non-profit organizations.

The question of how efficiently tarps were protecting the roofs of historic Rockhaven was tackled by the Glendale City Council. Then-City Manager Yasmin Beers assured the council that the roofs were also being patched throughout the year.

Members of the Glendale Moose Lodge #641 offered financial support to the Montrose Search and Rescue team.

With negotiations rocky between USC-VHH nurses and the hospital administration, the nurses took their concerns to the people at the weekly Harvest Market.

Members of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce joined Ace Hardware staff with an official “board” cutting.

March

The LA County Board of Supervisors and the Dept. of Public Health, along with the cities of LA, Pasadena and Long Beach, declared a local emergency in connection with the novel coronavirus. As of March 5, seven recorded cases of the coronavirus were reported in LA County.

Hard work paid off for the CV High School Falkon robotics team, which won the Engineering Award at the FIRST competition.

Businesses along Honolulu Avenue experienced some changes including the closure of Moss Supermarket, the move of Revelation Tops, the closure of Rest Farmhouse Inspired and the opening of Shawerma Kingdom, the closure of Ocean View Jewelry, the opening of Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt at the former location of Quilt ‘N’ Things, and the closure of Tribe to Table. Holiday Hats and Gowns remains closed after damage was done to the back of the location, Critters was closed and replaced with That’s Darling and the former location of Billy’s Board Shop was (eventually) reopened as a women’s clothing shop. The former site of Rocky Cola Café was due to open in the fall or winter as Gus and Andy’s Montrose Grill.

GPD Officer Joe Allen retires from the Glendale Police Dept. after 32 years in law enforcement.

The Glendale City Council was briefed on the city’s preparations and recommendations to best protect the public from the coronavirus health threat. Executives from local hospitals were present at the briefing. While the situation was changing quickly, noted fire chief Silvio Lanzas, “it is important to stay calm and listen to reliable sources of information.” There were 111,363 cases worldwide, with 3,892 confirmed deaths, and 566 cases in the U.S. with no confirmed cases in Glendale.

The first step in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) concerning the lights and stands project proposed for Crescenta Valley High School was held on March 5 at the school’s MacDonald Auditorium.

Glendale Unified School District was working on arranging remote teaching. In-person attendance by students at the school was canceled; it was uncertain how long before students could re-enter the campus.

At an emergency afternoon meeting, the Glendale City Council voted unanimously to declare a local emergency and enact urgent and immediate actions aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Actions included restaurants limited to take-out, delivery or drive-thru options only. Bars that served food would be allowed to prepare orders to-go or food to be picked up; bars that do not serve food would close. All city facilities closed and GWP shutoffs were suspended.

Local farmers’ markets were able to remain open amid the Safer at Home orders from LA County, which were adapted from the state orders.

Beginning with the final meeting of March, the Glendale City Council met virtually with councilmembers and the community calling in to get information and offer comments regarding city activities. The Glendale Beeline bus service continued its regular schedule and offered free fares for all passengers.

As the shutdown continued, positive activities were shared that were found throughout the Crescenta Valley. These included residents eating dinner on the lawn across the street from their neighbors to maintain plenty of social distancing, garage concerts given for the neighborhood, free bags of fruit offered by residents to anyone who wanted some citrus and chalk messages on sidewalks along walkways.

The Glendale Unified School District set up tents to distribute food to students who were in the free and reduced cost lunch programs. All children, 18 years and under, could pick up breakfast and lunch at several locations throughout the district. At Rosemont Middle School, shortly after the campus closed and new “distance learning” was established, those students who expressed a need for technology in the home via a survey received a Chromebook for use at home.
“This is uncharted territory, and we are going to have to flow as we go,” said Rosemont Principal Scott Anderle in an email to parents.

April

Beaches, trails and CV Skate Park were among places ordered to close to slow the spread of COVID-19.

A push for residents to complete the United States Census 2020 was underway. The deadline was extended to August.

In an abundance of caution regarding the expected April surge in COVID-19 reports, the Montrose Harvest Market was closed through the end of April.

Messages of encouragement were asked to be sent to the medical caregivers at USC-VHH. Other ways to help included feeding the staff and donating PPE and iPads.

Free meals were being provided by the Los Angeles County Dept. of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) to adults age 60 and older who were impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

The 2020 presidential primary election results were certified by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
President Donald Trump signed a $2 trillion coronavirus virus relief bill.

With highways less crowded due to workers staying at home, drivers were lulled into thinking that traveling faster on emptier roads was fine. CHP officers said this isn’t so … especially in wet weather as was proven when the Montrose Search and Rescue team responded to a call of a car going off the road and over the side of the mountain. Thankfully no one was injured.

The Glendale City Council installed – virtually – newly elected councilmembers Ardy Kassakhian and Daniel Brotman.

City of Glendale officials detailed the city’s updated response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Presented by Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas, there were 1,428,428 cases confirmed worldwide; 398,185 in the U.S.; 6,910 in LA County; and 154 in Glendale. There were two deaths confirmed as of April 7 in Glendale.

Rumors were fueling more fear during the COVID-19 pandemic with many of the rumors, or lies, coming from conspiracy theorists that spread quickly online.
One rumor that made the rounds stated that the U.S. was preparing to mobilize the National Guard and first responders for a nationwide two-week quarantine for everyone including all businesses. The rumor warned people to make sure they had stockpiled supplies.

As businesses tried to “pivot” in order to stay alive, Los Angeles County experienced a dramatic overall reduction in the sale of produce, with as much as a 90% drop reported. Local business owner Connor Smith’s family business Smith Produce turned its attention to getting fresh produce to the Crescenta Valley, as safely as possible. Smith Produce operated a drive-thru produce box pickup service every week on Foothill Boulevard and was delivering throughout the 91214 zip code.

The Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club, Glendale Latino Association, Kiwanis-Glendale and members of the community have partnered with Glendale Library, Arts, & Culture, a department of the City of Glendale, to convert several Little Free Libraries into Little Free Food Pantries during the health crisis.

The public was advised to wear facemasks when going out in public to areas like grocery stores and pharmacies as well as anytime it is in a public setting. It was advised to make and wear homemade masks rather than using surgical masks that are needed on the frontlines by hospital staff, medical workers and emergency responders.

Law enforcement and safety personnel in their emergency vehicles stopped at local hospitals to thank staffs for their dedication to their work during dangerous times.

Home parties – social distancing style – became popular as people wanted to acknowledge milestones in the lives of friends and families but weren’t able to do so in traditional ways.

The City and County of Los Angeles offered free COVID-19 testing to LA County residents.

Health Officer Orders were extended requiring essential businesses to provide a cloth face covering for all employees to wear while performing duties that involve contact with other employees and/or the public and to post physical distancing plans.

Local food banks, like the Bailey Center in Tujunga and the Salvation Army in Glendale, continued to distribute donated food to people in lines that were increasing due to many people being laid off due to the pandemic.

Mary O’Keefe, reporter for the Crescenta Valley Weekly, was among 15 women honored by Rep. Adam Schiff as his choice for 2020 Women of the Year.

Two of three dogs wandering the Angeles National Forest were safely captured then taken to the Dog Day Search and Rescue.

Vons on Foothill Boulevard at Pennsylvania Avenue in far north Glendale/La Crescenta confirmed that one of its workers tested positive for COVID-19.

May

The Harvest Market in the Montrose Shopping Park, which was closed due to the pandemic, reopened in mid-May. The only vendors allowed on-site were those who sold fresh vegetables and fruits and prepackaged food.

Since early April, the Crescenta Valley Armenian Center, also known as the Meher & Satig Der Ohanessian Youth Center, responded to calls for help from people seeking assistance by putting together care packages of products that the Center purchased and the community donated. A sort of food bank was created where those in need could either visit and pick up a care package or a package could be delivered to their doorstep. The Center also delivered about 20 packages to the CV Sheriff’s Station to assist its efforts of providing help to the community.

Expectant families dealt with the constantly changing rules regarding giving birth in local hospitals. CVW focused on two couples that either recently gave birth or were preparing to deliver babies. Most new moms left the hospital 24 hours after delivering with the thought that, if the child and mom are healthy, they would do better isolating at home.

After the pandemic forced hospitals to curtail elective surgeries, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital opened some outpatient services including elective surgical procedures and endoscopies.

Firefighters busy responding to emergency calls were outfitted in gear to keep themselves and others safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included firefighters wearing masks and goggles to every call.

Though the pandemic curtailed traditional commemoration of Memorial Day, local vets created a virtual event for the entire community. A video was created for the community to view in lieu of having a public gathering.

Doubt about the severity of the pandemic permeated calls into the Glendale City Council.
“This is all such nonsense. It’s not any worse that the common flu,” was one comment made by a caller into the meeting of the Council. The comment was sparked by the shutdowns implemented by the city to slow the spread of the virus.

The Sunland-Tujunga Rotary Club announced the cancellation of the 2020 Sunland-Tujunga 4th of July Parade.

Some businesses and faith-based services tentatively reopened after LA County representatives announced it was moving toward “new standards for a swift and safe reopening in alignment with the State of California guidelines.” In addition, in-store shopping at low-risk retail stores, drive-in movies and other recreational pursuits, flea markets, swap meets, pools, hot tubs and saunas in a multi-unit residence or part of a homeowners association could also reopen.

The COVID-19 crisis created dilemmas about how services are performed at funeral homes. Local funeral home operators and counselors said their places remained open while complying with social distances guidelines, but services have fewer people and a new set of emotions has to be considered.

June

The Exclusive Negotiating Agreement between the City of Glendale and Avalon Investment LP (Avalon) for the Rockhaven site ended leaving uncertain the future of the 3.5-acre historic site. According to the City, Avalon concluded that the site’s use as a boutique hotel was not financially feasible.

Several relatively peaceful vigils and protests occurred in Pasadena, Montrose, La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge following the death of George Floyd, a black man who pleaded for air when then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

The announcement was made that the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza, hosted by the CV Fireworks Assn., was canceled. According to organizers, the decision was made in the interest of public safety and respecting social distancing rules.

Next week CV Weekly will continue looking back at the historic year 2020.