Voters: Take Heed

Thank you to the CV Weekly for its ongoing coverage of the Glendale City Council (“Commission Appointments Hit Bump,” Feb. 20, 2025).

It is telling that Councilman Ara Najarian publicly acknowledged that Alek Bartrosouf had a “significant background in transportation” and hence is highly qualified to serve on the city’s Transportation and Parking Commission. And yet, Mr. Najarian would not vote to confirm Bartrosouf because he “is at odds with some of [Bartrosouf’s] positions.”

These kinds of remarks seem to follow the playbook of other leaders who value fealty over merit, obsequiousness over independence.

As K Kharzaryan noted in their recent letter to the editor, voters of Glendale have an opportunity to send a message to Mr. Najarian when he is next up for reelection that Glendalians find this kind of leadership unacceptable in their elected officials.

Chris Davis
Glendale

Shame on Council

To the Glendale City Council 2025,

 For 18 years the City of Glendale has had the opportunity to do something remarkable with the unique historic gem within its care.

  For 12 years the Friends of Rockhaven have asked for the most amount of preservation and the least amount of change. In the last year this council – you five – have had the honor of being able to create plans to preserve and interpret the original spaces and history at Rockhaven Sanitarium.

  In the last months we have pleaded with you to not allow the plans that permanently alter the interiors of the Pines Cottage.

  We knew the rest would have to change. We knew there would be irreversible changes to make the grounds accessible and the buildings into businesses. So we asked for one – one building only to remain as original as possible. We chose the building with unique architectural details and vibrant tiles so that it could be seen the way it was when women were cared for there, the rooms full of displays dedicated to medical, mental and women’s history. 

I regret that choice. It is resulting in the demise of exactly what we hoped to preserve. Because you have chosen a plan that takes away four of the nine rooms. You had the power to alter these plans to save this space! But you turned a deaf ear and remained dumb instead of speaking up.

You had one opportunity to have a remarkable legacy of preservation at a most unique spot in history. You. But you chose to let it vanish forever.

I was warned about this years ago. I was told that everything would have to be taken up and redone because “that’s the way we do it in Glendale.” What a fool I was for thinking this could be different, that we would seize this opportunity! That this council would be better.

I should have known.

 Joanna Linkchorst
La Crescenta