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A G E N D A
GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
613 E. Broadway, 2nd Floor Glendale, CA 91206
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
ROLL CALL – All Present
1. CLOSED SESSION – 3:11 p.m.
a. Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation: Significant exposure litigation pursuant to paragraph subdivisions (d)(2) and (e)(2) of Section 54956.9:
One (1) potential case
City Attorney Mike Garcia indicated that action is not anticipated. Council recessed to Closed Session at 3:12 p.m.
2. REGULAR BUSINESS AGENDA – 6:04 PM
Roll Call – All Present
a. Flag Salute: Cub scout Pack 360 - Arrow of Light Den b. Invocation: Suzie Abajian, City Clerk
c. Report of City Clerk, re: Posting of Agenda. The Agenda for the February 7, 2023 Regular Meeting of the Glendale City Council was Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2023, on the Bulletin Board Outside City Hall.
3. PRESENTATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Agenda out of order. Item 3b read next.
a. Agenda Preview for the Meetings of Tuesday, February 14, 2023 Asst. City Manager John Takhtalian provided the preview. b. Commendation for Battalion Chief Todd Tucker and Police Sergeant Sharon Kim
4. CONSENT ITEMS (Including Minutes)
The following are Routine and May be Acted Upon by One Motion. Any Member of Council or the Audience Requesting Separate Consideration May do so by Making Such Request Before Motion is Proposed.
a. City Clerk, re: Minutes of the Special and Regular City Council Meetings of January 31, 2023
Moved: Devine Seconded: Brotman
Asatryan, Brotman, Devine, Najarian, Kassakhian
None
None
None
Ayes:
Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
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b. Libraries, Arts, and Culture, re: Agreement for Grandview Building Forward grant
1. Motion authorizing the City Manager or a designee to execute all agreements, amendments, certifications, and documents necessary to accept and implement the funding
Moved: Devine Seconded: Brotman
5. CITY COUNCIL/STAFF COMMENTS
Mayor Kassakhian and his colleagues attended the League of California Cities Conference where discussions took place about new laws and the housing challenges that many cities face. He also attended the Independent Cities Association Annual Winter Conference where he heard a presentation by LA County Sheriff Luna. On January 25th, Kassakhian attended an event organized by the Armenian National Committee and LA for All where a discussion took place on Armenophobia. He stated that although Armenians have been classified as Caucasians, they have historically faced and continue to face discrimination and hate speech.
He mentioned the recent incident during a demonstration protest on the streets of West Los Angeles in Beverly Hills where protesters came across posted flyers along their path that contained hate speech directed towards Armenians. He hoped that the City of Beverly Hills will properly address this incident and expressed his disappointment in the way in which this was classified by their police department as protected speech under the First Amendment rather than hate speech. Kassakhian asked the City to reach out to the County Supervisor’s Office and departments in Los Angeles to discuss how to enlighten and educate people so these acts of hate, whether targeting the Armenian Community or any other community, are not tolerated.
Councilmember Najarian spoke to the Vice-Mayor of the City of Beverly Hills and expressed his disappointment regarding the acts of hate that occurred during the protest. Unfortunately, the vice-mayor stated that although the flyers were hateful, they were protected under the First Amendment. Najarian stated that the City of Beverly Hills did put out a statement, but it was not a strong one. He explained that the City of Beverly Hill’s response was especially disappointing given that their current City Manager was a former City of Glendale department head and should have had a clear understanding of what a threat of genocide means to Armenians. Najarian indicated that perhaps Glendale City Council should send a letter to the Mayor and City Manager of Beverly Hills asking them to put out stronger statements condemning these acts.
Councilmember Asatryan joined her colleagues in condemning the acts that took place in Beverly Hills. She stated that the statement released by the Beverly Hills Police Department was inadequate and unacceptable, and that it behooves all leaders to take a strong stance on acts of hate, regardless of whether or not they believe that something is classified as freedom of speech. Asatryan drafted a letter but has not had a chance to send it to the City of Beverly Hills. She joins her colleagues in the call for Glendale City Council to demand more from the City of Beverly Hills. She noted that there was another incident where the City Manager of Beverly Hills inappropriately categorized events impacting the Armenian Community and had to apologize after Councilmember Asatryan pointed her error.
Asatryan, Brotman, Devine, Najarian, Kassakhian
None
None
None
Ayes:
Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
3 Kassakhian went to an event hosted by the Homenetmen Ararat Chapter where there was a screening of a documentary called “What will become of us.” It was about the Armenian community and how it has coped with the trauma of the genocide. The documentary was made by an Armenian-American filmmaker and a Jewish filmmaker. Kassakhian asked the Jewish filmmaker why he directed this documentary about Armenians. The director responded by talking about the commonalities between the Jewish and Armenian experience and how justice denied to one community impacts all communities. Kassakhian talked about the need for people to speak out and remind others of the history of these atrocities so that they don’t repeat. He also added that speaking up is important so that people who commit acts of hate, such as the ones in Beverly Hills, are not emboldened by our silence.
Councilmember Devine expressed her regrets regarding the events that took place in the City of Beverly Hills and stated that these acts of hatred were unacceptable, and she hoped that the City of Glendale can speak up about it. She nominated Roland Kedikian for the Glendale Water and Power Commission. Devine commended and thanked Senator Portantino for holding a town hall meeting on gun violence, safety, and trauma, in the wake of the mass shooting that happened in the City of Monterey Park. She stated that what she learned from this townhall was that there are currently 400,000 firearms in the U.S. and the most dangerous aspect of mass violence is the accessibility of guns at home. She also talked about the importance of storing and locking up firearms in a safe place. Devine mentioned that it is important to report suspicious activities and for law enforcement to identify individuals who should not own guns. She asked the public to call #988 if they knew anyone who was in a mental crisis. Devine, Police Chief Sid, and Mayor Kassakhian attended an event where six young women became the inaugural class of female eagle scouts for the Homenetmen Ararat Chapter.
Councilmember Brotman echoed the comments made by other councilmembers regarding the incident in Beverly Hills and was disturbed to hear that there was not a strong response by the City of Beverly Hills. He indicated that he will join his colleagues on the council in sending a letter to the City of Beverly Hills to demand a stronger response. Brotman received a letter asking why the city does not have a turf rebate program. He stated the city does have one and asked staff to feature it prominently on the website to get the message out to the public.
Brotman mentioned that the City of Los Angeles’ turf rebate program increased to $5.00 per square foot while the City of Glendale’s is $2.00 per square foot. He asked staff to provide a memo on the effectiveness of increasing the rebate amount in Glendale’s turf rebate program.
Brotman attended the Independent Cities Association meeting and learned about PFAS (a class of chemicals that are used in fire-fighting foams and food ware that can have lasting consequences on our health). According to the meeting, these chemicals can be found in the water supply of cities that have the following: water utilities, wastewater treatment plant, landfill, and airport. He asked staff to learn more about the impacts of PFAS on our water supply and what our city can do to help alleviate these conditions that impact our water supply.
6. COMMUNITY EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS (3-Minutes)
Chad Kroeger
JT Parr
7. ADOPTION OF ORDINANCES
4 8. ACTION ITEMS
a. Community Development, re: Direction Regarding Downtown Specific Plan Hotel Incentives
Staff Comment:
Roubik Golanian, City Manager
Michael Garcia, City Attorney
Presenting:
Bradley Calvert, Director of Community Development
Public Comments:
Danielle Wilson, Local 11 Union
Isabel Valencia
1. Motion providing specific direction to staff to amend the Downtown Specific Plan hotel incentives
Moved: Brotman Seconded: Asatryan
9. HEARINGS
10. REPORTS - INFORMATION
a. Public Works: Presentation of CIP Bi-Yearly Update and Accomplishments Presenting:
Yazdan Emrani, Director of Public Works
Staff Comment:
Sarkis Oganesyan, Deputy Director of Public Works
Pastor Casanova, Principal Traffic Engineer
Roubik Golanian, City Manager
Kassakhian asked staff to provide a report on the Clean Mobility Options Vouchers program, ideally for bike sharing. Asatryan seconded.
11. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Discussion is Limited to Items NOT a Part of this Agenda. Each Speaker is Allowed 5 minutes. Council May Question or Respond to The Speaker But There Will be no Debate or Decision. The City Manager May Refer the Matter to the Appropriate Department for Investigation and Report.
Giulliano Prieto
Allen Dish
Asatryan, Brotman, Devine, Najarian, Kassakhian
None
None
None
Ayes:
Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
5 13. NEW BUSINESS
14. ADJOURNMENT-8:38 p.m.
Moved: Asatryan Seconded: Brotman
Mayor of the City of Glendale
City Clerk of the City of Glendale