Seven in the running for seats on the Crescenta Valley Town Council
Seven candidates will vie for three regular and three alternates seats on the Crescenta Valley Town Council this weekend. Members serve as an advisory board for the unincorporated area of La Crescenta and Montrose to L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.
Voters will be asked to choose up to three candidates, with the top three vote-getters elected to regular council seats for three-year terms. The next three candidates who receive the most votes will each serve one-year terms as alternate members.
Some of the issues candidates are campaigning on include improved community outreach to diverse Crescenta Valley groups, support for local businesses and continued implementation of Glendale’s Safe Routes to School program, according to candidate questionnaires completed and available online at thecvcouncil.com.
Current town councilmember Desiree Rabinov is running for reelection. Rabinov has spent more than 20 years with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and holds leadership positions with United Way as well as the San Gabriel valley Civic Alliance. She is pushing to fulfill transit needs in the community and safer streets through the Safe Routes to School Program.
Mariam Barnes is the Town Council’s treasurer and is also running for reelection. An entrepreneur, Barnes is a coordinator of the Youth Town Council. Along with encouraging volunteer efforts on the council, Barnes said she wants to keep marijuana dispensaries away from schools and limit the number of massage parlors and smoke shops in the community.
Two current council alternates are pursuing full-time council positions.
Charles Beatty, former president of the Town Council, is again running to resolve the Sagebrush issue, where a portion of the Glendale Unified School District may be transferred into La Canada Unified, and halt the push for additional lighting around schools.
Jo Anne Stupakis, a Glendale Unified employee who ran last year, said she wants to take a leadership role on major fundraising activities and encourage church participation at council meetings.
Three newcomers round out the final hopefuls.
Sarah Todd, an accountant, said she’d like to see support of small businesses and the preservation of native habitats.
Montrose resident Daniel Kim said he wants to see increased outreach to community groups and youth in the area, especially Korean-Americans.
Christ Kirikian, a scientist, is advocating for council efficiency and supporting the work of “different groups in the community.”
The election will be held over two days — from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday — at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church, 2563 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta.
