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Council eyes new campaign finance rules

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Under a new initiative supported by the Glendale City Council on Tuesday, elected city officials could have more time to pay off their campaign debts and may also need to disclose their campaign donors even when running for public office outside the city.

The council unanimously voted to direct city staff to draft the policies, which will be finalized during a later meeting.

Currently, newly elected officials, such as council members and the city clerk, have 180 days, or six months, after their campaign victories to pay off their campaign debts through fundraising.

Glendale’s policy contrasts with neighboring cities like Burbank and Pasadena, which don’t have such deadlines.

Councilman Vartan Gharpetian, elected last year, said he’d like to pursue the changes because he knows firsthand about the financial pressures shortly after taking office.

“When you get elected, you have so many things you need to learn,” he said. “You have to find your way around City Hall; you don’t want to concentrate on fundraising.”

Councilman Ara Najarian said he agreed with getting rid of the fundraising deadline but that there should be one for a debt’s grand total.

“The only problem I have is [ensuring] expenditures aren’t being made after a campaign,” he added.

Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said the final debt amount should be set at 45 days after the election to allow for any outstanding bills to arrive.

His colleagues agreed.

City policy also requires project applicants be disclosed as a council member’s contributor if they donated to his or her campaign within the past 12 months. When that’s the case, the council member must recuse him or herself from any item tied to the donor.

The council also voted to take an extra step by extending the requirement to council members running for another public office, such as a state legislator or Congress.

In turn, council members would have to recuse themselves if a donor for their non-Glendale position applies for a project in Glendale.

“I think that rule is a loophole,” said Sinanyan of the current policies in place. “It’s a shortcut that needs to be fixed.”

Councilwoman Laura Friedman said she agreed, adding the significance of expanding the cross-checking process of donors and candidates.

“I think it’s very important for the public to feel that the process is fair,” she said.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian

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