Mailbag: Glendale residents weigh in on Measure N and a hotel project
Proposal’s timing was coincidental
City Councilman Ara Najarian suggests that the proposal to lower the building height allowance on North Brand Boulevard between Glenoaks Boulevard and Stocker Street was put forward to stop the Aloft Hotel project. It, in fact was not.
Many of us who supported lowering the height restrictions do oppose the Aloft project as currently proposed. However, the proposal to lower the height allowance, currently 90 feet and six stories, first surfaced last year, long before any of us were aware of the Aloft project.
After the mixed-use condominium/retail project first proposed for the property was rejected by the city in August, I and other area residents realized there were a variety of parcels in that area that were ripe for (over)development due to the zoning. Not wanting to see the development currently plaguing downtown creep into our neighborhood, last fall we proposed that the height allowance be lowered for the area.
The Aloft project only came to light in February, and it was a mere coincidence in timing that both proposals came up for decisions in the same week. And City Manager Scott Ochoa informed City Council that the height allowance proposal would likely not stop the Aloft project.
Obviously, I am disappointed that the height allowance was not lowered, but am grateful to Mayor Paula Devine for seeking to protect the integrity of the neighborhood and ensuring that this issue is taken up when the East and West Community Plan is considered.
Sean Bersell
Glendale
Noise, disruption ruining Jewel City
It is very upsetting to hear that three of Glendale’s City Council members do not want to address residents’ concerns over a proposed hotel on Dryden Street. After all the outcry about the extensive building in Glendale, these three are tone deaf to their constituents. The original Downtown Specific Plan for Brand Boulevard was not supposed to encroach on residents. While running for office, Councilman Vartan Gharpetian railed against the unbridled overdevelopment in our city. So did Councilman Ara Najarian.
Councilman Zareh Sinanian has greenlighted almost every project that has come before him. Also City Manager Scott Ochoa has charged ahead with his plans to make Glendale an 18-hour city. I feel terribly sorry for the residents who have been abandoned by these men.
We in south Glendale know what it is like to deal with overcrowding and noise. An 18-hour city will have terrible consequences. It is happening already. Noise pollution is ruining our nighttime serenity. Not one of these officials has to suffer the impacts of this building.
They live nowhere near the 18-hour noise. Anyone who resides near a hotel will have disruption at all hours. I think it is time for all of these men to get the boot. Anyone who routinely chooses developers over the people needs to find another job. To use south Glendale as an excuse to avoid dealing with this hotel is clearly disingenuous.
Mary Baldwin
Glendale
City services would dwindle
As a longtime Glendale resident, I am deeply concerned about the negative impact to the general fund Measure N would cause if passed. For 47 years, the utility users tax has served the city well as a critical element of the general fund.
The loss of the utility users tax will most certainly result in a serious degradation of the superb services currently provided to all Glendale residents.The operating budget cuts would be severe to fire, police, libraries, public works, parks and all other services provided by the general fund.
The Glendale Fire Department is one of the finest in the United States. That is a fact reflected by the Class One rating given by the national Insurance Services Office. Relatively few fire departments in the country have that rating. In my opinion, that is a clear indicator of the excellent services the city has provided for many years given current funding methods, including the utility users tax.
The idea that Los Angeles County can provide the same level of fire and police services at less cost is absolutely false. The city studied that concept many years ago, including a proposal from L.A. County, and rejected it as an unacceptable alternative. There is no escaping the old saying,” You get what you pay for.”
Measure N is a ill-conceived result of overly simplistic and unrealistic thinking. I believe it would cause a reduction of our city services to a level I have not seen in my 50 years as a resident. At a per capita cost of approximately 26 cents per day I agree with Mayor Devine that the utility users tax is more than worth it. On June 7 I urge a “no” vote on Measure N.
Richard Hinz
Glendale
Tax provides for amenities
Before voting on Measure N, I hope Glendale residents will take the following steps to better inform themselves of the facts.
First, visit transparentcalifornia.com and download the most recent information for Glendale and several comparable cities. Review all of the wages, not just the most highly compensated.
Second, download the most recent CAFR from the city’s website and from the websites of several comparable cities. Glendale’s CAFR is very complex; focus on Exhibit D-1 (pages 33-40 of the FY 14-15 CAFR), which is for the General Fund. This gives a clear picture of critical revenues and expenditures.
Third, look at CAFRs from several comparable cities to evaluate the competition (Burbank, Pasadena, and Santa Monica are good choices.)
Finally, take a peek at the Summary Compensation Table and the compensation paid to board members for any publicly traded corporation. These items may be found by searching for “annual proxy” at the Investor Relations page of the corporate website. Bear in mind that the manager of a substantial city is roughly equivalent to being chief executive officer of a small cap SEC regulated corporation.
After taking these steps, hopefully a voter will have adequate information and emotions will have been sufficiently numbed for a reasoned choice to be made.
My conclusion: The utility users tax has been in effect since 1969; mine has averaged $7.14 a month for 50 complete GWP billing cycles at my house. As much as I hate to pay what may appear to be an extraneous charge, I know there are no simple answers. We live in a country that offers liberty and tremendous benefits. Someone has to pay for that. Might we not be better off if we felt privileged rather than resentful about paying for the many amenities we enjoy in our lovely city?
Susan Wolfson
Glendale
Voice your support for Le Mesnager stone barn renovations
One item the City Council is discussing while considering next year’s budget is completion of the renovation of the Le Mesnager stone barn in Deukmejian Wilderness Park above La Crescenta. The earthquake retrofitted, 100-year old barn needs flooring, AC/heating, and other updates. An adjacent ADA compliant bathroom facility is also required for the barn to be open for regular public use.
Glendale has owned the park since 1988 and gradually made improvements as budgets allowed. The last planned project is completing the barn so it can be used as a welcome center, community meeting space and natural history museum. In the fiscal year 2014-15 budget, $2.5 million was allocated toward the $3 million project and contracts for roughly $1 million for some of the work including the heating/AC are in progress. If you agree that this unique treasure of Glendale’s park system should be completed, please contact the City Council and let them know you support retaining the currently allocated funds and budgeting the final $500,000 in the 2016-17 budget.
If you live in central or south Glendale and visit Deukmejian Wilderness Park, please let the council know. If you haven’t enjoyed the park, I recommend the beautiful views from the picnic facilities and hiking trails. The council plans to discuss the budget at the May 24 meeting and adopt it on June 14. You can contact council members via the city’s website: www.glendaleca.gov/government/city-council.
The other critical thing to do to help parks in Glendale is to vote no on Measure N on June 7.
Sharon Weisman
Glendale
Liberty is misunderstood
Liberty is an American icon and mustn’t be cooked in hot fatty oil within the kitchens of the world market. We live our lives with liberty but without the understanding of its true meaning. Our Founding Fathers shared their wisdom in written declarations and held liberty dear to them.
Life without liberty is not for debate; we naively accept a life under surveillance. Liberty is not a liberal nor progressive movement. Without liberty, Americans will not progress without freedom. Liberty requires possessing knowledge and leading lives without financial constraints. Loss of job opportunities and lack of education are not progress.
Rising super powers fool us with political rhetoric like “hope and change” and “progress.” America now reverses its values. This “progression” will falsely be viewed as a great impact in history.
We can all think better and gain a deeper understanding of political events. As better thinkers, we will remember that America is $19 trillion in deficit. My hopes and dreams are to uphold liberty.
The best moments in life are when one is happy. As they say, money cannot buy happiness, yet debt buys misery. The American iconic ideology of liberty is not neatly placed on a pedestal. Liberty needs to be accompanied by the American Dream and made viable for the pursuit of happiness.
Rachel Melikian
Glendale
Rancho should also have signs
Concerning La Crescenta’s new Foothill Boulevard welcome monument sign, kudos to them! David Gallagher’s design looks appropriate and graces that Glendale community. Can Glendale’s unique historic equestrian-zoned Rancho neighborhood be next?
Glendale Rancho is the city’s western gateway via Riverside Drive, Sonora Avenue, Western Avenue, and Victory Boulevard. But visitors are never sure they’re in Los Angeles, Burbank, or Glendale!
When Sonora’s bike-lane striping project is finished, let’s rally with the community-development staff for a couple of welcome monuments using natural materials and maybe a few horseshoes, sporting “Welcome to the Glendale Rancho Equestrian Neighborhood!” Optimum locations for a duo of two-sided signs? Sonora and Lake Street, and west of or at Riverside Drive and Western! Tally ho!
Joanne Hedge
Glendale
Donors have a profit motive
Be careful who you vote for.
There are many negative and tasteless fliers being sent around sponsored by the California Charter Schools Assn, Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee supporting Laura Friedman’s candidacy.
Why are these corporations spending all this money for this one candidate?.
Overall yearly spending for California public schools is about $76.6 billion, when federal funds and other funding sources are added. This is what they are after, not the improvement of your children’s education.
Don’t let these private corporations who are pouring money into our legislators’ pockets fool you saying that they can provide better education for our kids. As soon as they put our public schools out of business, there would be no point of return, so watch out.
No corporation will spend this type of money if they are not counting to clean your pockets later … remember this.
Caro Avanessian
Glendale