New Residents Group Formed in Burbank

Another community organization has joined the crowded and often contentious ranks of Burbank’s homeowner groups and resident associations.

Organizers of the newly formed Burbank Residents and Taxpayers Assn. plan to stay out of the political squabbles that other groups thrive on, President Keith Sanneman said. Instead, the group, which has about 50 members, will “serve as a way to get information out without getting involved in politics.”

Sanneman said the association will cater to Burbank residents put off by becoming involved in civic affairs by the city’s numerous vocal activists, many of whom take combative stances on public issues.

“I think a lot of residents don’t get information because they don’t want to hear the same old rhetoric,” said Sanneman, 45, a podiatrist who grew up in Burbank.

Sanneman said organizers of the association plan public forums on civic issues, including finding new uses for land vacated by Lockheed Corp., improving the city’s infrastructure and managing business and residential growth.

“We want to have a group of people who are positively interested in the city,” he said. “We are not going to be a spokesman or sponsor.”