New Commission Is in Driver’s Seat : Government: The City Council has given a seven-member transportation panel the power to set parking rules.

A seven-member panel charged with developing comprehensive policies on transportation and parking issues was appointed Tuesday after a three-month review of candidates by the Glendale City Council.

Members of the new Transportation and Parking Commission, which includes several experts in transportation management, are expected to play a key role in evaluating issues such as proposed commuter rail, light-rail, trolley and bus projects.

The panel also has the power to establish parking time limits on certain streets and to approve preferential parking zones in residential neighborhoods--both controversial issues.

The new commission replaces two advisory boards--the citywide Parking Commission and the Montrose Parking Board--which were abolished by the council in May. Officials said those boards were ineffective because they only reviewed issues and had no authority to set parking rules.

Some Montrose residents protested that decision, saying they feared they would lose representation. The new panel includes two Montrose residents. Named as chairman by Mayor Ginger Bremberg is James D. Cashion, who was chairman of the now-defunct city-wide parking commission. Cashion, an accountant, has long been active in civic and business organizations dealing with transportation issues, including a coalition of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena officials. He is a co-founder of the Glendale Transportation Management Assn.

Also appointed to full, three-year terms:

* Anita Williams, a vice president and project manager of The Roth Group Inc., a Glendale consulting firm.

* Louise K. Garside, a civil engineer and chairman of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce who lives in the Whiting Woods neighborhood in the northern area of Glendale.

* Yervant Nahabedian, a Caltrans engineer and a resident of Montrose.

Serving initial two-year terms:

* Brian M. Navis, chief executive officer of Pacific Bus Service, which initiated the Beeline shuttle in Glendale.

* Edward H. Waldheim, a resident of Montrose and community activist who operates an office maintenance service.

* Jeanne E. Olwin, a 27-year Glendale resident and executive director of the Glendale Transportation Management Assn., a consortium of businesses working to resolve congestion issues.

While the commission is required to meet only once a month, Bremberg warned that members may need to spend 10 to 12 hours a week initially to sort out issues.

The board has two more members than other five-member city commissions. Council members said they wanted more representation on a panel deciding complex parking and transportation issues.

The new commission has authority to rule on transportation and parking issues in all areas of the city except the downtown redevelopment zone, roughly bounded by Central Avenue, Colorado Street, Maryland Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard. That area is controlled by the Glendale Redevelopment Agency, made up of the five council members.