GLENDALE : Zarian Draws Heat on Transit, Education

As the race for Glendale City Council heats up, City Councilman Larry Zarian took hits this week at a debate from challengers who said the three-term incumbent has misled the public on transportation issues and even his own college education.

Candidate David Weaver said Zarian, vice chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has intimated that a countywide 20-year transit plan that includes a light-rail line serving Glendale and Burbank has already been approved. And candidate David Wallis said he has conducted a “personal investigation” that casts doubt on whether Zarian holds a college degree.

In response, Zarian said he was taking “the high road,” concentrating on his record in the campaign rather than engaging in “innuendoes, charges and lies.”

“It’s so easy to be a wanna-be, to stand and talk and say things that aren’t true,” Zarian said. He said Glendale’s light-rail system is indeed in the transit master plan, which is expected to be approved by the MTA soon.

He did not address questions about his education.

The candidates--including Councilwoman Eileen Givens and retired data processing supervisor John K. Beach--answered questions on an array of issues from a panel of political observers and the audience for nearly two hours. The issues ranged from the future of the downtown area to low morale at City Hall to subsidies for the Alex Theater to bolstering the police force.

The debate was held Thursday at the Glendale Central Library and sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

All three challengers have run for council before and failed. Wallis, a retired aerospace engineer who spent more than $35,000 of his own money in his first bid two years ago, recited campaign pledges that included term limits for all elected city officials and a 50% cut in fees for all city permits.

Wallis also vowed to “get rid of gangs and stealing at supermarkets.”

Beach, who has become a crusader against illegally posted garage sale signs, said he has developed a plan that would eradicate the offending signs, but claimed city officials have ignored it for political reasons.

“The reason it has not been presented is, we all know, it’s my program,” Beach said. “I’ve worked on it for over a year and the City Council does not want this presented before the election.”

Weaver, a civil engineer and homeowners association activist, said he wants to ensure that the city’s restrictive hillside development ordinance, which is being challenged by several lawsuits brought by property owners and developers, is not “tinkered with.”

“Somebody’s going to come along and say let’s change this part or that part, and that’s when we’ll start to have problems,” Weaver said. “We have a good system right now.”

Weaver attacked a proposal by Zarian and other MTA officials to study the use of diesel trains instead of light-rail trains for the proposed transit system, and suggested that the city collect some of the $55 million it loaned to the Glendale Redevelopment Agency and use it to beef up police and fire services.

The three challengers refrained from attacking Givens, who recited a list of accomplishments from her first council term including the city’s new cable system that airs council meetings, the hillside ordinance, the recent Youth Summit and a community-based policing program. But Givens commented on the challengers’ rhetoric.

“Some candidates talk about Glendale’s faults. I prefer to talk about what’s good and how we can make it better,” she said.