Figures show lopsided city representation

When it comes to representation on the city’s boards and commissions,

Glendale’s wealthier, northern neighborhoods have the lion’s share,

according to records on file with the city clerk’s office and U.S.

Census data.

A study of the city’s 78 commissioners and board members conducted

by local resident Christopher Welch, the treasurer of the Adams Hill

Homeowners Assn., showed that a majority of them live within three

zip codes in the northern portion of the city, an area that includes

less than 30% of Glendale’s total population.

The zip code with the largest share of commissioners and board

members, who are appointed by the City Council, was the 91206 area,

which includes Glenoaks and Chevy Chase canyons. This area makes up

16% of the city’s population and has a median family income of almost

$50,000. It accounts for 18, or 23%, of the city’s appointed

officials.

In second place was the 91207 zip code, the second most affluent

area of the city at $82,500 in median family income. With just 5% of

the city’s population, these neighborhoods located in the

north-central foothills are home to 20.5% of Glendale’s appointed

officials. The wealthiest Glendale zip code, 91208 in the northwest

quadrant of the city, includes 16.7% of appointed officials, despite

making up just 8.7% of Glendale residents. The area’s median

household income is $90,200.

In contrast, the two southern zip codes of 91204 and 91205 were

among the least represented, with 3.8% and 6.4% of appointed

officials residing within their borders, respectively. This despite

the fact that together they make up more than 30% of the city’s

population. Residents of those two zip codes also make considerably

less than their northern neighbors, with median incomes between

$29,600 and $35,000.

“I did this out of morbid curiosity to find out how well we are

represented,” said Welch, who shared the information with his south

Glendale association. “It turns out we are not well represented at

all.”

He noted that the zip code that encompasses his neighborhood is

the largest in the city at 41,300 residents, with one commissioner

for every 8,200 people. In contrast, 91207, one of the smallest zip

codes at 9,800 residents, has one commissioner for every 616 people.

Personal qualifications and availability, as opposed to place of

residence, are the criteria that Councilman Bob Yousefian uses to

recommend commission and board applicants.

“I don’t care whether they are from Chevy Chase, Adams Hill or

Montrose, because the commissioner’s job is just like the council’s,

to serve all of Glendale,” said Yousefian, who, along with his four

fellow councilmen, resides in north Glendale. “To me their

qualifications, their willingness and ability to attend meetings and

the way they conduct themselves are the most important criteria.”

When a commission seat becomes available, two councilmen are

chosen on a rotating basis to serve on a nominating committee.

They conduct the interviews of all the applicants, in many cases

in the presence of the department heads that will most closely work

with the new commissioner, and then make their recommendations to the

entire council, which votes to appoint the candidate.

In his nine years on the council, Councilman Dave Weaver has never

looked at a candidate’s address, he said.

“I am looking at the best qualified people for the commission they

are going to serve on,” Weaver said. “If you want to argue that there

are not enough commissioners from other parts, I ask where are the

applicants? We plead for people to apply for these commission posts,

but few people do.”

Welch admitted that the underrepresented parts of the city should

do a better job at turning out applicants when a commission vacancy

becomes available, but he suggested that councilmen should at least

take place of residence into consideration when making their

recommendations.

“I certainly think things should change,” he said. “I understand

that the council depends on who applies, but I think they should at

least consider representation from various areas and not just from

where they live. It is a two-way street.”

* FRED ORTEGA covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818)

637-3235 or by e-mail at fred.ortega@latimes.com.