Glendale traffic, Armenian film, a Bert Ring cartoon and housing bill draw letters this week
For those frustrated with Glendale’s traffic and drivers, there will be a special town hall meeting with officers from our police department at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, to engage in a community conversation about this and other matters of interest to all residents.
It will be held in the auditorium at Brand Library, located in Brand Park, 1601 W. Mountain St.
Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn. is sponsoring this special event because of the angst that is heard almost daily from residents on social media platforms such as Nextdoor. It is open to all residents.
I have devised a way to help cope with issues that arise when I’m driving in the city. I count how many impatient, rude drivers honk at me or illegally cross the double line when they feel I’m going too slow, even though I’m following the speed limit, and I count how many times I need to honk to prevent such a driver from causing us to crash, such as making a left turn in front of me against the signal. When I get home, I announce how many honks it was for that particular drive. Hopefully, some of these issues can be discussed at this meeting.
Carol Brusha
Glendale
***
The film “Gate to Heaven” stars the 2014 Miss USA Globe Contest third-runner up, Tatiana Spivakova, and Richard Sammel. You wonder if it was her beauty or the majestic natural beauty of Artsakh that brings the lead actor to his knees to confess his sins.
Director Jivan Avetisyan wants Americans to see this new film because of its universal theme one of love and destiny. It focuses on a particular love story about a German military photojournalist, Robert, with an opera singer, Sophia, and the tribulations of the war.
“Gate to Heaven” is being prepared for international screening. Tatiana will attend the exclusive premiere in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on Oct. 17, within the framework of Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, co-chaired by George Clooney. It will premiere at the Alex Theatre on March 21, 2020 in Glendale and the following week, March 26-27 at the Americana at Brand, and all Pacific Theaters.
I had the chance to interview the director twice. I’ve been involved through this project via constant communication with Avetisyan. Jivan Avetisyan is dedicated to making films about Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). Avetisyan’s cinematic vision is to bring Artsakh to the world.
To see the depiction of Artsakh on the silver screen and to regain peace like Robert did before Hunot Gorge, watch “Gate to Heaven.” Paradise can be lost, but nature has its gate to heaven, and for Avetisyan, this nature is located in Artsakh.
Rachel Melikian
Glendale
***
The editorial cartoon by Bert Ring published by the Glendale News-Press on Oct. 4 is divisive and fallacious.
Juxtaposing an Artsakh Street sign with the headline, “I miss the old Maryland Avenue,” implicitly targets Glendale’s ethnic Armenian community. Mentioning restaurants that have long since closed is a crude attempt at masking the xenophobic intent of the cartoon.
Armenians have been residing in the city of Glendale for several decades and have contributed a great deal to the city. Instead of implicitly attacking specific groups, we recommend the newspaper highlights them and noting the significant developments they have made for the betterment of the city.
In light of the incident a week prior when a building was vandalized with messages stating “Death to Armenians” and “Leave now,” it is extremely distasteful and unacceptable that the Glendale News-Press could be this tone deaf and contribute to the perpetuation of racism in the city. These racist undertones are already evident in some of the comments under the Facebook post of this political cartoon, as people have begun to allude that Glendale was lost to an “invasion” years ago.
Jokes and satire have their place, but every satirical piece carries a message. With this cartoon, the Glendale News-Press bolsters a message of returning Glendale to the days before the diverse population made its mark.
While folks may be deprived of Tony Roma’s and Chuy’s — all to no fault of the renaming — they do not need to be deprived of culture, acceptance, and the understanding that our collective diversity is what makes us all, including the city of Glendale, great.
Alik Ourfalian
Glendale
***
Recently the South Coast Air Quality Management District met with concerned citizens about the Grayson Power Plant’s emissions. These were about test results collected and tested for in 2015.
All of the persons that attended this meeting and complained about the Grayson Power Plant lived close by the plant. Nothing was ever said about all of the cars that travel by their homes every day, 24 hours a day. Grayson is getting all of the bad credits by everyone that has no idea of what is happening around them.
Trust me, it is not Grayson that is causing all of the environmental problems in Glendale. Glendale is loaded with cars that have had the exhaust systems modified and nothing is being done about these. I say let GWP replace the old units with the latest new ones so that they can help keep our lights on and let’s all concentrate on other areas that are polluting our air such as the automobile.
If anyone thinks that they can shut Grayson down, I got news for them. Also, let’s return the landfill gas to Grayson so it can be blended with the natural gas to generate the energy that we all need.
Larry Moorehouse
Retired Supt of Grayson Power Plant
Glendale
***
I’m writing in response to a few different letters I’ve seen in recent Mailbags.
First up, the so-called ¨Housing Crisis Act of 2019¨, SB 330, has been signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This bill bans population and housing caps in so-called “urban clusters.” Plus, it allows demolition of affordable and rent-controlled housing under certain circumstances. That’s not a good thing, especially in today’s often rent-challenged cities throughout California, including Glendale.
Regarding an Oct. 5-6 letter, “Museum location is not an ideal one,” an added detriment is that beautiful big tree at the corner of the singular alley and Colorado Boulevard, is right about where the museum would be built.
As far as more “speed bumps” on Glendale streets suggested by one writer: I personally drive in South Glendale almost daily and for that particular problem, both on behalf of vehicle suspensions — not to mention driver-frustrations — it would seem to be best addressed by having less vehicles on Glendale’s often narrow city streets.
That would seem to necessitate slower population growth and its attendant overdevelopment (ergo, resulting in less traffic). Oh, and by the way, better enforcement of Glendale’s current traffic laws would help matters!
Harvey Pearson
Los Feliz