By Julie BUTCHER

This week’s meeting of the Glendale City Council concluded late into the night with the approval of a controversial boutique hotel proposed in the Riverside Rancho neighborhood, contingent on the addition of two feet to the alley adjacent to the property.

The project has engendered strong opposition from the neighbors who live in the nearby community and was initially rejected by the Design Review Board in June 2018. In January, the DRB reconsidered the project and approved the 64-room hotel for the 35,575 square foot property on the northwest corner of South Victory Boulevard and Winchester Avenue after Jayesh Kumar, the developer, made several changes to its design and appearance. Proponents describe the proposed Verdugo Hotel as one that would draw clientele locally, the kind of hotel people would stay in if they were visiting for a family celebration or event, not folks driving from downtown Los Angeles to attend a convention.

Before deliberating and ultimately denying the appeal that would have halted the hotel development, the Council thanked and recognized the staff and volunteers responsible for the successful Verdugo Mountains 10K run held on May 5. According to the City, the run is “produced by the City of Glendale’s Community Services & Parks Dept. to benefit the Glendale Parks & Open Space Foundation. The course begins in beautiful Brand Park, climbs steadily to one of the highest points in the Verdugo Mountains, and then heads back downhill for a fast descent to the finish. Breathtaking views of the LA Basin, the San Fernando Valley, and the Pacific Ocean await you at every turn. From the race’s highest point, at 2,670 feet above sea level, the panoramic view of the San Gabriel Mountains is truly spectacular.”

This year, 863 runners participated in the 6.2-mile run and hike, the highest number ever for the annual event.

Representatives from the Rotary Club of Glendale Noon pitched participation in their Cars for Cops & Kids car show on Sunday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Verdugo Park. The family-friendly event will include a variety of cars as well as games and music; the show benefits local police and school programs.

Organizers for glendaleOUT spoke at the council meeting to share “a multi-venue LGBTQIA-based event in collaboration with local chapters of Gay Straight Alliance in the Glendale Unified School District” showcasing local art highlighting the theme “Coming Out.” Alicia Harris, Crescenta Valley High School Social Studies teacher, vice president of the Glendale Teachers Association, and co-sponsor of the event, announced that more than 45 pieces of art have been collected across the school district’s high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. The artwork will be displayed in the CVHS campus gallery daily from May 13-17 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., then move on to show at the ace/121 gallery at 121 N. Kenwood St. beginning June 1.

“Big vote,” Mayor Ara Najarian noted after the council finalized an inclusionary zoning ordinance long in the works. Inclusionary zoning ordinances, sometimes called inclusionary housing ordinances, require or incentivize private developers to designate a certain portion of the units being built to be affordable, below market rate. Deliberations about the specifics of the City’s IZO have been long and ongoing; this final action adopts a standard requiring 15% affordable units for all projects citywide with limited exemptions.

“By implementing inclusionary housing, we’re not changing density,” Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian explained during the final discussions on the measure. “We’re encouraging more affordable housing.”

Councilmember Gharpetian’s proposal to restrict the ordinance to affect only the downtown area failed to garner support from his colleagues.

Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan summarized the balancing of interests that led to this significant legislation.

“Sure, I’d like to have developers designate 50% affordable, but then nothing would be built. We’ve achieved a good model for increasing affordability while not entirely stopping development,” he said.

Councilmember Vrej Agajanian added historical detail to the debate.

“We have to have more affordable housing,” he implored. “Since 1978, this city has [added]only 1,415 affordable units. That is 35 units a year. It’s laughable.”

In the middle of a long and busy council agenda, representatives from LA County’s Registrar of Voters made a detailed presentation about changes happening in next year’s election. Because of the change in the schedule and dates of Glendale’s municipal elections, local elections can now be coordinated by the County. The date of the California primary has been moved up in presidential election years. Therefore, next year Election Day (both the primary and municipal elections) is March 3, 2020. The absentee voting period will begin on Feb. 3.

County Registrar Voter Education Outreach & Community Relations Manager Jeff Klein summed up the changes anticipated with an ambitious program called Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP). Some of the changes include the use of new technology, such as an electronic poll book to improve election security, a reduction in the use of provisional ballots, allowance for same-day voter registration, faster turnaround with results, interactive sample ballots, and secure paper ballots as back-up.

For the next election, voters across LA County will be able to vote at any of 1,000 vote centers. Starting 11 days before the election, the County will open 250 of the voting centers. Voters will be able to vote at any center in the County and sample ballots will include the addresses for the nearest centers with information about other centers. Four days before Election Day, the number of vote centers will increase to 1,000.

Approximately half of all California voters vote by mail and there are no changes anticipated to the VBM system.

Los Angeles County built its own publicly owned voting system because it could not find a system suitable for its use. More information is available at vsap.lavote.net.

Los Angeles County will also serve as a pilot in this election, the result of statewide legislation championed by local Glendale officials, and local municipal elections will appear first on the ballot rather than following national and statewide races.

  Julie BUTCHER