By Julie BUTCHER

At the beginning of a very long meeting of the Glendale City Council Tuesday night, the Council reviewed a resolution to strongly condemn hate, hate crimes against members of the Asian American community, and “affirm the City of Glendale’s commitment to diversity, equity and justice for people of all races, ethnicities and national origins by denouncing xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members.”

“I asked that we consider this strong statement after the school district adopted a similar measure. This kind of hate will not disappear magically. Our AAPI community must know that we will stand up, stand with them,” Councilmember Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian opened the discussion. “Our city is better off because of our diversity. Members of the AAPI community have acculturated themselves; some have even anglicized their own names. Last April, a Korean family in La Crescenta was harassed and I was disgusted, but not surprised. We’ve not done enough to recognize the harm caused by hate like this.

“If you believe our city is made worse by immigrants, you are the problem,” Kassakhian added.

Assistant City Manager John Takhtalian reported a national uptick of more than 150% in hate crimes against Asian Americans since the beginning of the pandemic, noting 800 such crimes in California, the highest number reported in the county.

The anti-hate resolution passed unanimously.

City staff announced a new program offering rental relief for Californians negatively affected by COVID-19, now with help available because of the federal American Recovery Act passed by the U.S. Congress, making $2.6 billion available for tenants and landlords. Folks interested in the qualifying details can find information at https://housing.ca.gov/ (HousingIsKey.com) or by calling (833) 430-2122.

Tereza Aleksanian, deputy director of Community Services and Parks Dept., updated the Council on the work of the city’s Senior Services Committee, started in 2017 to assess the needs of Glendale’s seniors. Working on the committee’s initial recommendations, the city joined the AARP “network of age-friendly cities,” developed plans and organized events focused on education targeting senior safety, such as by providing educational workshops regarding senior fraud/scams, elder abuse and pedestrian safety.

The committee is working on a comprehensive resource guide for area seniors. Glendalians interested in more information or to get involved can reach Aleksanian at (818) 548-2000.

Next, the Council reviewed a report on expanding municipal Wi-Fi, initially in city parks, following up on initial evaluations.

Grant Michals called into the Council meeting to commend the report, as it “addresses the initial issues, acknowledges a nuanced need for a phased-in approach [including] after-school programs, for instance, prioritizing areas that should have access.”

Councilmember Ara Najarian, though, questioned the need.

“I don’t understand why we’re talking about doing this in the parks,” he said. “I want people out there communing with nature, not playing Mortal Combat in the middle of Glenoaks Park.”

“We need to look at basic access, not gaming,” Councilmember Kassakhian noted.

Councilmember Paula Devine noted that she had been approached on this issue “by a senior, not by a child.”

“We’re not trying to fill gaps in cellular service, not trying to fix problems in the hills with cellphone access with this,” Councilmember Dan Brotman added.

The Council voted to review an overall citywide master plan.

Then the Council heard and took preliminary steps to adopt the city’s first Citywide Pedestrian Plan. Focused on safety, the plan includes steps to improve the experience of pedestrians. A Safety Advisory Committee worked with city staff to develop the extensive recommendations. In gathering input, residents completed the sentence: “I would walk more if …” most often with “vehicles would slow down.”

The top three responses included mentions of speed.

Some of the facts contained in the staff report surprised Councilmembers. Seventy percent of pedestrian collisions, for instance, occur during daylight hours.

In an accident at 20 mph, nine out of 10 pedestrians will survive. At 30 mph, the number drops to five of 10 survivors. At 40 mph, only one of 10 will survive.

“Whether you live in a city or a small town, and whether you drive a car, take the bus, or ride a train, at some point in the day everyone is a pedestrian,” staff quoted former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about the importance of focusing on pedestrians.

The emphasis of the plan is to make walking safer, create connected and complete communities and build walkable places for everyone, and organize implementation and short- and immediate-term actions, longer plans for five to 10 years from now, and longer-term plans that could include test pilots made permanent.

Councilmember Brotman noted that amidst “all the talk about physical devices” he wants an added focus on research suggesting “the planting of street trees along roadways creates a sense of narrowness and causes drivers to naturally slow down.”

Several residents called in to support the plan.

“Studies show that walkability is linked to less crime and better health; older adults in cities that are easy to walk are in better health and show higher cognitive function,” one said.

The Glendale Police Dept. has investigated 574 fatal or injury-related pedestrian collisions in the past three years, the caller told the Council.

Another recounted past involvement in the study and commended the staff that produced the final report. David Eisenberg identified himself as a resident since 1985: “I love to walk in Glendale, but it’s very dangerous.”

He added, “I’d like to applaud the hard work crafting the pedestrian plan. It is extensive and thorough, and I urge you to act on it as fast as possible.”

“I wish I could take credit for this report, as Mr. Mohill suggested,” Councilmember Brotman responded to comments made by another caller. “It’s a very, very strong plan, and it was suggested in 2015. It’s also one of the most important things we’ll do as a Council and one of my highest priorities is seeing it implemented.”

“The public wants safer streets. Safer streets mean slower streets. We may need to make a tradeoff. But knowing where the public stands – the physical changes make the most difference – so I’m glad the plan focuses on road design. We’ll never see enforcement at scale,” Brotman concluded with an encouragement to monitor legislation pending that would facilitate “automated speed enforcement … as a civil penalty, like a parking ticket.”

“Yes, I’m an advocate for transit,” Councilmember Ara Najarian contributed, “for people getting on a bus, be it a Beeline or a Metro bus, and to get out of their cars and onto a bicycle. Or walking.”

Just before the Council adopted the plan unanimously, Mayor Vrej Agajanian asked, “Where will the money come from?”

Finally, the Council acted to move forward an ordinance requiring grocery and drug stores to pay hourly workers an additional $5 per hour for 120 days.

Approximately 1,700 front-line workers would receive the additional pay. Kroger (parent company of Ralphs and Food 4 Less) announced store closures in Los Angeles and Long Beach after those cities implemented similar provisions.

“I brought this forward – these workers deserve it. It’s time these companies step up and support the workers who put their lives on the line for us,” Councilmember Paula Devine said.

According to the city’s report on the proposal, Kroger “saw its net earnings for the first two quarters in 2020 jump to more than $2.031 billion compared with $1.069 billion in the same period of 2019, a 90% increase.”

The bonus pay would go into effect immediately if four of the five Councilmembers vote in favor of the ordinance at next week’s Council meeting (passing it as an emergency measure). If it passes with a simple majority, it would go into effect 30 days after the Council meeting.