By Roman IGUANZO

Tuesday night’s meeting of the Glendale City Council commenced with comments from staff. Councilmember Dan Brotman expressed a desire to help those in poverty switch from gas stoves to electric stoves. According to Brotman, transitioning to electric stoves will better the health of impoverished people/communities because harsh chemicals associated with traditional gas powered burners won’t be inhaled. Mayor Ardy Kassakhian highlighted the need to address the street lighting situation on Piedmont as residents were complaining about an increase in larceny as a result of the poor lighting in the area. 

Community announcements were next on the agenda. During this section, the council was urged to make a 10-year commitment to reduce the number of deaths resulting from cardiac arrest in the City of Glendale. The presenters (including first responders) also suggested effective methods to consider in order to achieve the proposed goal. These included the placement of external defibrillators near high-traffic buildings, tackling drug abuse and informing the public on signing up for and/or creating advance directives which are legal documents that provide instructions for medical care and only go into effect if a person cannot communicate his/her own wishes. Fire Chief Timothy Ernst described an app called PulsePoint. According to its website, the PulsePoint dispatch center immediately alerts CPR-trained individuals about, for example, nearby cardiac arrest events through the free PulsePoint Respond mobile app, and also lets them know the location of the closest AEDs. According to Ernst, the app can create a support network; this network could improve response time for those in critical condition, leading to a decrease in cardiac-related deaths. 

The Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) Installation Phase Two Project was the only item of action discussed during the meeting. According to the agenda the RRFB Installation Phase Two Project is a “resolution to designate (the) City Manager, Director of Finance & Information Technology, and (the) Deputy Director of Finance as authorized representatives to apply and obtain disaster assistance from FEMA and Cal OES when major disasters strike.”

The council discussed locations in which new crosswalk safety measures. These safety measures include adding a standard push activated button on crosswalks that notifies drivers of pedestrians entering a crosswalk via a flashing light; these systems will likely be implemented on Colorado Street. After tackling some questions from the council, the motion passed. 

The meeting ended after a community member urged the council to allocate additional police officers to Griffith Park (specifically on the land next to the equestrian center). This topic will be discussed in greater detail in a future meeting.