By Julie BUTCHER

The Glendale City Council met Tuesday night for its last October meeting. It first heard a legislative update from Assemblymember Laura Friedman who gave an overview of the 12 bills she authored that were signed into law by the governor as well as budget items of importance to the assembly district.

Most of the bills, Assemblymember Friedman highlighted, passed with bipartisan support and some had bipartisan sponsorship.

AB 761 was introduced in coordination with LA Metro, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the City of West Hollywood; it aligns the terms of long-term infrastructure funding so California can better compete for new federal infrastructure dollars.

AB 810 was a two-year bill developed in conjunction with the state’s universities to avoid the practice of “passing the harasser;” the bill requires the disclosure of credible accusations and sustained allegations of misconduct of applicants to state schools.

AB 1868 passed with sponsorship from Habitat for Humanity (which “does great work here in Glendale,” Friedman noted), aligns the way county assessors value affordable housing based on the ultimate buyer being low-income.

AB 1889 sets state policy requiring local governments to implement measures to protect and improve wildlife connectivity as part of the conservation element of their general plans, in consultation with state and local agencies.

AB 1963 requires the Dept. of Pesticide to determine whether paraquat dichloride, a highly toxic herbicide used to kill weeds, should be banned or its use continued as is currently allowed. Paraquat is banned in 66 countries including China where it is produced. Friedman reports partnering with the Michael J. Fox Foundation on this bill as there is a demonstrable link between the use of paraquat and Parkinson’s disease.

AB 2297 modernizes the Hospital Fair Pricing Act to better protect patients and their families by prohibiting liens being placed on homes to collect unpaid medical bills and improves access to medical care financing for low-income consumers.

AB 2552 places a moratorium on some of the most dangerous rodenticides that cause the widespread poisoning of wildlife; the legislation creates an enforcement mechanism that empowers the attorney general and other government entities to enforce the use or sale of anticoagulant rodenticides.

AB 2553 helps unhoused people who utilize public transportation.

AB 2712, in partnership with the Miracle Mile homeowners association, prohibits the City of Los Angeles from issuing preferential parking permits to residents of developments within half a mile from transportation and exempt from parking minimums. If a development is using state law to avoid providing parking, Friedman explained, the developer cannot access preferential parking for those residents who might otherwise be able to park in an existing neighborhood that is already having problems with curbside parking.

AB 2801 was developed in conjunction with the Apartment Owners Association and clarifies the responsibilities of tenants and landlords and ensures that security deposits not be used to subsidize upgrades to the vacated unit.

AB 2875 adds protections to California law to include protections of wetlands recently rolled back by the U.S. Supreme Court in Sackett v. EPA. Not only are wetlands “really crucial habitat protections but also flood protection in coastal zones,” the assemblymember reported. The new law sets the policy of the state to ensure no net loss and potential gains in the quantity, quality and permanence of wetlands acreage and values in California.

AB 2925, introduced in conjunction with the Jewish Federation and the legislative Jewish caucus (of which Friedman is a member), attempts to address rising levels of antisemitism on California college campuses. The bipartisan bill requires the inclusion of antisemitism training anywhere anti-discrimination and diversity, inclusion and equity programs are offered.

Friedman highlighted key budget gains: $2.83 billion in funds for child care reimbursements; a 5% increase to the budgets of California’s UCs and CALState universities allowing spots for 12,000 more Californians at the schools; $556 million in increases to transitional kindergarten (TK) – grade 12 educational programs; $762 million to expand universal TK; full funding for California’s universal meal program, which provides breakfast and lunch to all of California’s schoolchildren; and $227 million from the state’s general fund for a scholarship program aimed specifically at helping middle class families send their students to college.

Finally, Assemblymember Friedman delineated funding she has secured for Glendale: in 2017, $20 million for the LA-Garden Bridge and another $10 million in 2021 for the project to connect Glendale with Los Angeles’ Griffith Park with a pedestrian and bicycle bridge.

In 2022, Freidman secured $14.65 million to fund library renovations; open space preservation; provide transportation infrastructure improvements along the Verdugo Wash and provide crucial equipment for wildfire mitigation; and $6 million for the Verdugo Wash Visioning Project. In 2023, $933,000 was appropriated toward the city’s renovation of Fremont Park.

Friedman shared contact information for her district office: (818) 558-3043 for local questions and constituent services; in Sacramento: (916) 319-2044; email Assemblymember.Friedman@assembly.ca.gov. As she is running for congress, Freidman expressed her parting appreciation for working with Gelndale city staff and councilmembers.

“I love living in Glendale and it’s because of the amazing quality of life we have here, the city services,” she said.

Alex Balekian, Friedman’s opponent in the race for the congressional seat made available as Congressperson Adam Schiff runs for the U.S. Senate, addressed the council during public comments. He responded to comments previously expressed regarding recent increases in utility costs.

“People here are hurting. Are you tone deaf or intentionally sadistic?” he said. “Your climate sustainability dream has become an unsustainable nightmare and you all need to stop.”

City staff reviewed the process by which electric rates were increased and indicated plans for a more extensive explanation of the rate-setting process. The primary drivers of increased rates are the cost of developing new infrastructure, the cost of maintaining existing resources, and debt service. Because of Propositions 26 and 218, the city cannot charge more than it costs to deliver service; it cannot make a profit. In 2023, the council approved three increases; in 2024, customers saw increases of 14.8% and 11%; next year, utility customers will see another 11.3% rate increase. Assistant City Manager John Takhtalian added that bills currently being received cover the hottest months the city has ever seen, July and August. The city hit its highest peak demand during this time, 349 megawatts. That peak would have been higher, he said, if not for sustained outages the utility experienced.

The council balked at approving an amendment to a consulting agreement to improve water conservation, voting 2-2 on the contract.

The council approved extending an agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. for up to $471,052 to develop an overall master plan for recycling in the city for the next 20 years and narrowly okayed up to $542,034 for the development of a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP).

Councilmember Ara Najarian raised concerns that the added costs resulted from work done at the behest of the city’s sustainability Commission.

“It’s the tail wagging the dog,” he said, concerned that the authority to expend funds is solely within the purview of the city council, not of its commissions.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian opposed the plan entirely.

“This was passed in September 2022, and I wasn’t here when it was approved. It’s not mandated by the state and, if this was before us today, I would not support it,” Gharpetian said.

The Greener Glendale plan was approved in 2012, Councilmember Dan Brotman observed, “and a lot has changed in the world” since then.

“All leading California cities are planning for this future we are facing: hotter, dryer, more fire-prone climate,” he said. “I want to be a leading city, to be preparing for that future, not just closing our eyes to it.”

The council delayed action on a decision from the city’s Transportation and Parking Commission denying action on an all-way stop at the intersection of Adams Street and Scofield Drive in the Adams Hill neighborhood. The neighborhood has been advocating for traffic calming since at least 2021. Several measures have been tried or contemplated and the neighbors now agree nearly unanimously that the all-way stop is the best option. The council will reconsider the matter in November.

Finally, the council adopted a resolution demanding the immediate release of Armenian hostages held by Azerbaijan.

From the staff report: “The City of Glendale condemns violence, torture and inhumane treatment based on ethnic identity and calls for justice and accountability for those responsible. Azerbaijan’s long-standing anti-Armenian policies led to the 2020 war against Artsakh, resulting in the ethnic cleansing of over 70% of its territory. This culminated in the 2023 forced depopulation of Artsakh’s Indigenous Armenian population, the destruction of cultural monuments and an ongoing humanitarian crisis. A blockade lasting over eight months isolated 120,000 Armenians from basic necessities, and a large-scale assault in September 2023 displaced more than 120,000 Armenians.

“On Feb. 6, 2024, the Glendale City Council recognized Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing and genocide in Artsakh. In February 2024, the California State Legislature introduced SJR 11, urging President Biden to address the illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians by Azerbaijan. Glendale, home to the largest Armenian diaspora outside Armenia, stands in solidarity with its community and sister cities in Armenia, including Kapan, Gyumri and Martuni (Artsakh).”