Devine and Najarian: Broken Promises
Mayor Paula Devine promised to be a good listener when she ran for [Glendale] City Council. Glendale stakeholders were promised over development would slow down or stop, but instead she has approved a couple of hotels and mega construction projections.
In 2006, the residents of NW Glendale and Rossmoyne were promised the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) would keep large mega construction projects south of Glenoaks and not in their backyards. Recently, a developer came forward and wanted to build either a large condo or hotel at the corner of Dryden and North Brand Boulevard. Mayor Devine initially led the effort to downzone the area, only to be defeated by the gang of three led by the entrenched Councilman Ara Najarian followed by council members Gharpetian and Sinanyan.
At the June 14, 2016 council meeting I said to councilman Najarian he should recuse himself from voting on the Dryden/Brand property because he recently had rented the former Recess Restaurant space as his campaign headquarters and had developed a relationship with the property owner … even though he denied it.
An investigation further revealed, according to Mr. Najarian’s campaign record, only $1,000 was paid for several months of office space and was below market price. The beauty shop next to the restaurant is currently paying $1,500 monthly for a smaller space.
Isn’t it ironic our senior councilman, Najarian, who wanted to be our next county supervisor and who was involved with the development of the Downtown Specific Plan, now has the audacity to state that the Aloft Hotel location (Dryden/Brand) is an extension of our downtown? Unfortunately, today Mr. Najarian still continues [to] approve mega construction projects outside of the DSP zone.
By approving the Aloft Hotel and [other] mega construction projects outside of the DSP,  Mayor Devine and council members Gharpetian and Sinanyan also believe the DSP is nothing but a fancy piece of paper to be used as tissue paper. All four of council members voted down the environmental impact report (EIR) when the residents of NW Glendale and Rossymone requested the report.
On July 19, 2016: (1) I made the following statements to Mayor Devine: The property owner of the Aloft Hotel was her next door neighbor who bought her former house, which is right next door to her current home. (2) The architect of the Aloft Hotel was also the architect of her current home.
Mayor Devine and councilman Najarian should have recused themselves from voting on any project at the corner of Dryden and North Brand.
Mike Mohill
Glendale
With Much Gratitude
We would like to thank our many friends and neighbors in the Crescenta Valley for supporting our Veterans 5th Annual Community BINGO Night [on Aug. 19]. More than 300 bingo players showed up and had a noisy, fun-filled, exciting evening. Thanks for coming. We received support from more than 15 local organizations and individuals. Thanks for sponsoring the games.
In the end, it was a very successful evening because of the funds you raised. The funds will go to support veterans and their families and young people in the community who need a hand up from time to time.
In closing, we would like to encourage you to keep serving your friends and neighbors; that’s what makes the Crescenta Valley such a great place to live, work and play.
Andy Gero
Mike Baldwin
Lynn McGinnis
American Legion Post 288