By Julie BUTCHER

Glendale has a new city clerk, Aram Adjemian, appointed on a 3-2 vote at a special meeting on Monday night. Adjemian has worked for the city for 19 years, in the clerk’s office for the past six; he has a degree in political science and a municipal clerk certification. Councilmember Paula Devine nominated Stephanie Landregan to fill the seat for the remainder of the term until the next municipal election in 2022.

Commenting by phone, former council candidate Susan Wolfson urged the appointment of Adjemian as experienced and professional to maximize the continuity of the important office until the voters can weigh in.

After the election to the council in March of former city clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian, a consensus was built to fill the seat by appointment rather than holding a special election, estimated to cost upwards of $1 million. If the council failed to act within 30 days of the election, a special election would be mandated. Councilmember Ara Najarian supported Landregan, who has lost two previous elections for the seat, in 2005 and 2013.

At its Tuesday evening meeting, the council voted to accept $625,000 in SB2 planning grants after hearing a detailed, nuanced critique of the city’s planning plans from local resident Cathy Jurka. The city defended its goal of establishing “objective,” measurable design standards as possible help in preserving the maximum level of local control and protecting against Sacramento overreach as cities across the state are challenged to build more affordable housing.

Councilmember Daniel Brotman agreed saying that “cities that have been good actors” and not used design standards to thwart responsible development should get a “responsible cities exemption.”

The council voted to accept the planning grants to fund work updating the city’s planning guidelines in several areas of development oversight including multi-family, mixed-use and the city’s Tropico Center.

Brotman appointed Francesca Smith to the city’s Design Review Board pending approval from the full council.

Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas updated the council on several “sad milestones” in the advancement of the coronavirus pandemic: more than three million cases have been confirmed worldwide across 185 countries with more than one million cases in the U.S.; 20,976 in Los Angeles county; over 1,000 deaths in the county; in Glendale, 502 confirmed cases; 138 recovered; 18 deaths (as of Tuesday night).

“The 18th death was confirmed just within the last two hours,” Chief Lanzas told the council.

The average age of Glendale’s dead is 81. Eleven of those deaths occurred in skilled nursing facilities.

Glendale Memorial-Dignity Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. William Wang updated the council and answered questions including changes in the symptoms attributed to COVID-19 recently updated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Notably 83% of those afflicted reported a loss of taste or smell.

“Our hospitals are safe. If you’re sick, don’t wait to come in for emergency care,” the doctor urged.

Police Chief Carl Povilaitis reported an uptick in domestic violence calls and overall “very good compliance” with the safer-at-home mandates and parks and trails closures. He showed aerial photos taken from police helicopters. Glendale police officers have distributed more than 1000 facemasks while urging safe compliance. No citations have been issued or required, the chief said.

“Your police department is fully staffed and ready to handle any emergency,” Povilaitis said, urging Glendale citizens to stay alert as the department has seen an increase in auto burglaries. “Join your Neighborhood Watch. Pay attention to what’s happening in your community.”

Councilmember Devine indicated that she was considering asking her colleagues to relax the requirement for facial coverings that the council voted to impose two weeks ago. Dr. Wang responded to her questions about the efficacy of wearing masks: the purpose, he explained, is “source control.”

“I wear a mask as a courtesy to you, just in case I’m infected and don’t know it,” he explained. “If I’m running early in the morning and there’s no one around, I can let it hang around my neck until I see someone close [by].”

Brotman echoed Devine’s concerns, wondering if facial coverings might add to “social distancing fatigue, if we ask more of people than we absolutely need to;” he questioned the wisdom of going “beyond what other cities are doing.”

Councilmember Ara Najarian opposed efforts to relax the rule.

“The burdens of wearing the masks are minimal – the benefits are human life,” he said. “We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Our children will tell stories of how they lived through the Great Pandemic of 2020.”

The council voted to expedite several traffic improving projects funded by Measure R, the sales tax measure approved by LA county voters in 2008. For a complete list of the projects as well as all of the documents reviewed by the council, the meeting portal can be found at https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/public-meeting-portal.

Brotman asked that the city consider automating all of its pedestrian call buttons, particularly in light of the current public health crisis but also to enhance overall pedestrian safety, replacing the remaining “beg buttons.”