Resignation of city manager announced.

By Julie BUTCHER

At the start of Tuesday evening’s Glendale City Council meeting, two Glendale city employees were recognized for actions they took “above and beyond” that helped save two lives.

City worker Kirk White was returning a container to a house when he was alerted by a dog that a woman had fallen in her backyard. He ran to offer assistance.

The woman’s daughter called the next day to thank the city and said that after falling her mom had already been outside for an hour. She credited White with saving her life. Sandy, the dog, helped.

“I’m just blessed and thankful to be at the right place to help someone,” White said via Webex at the council meeting.

Councilmember Ara Najarian commented that it sounded “like a Lassie moment.”

“How did the dog tell you there was trouble?” he asked White.

“Usually Sandy is inside,” White explained. “This time she was outside. And she wasn’t showing her teeth; she was more like, ‘I have something to show you.’ I’m just glad that I understood her.”

Councilmember Dan Brotman wondered if the dog should also be recognized. “That’s pretty remarkable,” he observed.

Glendale Water & Power (GWP) water system apprentice Luis Westendorff was working as part of a utility crew on July 30 when he saw a man on the sidewalk choking. A woman was attempting to help but was not successful. Others were filming the incident. Westendorff administered the Heimlich maneuver, successfully dislodging the blockage, saving the man’s life.

“Like Kirk [White] said, I’m just glad that I was at the right place at the right time. Also, this emphasizes the importance of the first aid and CPR training we get,” Westendorff said.

Councilmember Paula Devine commended him for having the “wherewithal to see something happening and the willingness to help. We’re so proud of you.”

Both workers received official commendations.

Among a limited bit of council business, the council approved $3.5 million for improvements around the city’s train station aimed at helping with transit solutions for the first and last miles, those described by Councilmember Najarian as the toughest problems to solve. Najarian is a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In anticipation of increased train trips out of Glendale to Union Station in Los Angeles, Burbank and beyond, Najarian noted that the bulk of the funds will come from Metro and include “something the bike community has been asking for:” several different types of bicycle lanes. These will include some protected lanes and will be added on the streets around the station. In response to questions from Councilmember Devine, city staff affirmed that the lanes will be stenciled and painted green for emphasis.

A routine action to destroy obsolete documents piqued interest as it included actions to allow for the destruction of Pitchess motion documents, typically used in exploring police misconduct. City Attorney Mike Garcia explained that those documents are maintained by the police department. The documents at issue in the city attorney’s office, he said, are solely procedural.

Councilmember Brotman reiterated the action.

“So what we’re destroying is just the request for that info and not the underlying information?” He asked that the council agendize a future discussion of the city’s record retention policy “so folks can understand what we keep and why.”

Councilmember Najarian asked that the city act to support the city of Beirut, Lebanon following last week’s devastating explosion.

“We may not have a ‘sister city’ relationship with Beirut, but Glendale has many ties to that city. My dad went to medical school there and my mom went to nursing school there,” Najarian said. “There’s not a tourist or official who comes through without stopping at the [Lebanese restaurant] Phoenicia.”

He suggested lighting up city hall in the colors of the Lebanese flag and linking donation sites on the city’s website.

Najarian asked GWP general manager Steve Zurn about possible black- and brown-outs due to the heat and the potential advantages of “having a locally-based power source – in whatever form – at Grayson for times like this.”

Zurn indicated that “this is exactly what we would address with local sources – an emergency back-up.”

“It’s a lot of things in combination, starting with an aging power plant that just can’t keep up and transmission lines threatened by fire,” Zurn said. “We tried to buy power, at exorbitant rates, but could not. Today [Tuesday] was tough [temperatures hit 109°]. At 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. it’s 77°.”

After a caller commented on plans for online school opening this week, Councilmember Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian expressed his support for parents.

“I wish them patience … lots of patience … the patience of Job,” he said. “We’re going to get through this.” He added that his son was starting kindergarten virtually.

Since the last council meeting, City Manager Yasmin Beers announced her retirement, effective in October, after 33 years working for the city. Beers has been the city manager since 2018. In 1987, she started working for the city as a part-time employee in the Library Department while going to school and, over time, held progressively more responsible positions throughout the city.

Reporting to the council on economic recovery measures, Community Development Department Deputy Director Jennifer Hiramoto announced an Aug. 30 start date to apply for reimbursable $500 personal protective equipment (PPE) grants available to local businesses for COVID-19-related expenses. The city will also be distributing at upcoming drive-thru events four-gallon containers of hand sanitizer and facemasks free to businesses.

“We’re implementing the council’s vision supporting local businesses,” she said.

Montrose Shopping Plaza Association executive director Dale Dawson told the CV Weekly that the work of local restaurants to utilize parklets for outdoor seating is proceeding and positive and that Hiramoto was working with businesses to allow outdoor seating to be considered compliant with ADA requirements without the need for additional ramping as long as they were otherwise compliant.

Glendale Public Information Officer Eliza Papazian offered a more formal response.

“Our Building and Safety Division is looking at each site for accessibility and to confirm that restaurants that apply for these temporary uses meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements,” she stated. “It is our goal to make sure that the same outdoor dining service and experience is accessible to those with disabilities. In a situation where a ramp or platform to street dining (parklets) is not feasible, restaurant owners can apply for temporary sidewalk dining permits in addition to the parklet permit to be able to provide accessible seating in sufficient numbers located within a reasonable distance of each other and the food service areas being served. That said, if we receive feedback about areas that customers find are difficult to access, we will review the location and ensure that the appropriate accommodations are made to provide equal access.”

  Julie BUTCHER