By Julie BUTCHER

Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian surprised the crowd at the beginning of Tuesday’s council meeting with a commendation for Fernando Allende and his family, stars of the TV show “Mexican Dynasties.” Allende thanked the City, noting that their show and family embody the same values as Glendale.

“This is a city that embraces differences, different cultures,” he said, adding, “This historical moment, a show produced in Hollywood, [with] American money, with a completely Latino cast, is now showing in 52 countries. Yes, the frame is Mexico City, but whatever happens in the show happens to most families on the planet, and I believe that’s the reason for our success.”

Allende also touched on the number of those living in the U.S. of Mexican descent.

“It’s important for all of us to know that there are 54 million people of Mexican heritage here in the U.S. Fifty-four million is a considerable amount of people, of souls, of hearts,” he said. “It’s $70 billion annually into the economy of this magnificent country, where dreams can become reality.”

City Clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian introduced and recognized the Cycle 14 student ambassadors.

“This program gives local students a window into the operations of city government. And this year we have what we call a full house, a royal flush, with students from every high school participating. Every Tuesday night, they serve as guides and ushers to the public, some here for the first time, some regulars. They don’t get paid; they do this as a public service. And some day, we may see them sitting up there!”

The City will celebrate Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 11 with a free pancake breakfast starting at 9 a.m. at Fire Station 21 at 421 Oak St. (between Columbus and Pacific, behind the Glendale Galleria). The event is expected to be especially fun for children, with a climbing wall and other hands-on attractions, and Sparky the Fire Dog slated to attend.

May is Building & Safety Month. The mayor read a proclamation noting that thousands of lives have been saved by building codes, such as those implemented by Glendale beginning in 1913. The motto of this year’s remembrance is, “No Code, No Confidence.”

The Council adopted a schedule of three meetings per month for the remainder of this fiscal year and for the next. Only Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian voted against the new schedule noting that he preferred to maintain the current schedule of meetings. “This is a dramatic change, in my opinion.”

Councilmember Paula Devine, joined by the rest of the council, recognized and commended everyone who had been involved in recent commemorations of Armenian Genocide, singularly highlighting the work done by Glendale Public Information Officer Dan Bell.

This Saturday, May 4, the City’s Library, Arts & Culture Dept. is hosting a Healthy Minds Fair at Glendale’s Downtown Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., in honor of Mental Health Month. Partnering with numerous local and national organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and offers workshops on self-care including one billed as “10 easy ways to manage your stress.”

Also on May 4, the United Human Rights Council of Glendale’s Armenian Youth Federation is planning a panel and discussion event called “Struggle & Solidarity: Coming Together for Racial Justice” in conjunction with several other organizations at the Krikor and Mariam Karamanoukian Glendale Youth Center, 211 W. Chestnut St.

During the business portion of its agenda, the council approved the purchase of upgraded technology for the police department, including the possibility of introducing body-worn video recording devices in the future.

Finally, the Council reviewed a report detailing changes to those eligible to serve on boards and commissions, following a discussion in early March during which councilmembers expressed their interest in tightening up the appointment process and ensuring maximum integrity from their appointees. The changes include prohibiting elected officials from serving on Glendale’s boards and commissions; adding a broad and detailed definition of lobbyists to the code and then prohibiting them from serving on any board or commission; and prohibiting convicted felons and those convicted of crimes considered to be violations of “moral turpitude” (a legal expression generally used to refer to crimes of fraud and dishonesty) from serving. Councilmember Vrej Agajanian pressed for the strictest implementation requiring lobbyists to resign from all commissions once the changes are adopted. These changes must be voted on to be officially adopted.

  Julie BUTCHER