By Julie BUTCHER

The Glendale City Council spent a bulk of its Tuesday night meeting considering various measures to set spending limits for municipal elections and ways to increase participation in local elections by providing public funds, perhaps in the form of “matching funds.”

Some jurisdictions provide funds to potential candidates who meet qualifications to receive the money. The City of Los Angeles, for instance, requires candidates to collect contributions of at least $5 from 100 residents of the city to begin to receive matching funds.

“I am definitely against this. If you want examples of how this is going, just Google LA,” Councilmember Ara Najarian weighed in. “Who’s going to administer this? We can’t even figure out how to verify the dates to file for election.”

Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian acknowledged the valid points made in opposition to the proposals but added, “The essence of our democracy is that anyone can run for office.”

“I’m against this as well,” Mayor Paula Devine shared. “I just can’t see using money we could be using for roads, putting it into campaigns and then [the candidates] lose. In 2018, Long Beach gave candidates $450,000. How many of them won? I just can’t see putting this in the budget.”

Councilmember Vrej Agajanian suggested a potential compromise for future consideration – to provide direct one-to-one matching funds up to $10,000, to include the city filing fee, which is currently $2,500.

“I want to encourage people to run,” he said.

The Council will consider potential voluntary campaign spending limits as well.

After debating additional potential disclosure requirements, the Council authorized an increase in the current campaign contribution limit from $1,140 to $1,190 (a 4.33% increase based on two years of cost-of-living increases). The ordinance allows for this amount to be adjusted in July of odd years.

Earlier in the meeting, Mayor Devine announced that effective Monday, July 19, city facilities and offices will fully reopen, including Council and commission meetings. Remote call-in options will remain in place for those wishing to monitor the meetings remotely.

Councilmember Dan Brotman thanked State Senator Anthony Portantino for his advocacy in securing funds for regional climate resiliency.

Devine also acknowledged $8 million Senator Portantino was able to have included in the state budget for Rockhaven.

“Did the state buy it?” Councilmember Ara Najarian asked. “The Portantino Park? A state park?”

Councilmember Brotman questioned city staff about the progress of verifying city staff vaccinations to repopulate city facilities and operations as well as the effectiveness of a recent mobile vaccination clinic.

“I understand we only vaccinated eight people?” Brotman asked.

Fire chief Silvio Lanzas provided the Council an overall update of the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Glendale: To date, Los Angeles County has more than 12 million verified cases and more than 23,000 deaths; in Glendale, there are more than 20,000 cases and 629 deaths.

Lanzas urged all Glendalians to get vaccinated.

“42% of our community remains unvaccinated,” he said. “This is the fifth day with more than 1,000 new cases, numbers we haven’t seen for several months, an increase of 500% from just one month ago.”

Folks can find a convenient vaccination spot online at https://myturn.ca.gov/ or by calling (833) 540-0473 for help with transportation to a vaccination site or a home visit. Lanzas reminded everyone that the vaccines are free and available to all.

City sustainability officer David Jones announced a plastic-free pledge for July, announcing it a plastic-free month.

Here is the pledge, which can be found on the City’s website and by clicking https://tinyurl.com/yjmb5k6x: “I commit to reduce my use of single-use plastic products through the month of July 2021. During the course of this campaign, I pledge to make changes in my life to develop more sustainable habits and reduce my impact on the planet. I will contribute to a greener Glendale by dedicating time to REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE using at least five of the tasks listed …”

Finally, the Council heard an update on plans for protected bike lanes on Glenoaks Boulevard. Assistant director of Community Development Bradley Calvert overviewed two alternates, indicating that the city plans on further engagement of the public on the options. The amount of outreach the city was able to do was limited by COVID, Calvert explained.

The protected bicycle lanes are made possible by the construction that will be necessary for the BRT (rapid bus) already planned. Calvert explained the goal of the project is to enhance safety and accessibility for bicycle infrastructure in west Glendale. The protected bike lanes would run either along the curb, on the safe side of parked cars, or along the landscaped median, which will be protected in all future plans. Both plans would reduce the number of traffic lanes on either side of the street as well as reducing the width of the lanes from 12 to 10 feet.

The city’s Traffic and Parking Commission expressed its preference for the curb option, noting the potential for enhanced interactions with local businesses and urged planners to consider additional cyclist amenities.

“I’m really excited about the creativity and forward looking of this,” Councilmember Brotman commented on the plans. He prefers the curbside option, noting he “could picture myself in the center path feeling very uncomfortable. The people in bicycle tights will ride no matter what. We want families to feel safe riding. And we want them to engage with businesses. That’s a higher priority than coordinating with the BRT.”

The bus and bike projects are anticipated to finish in 2024. Councilmember Agajanian expressed concerns about the impact on traffic on Glenoaks.

  Glendale city council