To give voters a better understanding of the candidates running for a seat on the Crescenta Valley Town Council, CV Weekly reached out to them with three questions that were of particular interest to the Crescenta Valley. Below are their answers in the order they were received.

The election is being held on Friday, Nov. 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church, 2563 Foothill Blvd. The parking lot is on Cross Street just east of Rosemont Avenue.

Questions: 1) With the latest wildfires in Southern California, what can CVTC do to help residents be prepared for fire and other emergencies?

2) Housing is an important issue in Los Angeles County and the nation. There is a fine line between affordable housing that encourages families to move into the area creating a stronger school population, especially with recent declining enrollment, and the preservation of single-family homes that make up the neighborhoods in Crescenta Valley. How can CVTC walk this fine line?

3) The unincorporated area of Los Angeles County/La Crescenta is an unusual area that has families in Glendale and La Crescenta. What can CVTC do to better bridge the issues that face both far north Glendale, Montrose and unincorporated La Crescenta and Montrose? Specifically regarding fires, crime and the Glendale Unified School District.

Donna Libra: 1) Preparing for all types of emergencies is now a normal part of life, especially living in La Crescenta. It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since the Station Fire, which we were all impacted. Education and outreach are the keys to helping residents learn to be prepared for emergencies. As a town council member, I work closely with the Fire Council, which I serve on, to continue doing outreach to the community. Our upcoming fire evacuation drill for Upper Briggs Terrace will educate and help residents learn how to be prepared. This is the type of community outreach that helps us to prepare for a disaster.

2) La Crescenta is a special community. I moved here over 18 years ago because of the “small town” feel. [It is] a place where I know my neighbors. With the recent passage of housing bills from Sacramento, La Crescenta could be impacted in a negative way. We need to make sure any new development must be communicated to our community and not impact La Crescenta in a negative way. The CVTC is your voice to our Supervisor and LA County Planning. CVTC will always listen to the concerns of our community and communicate them to [the] proper LA County department.

3) It is important to know that issues facing Montrose and Northern Glendale can directly affect La Crescenta. Outreach is the key to informing the communities and getting them involved. To better bridge the communities, we need to share information and town hall meetings are great ways to share information regarding crime, fire prevention and any school issues.

Ruben Gonzalez: 1) The CVTC wears two hats in any situation: community trustee and advocate. As trustees, we should seek to enhance opportunities and resources to educate and equip residents so they know the best approaches to prevent impact on their neighborhoods and manage emergencies when they occur. Our greatest and most invested resources are our residents, and we need to empower them to do what they can for themselves and to support first responders in their efforts.

As the community’s advocate to Los Angeles County government, the CVTC must hold the County accountable so that our communities receive the official attention and resources it needs both in emergencies and important quality-of-life issues.

2) The CVTC approach to housing issues need not be a fine line if its approach is objective and deliberative, and not based on rhetoric. This leadership group must act as honest brokers, not knee-jerk pro or anti housing, but conscientious in reviewing and suggesting changes to housing proposals if necessary. Our communities can ensure that needed housing is built as an asset to the community. If facts, not emotion or ideology, win out then we can both protect and enhance our community, local economy and quality-of-life.

3) The CVTC should approach bridging the divide in a very strategic manner. First, these leaders should obtain data, through listening sessions and research, on the common and disparate issues affecting our communities. Once the issues are identified, the CVTC should continue to work with the community to create achievable and targeted strategy and tactics to meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities before us now and in the future. The CVTC shouldn’t pretend we have all the answers but through action and word be earnest in bringing all stakeholders together to discover the right questions on our way to the right answers.

Jeffrey Rodriguez: 1) Being prepared is the most important thing in an emergency wildfire situation. The Council can work with other organizations to get a wildfire preparedness speaker at one of our general meetings. We can arrange for a special, even more informative, seminar dedicated only to wildfire preparedness. We can continue to work closely with our local fire department to pass along tips or information we receive at our general meetings, website or Facebook. We need to continue to be proactive and disseminate information to our community.

2) We can continue to listen to the community’s voice and how they feel. It seems the majority of the community prefers the single-family home tradition for La Crescenta. I think listening to that voice, and advocating for it in any way, is what the Council needs to do. That said, we need to be fluid if the preference changes. We also need to think about what type of affordable housing we would accept if we needed to build.

There could be a lot of pressure from the state, and other county agencies, to push for some type of affordable housing in our community. We can’t just be focused on stopping it because we may not be able to. We need to also think about what type of housing (if mandated) is best for our community.

3) Making those bridges and connections even stronger is through continued communication and support for one another. Montrose may have an issue that is affecting only an area in their community, but working with them and supporting their fight could also help us in the long run. That same issue could come to our community, but because we supported them in their fight, they might also support our fight, which can only help. We should also know more about the issues involved and what did or didn’t work for Montrose. That information could only aid us.

Aram Ordubegian: 1) The CVTC should continue to be the community’s premier forum for the exchange of ideas and information. Specifically, for the past four years while I have served on the CVTC, various local and regional fire preparedness and emergency response organizations have spoken to the community at our monthly meetings and at our outreach activities, such as our yearly prayer and pancake breakfast functions. It is critical that these organizations continue to be heard and the CVTC will provide such opportunities as long as I am allowed to serve on the Town Council.

2) The fine line is in fact a precipitous tightrope that must be navigated in a careful manner! Our school district needs more student enrollment so that Sacramento provides more much-needed dollars; however, the character and feel of our community can change if large or unchecked development projects go forward. This is why I have enjoyed my service on the Land Use Committee and I have made sure County development and zoning rules are strictly followed by developers. Even if the proposed development is within the bounds of the rules, I have urged developers to modify their projects to match the character of the local community.

3) Much like the Crescenta Valley Community Association, the CVTC can and should bring together the larger valley. The Crescenta Valley has been divided up in different political entities over the years, to the detriment of the community. We are one valley with similar, if not identical, common concerns and we should work together to solve our problems. I will continue to do my best to serve the community by bringing everyone together so that no one feels left out or disconnected from our community.

Harry Leon: 1) Regarding the wildfires in Southern California, unfortunately La Crescenta is not immune to this event. The Crescenta Valley Town Council should advise community members and help them prepare for this kind of event as well as working together with first responders and public officials to ensure that our community is protected and safe. The CVTC will also work with the residents in a critical region within La Crescenta known as the Briggs Terrace to ensure they are prepared for a fire.

2) I agree housing is an important issue not only in Los Angeles County but throughout our entire nation. I have no issues with construction; however, when a developer comes to my community and, without realizing the identity of said community and what my community looks like, that’s what I am against. (No More Development)

I am against hi-density development in my community for a couple of reasons:

• We don’t have adequate infrastructure to carry the load of the new developments.

• I don’t want to change the criteria of my community. My community for the most part has always been a single-family home neighborhood and that’s how I’d like to keep it, and that is why people move to La Crescenta.

3) As you all know, the Crescenta Valley Town Council is an advisory body to supervisor Kathryn Barger. The council should always keep communication open with all neighboring cities to ensure the safety of our community members in case of any unfortunate event. The town council was also very active during the Sagebrush [territory transfer] hearing procedures. I personally have been involved for the last three years attending all meetings and hearings. CVTC should continue to support Glendale Unified School District to keep together as a whole.

Ted Yu: 1) The most important thing that our community needs is awareness. Fires are happening more frequently, and there are new preventive measures that will affect our community. In October 2019, California adopted 22 new laws aimed at preventing and fighting wildfires. We need to understand how some of these laws will affect our community. Rolling blackouts can affect some of the most vulnerable members of our community. We need to let our residents be aware when these blackouts can occur so they can be properly prepared for long periods of power outage. The CVTC needs to be recognized as a source of information that people can trust to guide them as we face this new threat to our community.

2) We live in California and the state currently has a housing crisis. We need to be sympathetic to our Californian neighbors. That being said, the state should put high density housing in ideal locations. La Crescenta-Montrose is not an ideal location because we do not have access to Metro lines. As a member of the CVTC, I will be wary of housing projects that will overwhelm our existing transportation infrastructure. If a new project is approved, I will make sure it has input from members of the community. CVTC is an ideal place where community leaders can come together to address their concerns so the community can make wise decisions together.   

3) La Crescenta-Montrose is a unique place because we are an unincorporated area. Many of our services are shared with other cities. For our school district, we are part of the Glendale Unified School District. Despite our partnership with other cities, it’s important for us to keep our special identity as La Crescenta-Montrose.