By Julie BUTCHER

Early in this week’s meeting of the Glendale City Council, Councilmember Dan Brotman pulled a routine item from the consent calendar to offer further comment on plans to upgrade the Montrose Community Park parking lot.

“Replacing asphalt in the parking lot is problematic for a number of reasons; there’s potential for releasing harmful, polluting chemicals. I’m hoping we can find a way to add coating to protect from heat, a reflective material designed for maximum permeability,” Brotman urged.

City staff reported that street sweeping regulations have been relaxed for an additional month, considering the increase in the intensity of the coronavirus pandemic. Free parking is available for the first 20 minutes to facilitate curbside pick-ups and deliveries, and the city’s parking garages offer free parking for the first 90 minutes. The moratorium by Glendale Water and Power on late fees and service disconnections continues through the end of December.

Captain Robert Williams updated the council on the actions of the Glendale Police Department. In addition to enforcing mask mandates, police officers have been handing out gift cards to those found complying. Early on, two officers were designated for COVID-19 response and the department reports 2,500 hours of enforcement and education, more than 7,200 contacts since March, including 123 citations issued for social distancing and mask violations, and 94 gift cards to encourage positive behavior.

Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas provided updated numbers including a new somber milestone as Los Angeles County hit 8,000 deaths due to COVID-19. He answered questions, including a specific one from Councilmember Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian regarding outdoor in-person dining at the Americana.

Outdoor dining is currently prohibited, city officials said, and the city attorney indicated that the Americana has been contacted. “No one can eat outside in public,” Lanzas affirmed.

Initially, the council considered a resolution opposing the county’s plans to shutter outdoor in-person dining as numbers spiked but took no action as orders from the California public health department supersede local regulations.

“Another grim day,” Lanzas said, listing the numbers of cases and deaths, 7,155 cases in Glendale, 203 deaths.
Responding to concerns he has heard, Brotman insisted that Glendale “is not an outlier. It’s bad but we’re not doing worse than other places, similar to Burbank and Pasadena. It’s still not good enough and we need to do more.”

In Los Angeles County, more than 3,000 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 25% in ICU beds, and bed availability is down to 10%. In Glendale, Brotman clarified, “that means we’re now at 45 new infections per 100,000 people daily over the past 14 days. In mid-November – less than one month ago – that number was 16 per 100,000. LA’s at 65 per 100,000 and we’re just beginning to pick up Thanksgiving travel.”

“We believe the number is now one in 22 Americans is infected,” Lanzas said, urging everyone to “go about your day with the idea that everyone you come into contact has it. The best way to protect yourself is to keep doing what we’ve been saying: wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands.”
Brotman urged the public to call in to one of the city’s hotlines to report violations of novel coronavirus rules.

“The police can’t do this by themselves,” he said. The numbers are (818) 548-3301 and (818) 548-4911.
“How did this come about?” asked Mayor Vrej Agajanian who objected to the next agenda item regarding plans to build an all-inclusive playground in the northern part of Verdugo Park. “I thought we said in 2018 that we were going to add parks only in the south.”

Councilmember Ara Najarian acknowledged that he had supported the plan in the past but is “now reconsidering the benefits of passive recreation, the space to just lie on the grass.”

Brotman said that the “playground is dated but functional – I’m with you that it’s not the right time to spend $750-$800,000 for a state-of-the-art playground; we should be spending this money closer to where the impact is. That $3.4 million should be used to acquire new space or to refresh parks in south Glendale.”

Next, the council entertained presentations from firms competing to coordinate the city’s efforts to recruit a new city manager. Feedback was given from commenters calling in.

“I’m most shocked at the amount of money that you’d spend – $18,000 to $30,000 – at a time when every dollar could be spent for the citizens, to hire a company to help you hire a city manager is not an appropriate use of funds. It’s not a political position and it shouldn’t be treated like one. The most qualified person should get the job. To hear councilmembers concerned about recruiting someone who wants to come to Glendale, to choose Glendale, [interim city manager] Roubik Golanian chose Glendale years ago. Bringing someone in from the outside is as unnecessary as it is disrespectful.”

All three of the callers urged the council to hire Golanian on a permanent basis.

“If the average tenure of a city manager is six to eight years, he’s already beyond that,” one said. Another observed that it would take months to become familiar with the job and the city, longer given plans for a national search. The council approved a contract with CPH HR Consulting for a search costing $25,000 and expected to wrap up within 17 weeks.

Finally, the council held hearings on two properties, one for a proposed house to be built at 1248 Corona Drive and another considering the historical status of a house at 305 East Randolph. Further action on both properties remains pending.