Glendale politics

[Sharon W]

Two good results from yesterday's election: Measure O (increase in the hotel bed tax) passed so Glendale will have more general fund money to help libraries, parks and other services and Dave Weaver is no longer on the council. It wasn't Erik Yesayan who knocked Dave out of office and time will tell how Vartan Gharpetian works with the rest of the council.

Dave was the most vocal last night about getting rid of the diagonal crosswalk at Ocean View and Honolulu, which the council unanimously voted to remove. Although city manager Scott Ochoa said it would take 45 to 60 days to remove - due to getting the signals reprogrammed. I was the only speaker against removal but I read Bill's comments too since he stayed home to harvest rain water.

Both Measure E to amend the city charter to allow the GUSD school board to be elected by district and Measure D to amend the charter to allow districts for city council failed. It will be interesting how the bodies react to voters not wanting districts and the threat of lawsuits to compel them.

[Oss Rae]

I used to go to Glendale's central library regularly because they had such good inventory. I imagine that's still the case.

[Sharon W]

I think the inventory is still good plus Glendale and Pasadena have an agreement so you can get books from either system sent to the other.

[Oss Rae]

That's right. I used to get interlibrary loans through them. My Glendale-Pasadena card may even still be good.

I'm glad public libraries aren't suffering major cuts as we saw in the '90s. I've come to rely on them. There are too many books in my house, and I only shop through Amazon as a last resort. We use too much paper anyway.

[Roberta]

It is very rare that a book I want to read isn't in the Glendale or Pasadena library system, and the request system is very efficient and so simple that even I can manage it: catalog.glendalepubliclibrary.org .

Though I didn't speak, I was there to provide moral support, and did a lot of head-nodding while Sharon was asking City Council to leave the diagonal crosswalk there for its full test period. My favorite part was Sharon and I sitting in friendly Montrose solidarity with Steve Pierce, even though he was there to support removing the crosswalk .... for now? He said cryptically to me, "There will be a diagonal crosswalk there eventually." Go figure.

I will be with you in spirit this evening while I will be leaving mid-afternoon to rendevous with westside friends, then catch our Lizzie's latest performance at CSULB. The thought of hitting the freeway after 5:30pm on a Friday seemed just too grim.