Council looks at charities

CITY HALL — Just two weeks into its new session, the City Council has wasted no time in pursuing a new agenda calling for multiple reports, even as it embarks on what is anticipated to be an arduous budget study session.

Last week, newly elected Councilwoman Laura Friedman called for a report on creating a city commission to deal primarily with nonprofits, and on Tuesday she put on the agenda a discussion on using vacant parcels for community gardens.

Also during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Councilman Dave Weaver called for reports on curtailing public comment at meetings, looking into allegations of voter tampering during the April 7 election and moving the city treasurer and city clerk jobs from elected to appointed positions.

Mayor Frank Quintero said he anticipated many of these items would be revisited in the coming months.

NEW CITY COMMISSION

The idea to combine community groups, nonprofit organizations and volunteer efforts is not novel for Glendale.

“In the past, we’ve had committees that have worked with nonprofits to coordinate their efforts and schedule events, so I think it’s a good idea to explore that idea,” Quintero said.

Quintero said one option could be an informal committee of nonprofit members. Friedman, though, hopes to create a more formal commission comprising five leaders from major nonprofits. However, she anticipates that the commission’s success would engender greater investment in the city, thereby offsetting associated costs.

Be it a new commission or committee, the City Council looks to become the conduit to help service groups coordinate their efforts by offering a dedicated forum in which to gather, exchange ideas and meet on a regular basis.

“We need to really take it to heart and make it part of the city’s mission to support volunteer efforts,” Friedman said.

COMMUNITY GARDEN

The city is gearing up to discuss usage of a vacant city-owned lot on Maryland Avenue behind Pacific BMW. Although the city has owned the lot for years, Quintero said, it has only recently become disentangled from legal issues.

According to City Manager Jim Starbird, the parcel was originally purchased as a neighborhood park.

“It’s part of an overall city upgrade to the area,” Quintero said.

That upgrade includes transforming the parcel into a mini-park/community garden in order to complement an affordable housing project less than a block from the site.