City Hall
The City Council on Tuesday approved an expanded Museum of Neon Art proposal that will require the city to buy a building on Brand Boulevard.
The deal would add to the highly subsidized move that the Los Angeles-based nonprofit museum secured in September. That agreement gave MONA rights to an adjacent vacant city-owned building at 216 S. Brand Blvd. across from the Americana at Brand.
Under the proposed 15-year lease, the city would pledge up to $1 million in redevelopment funds to help renovate the vacant building. The museum would pay a phased rent starting at $0 for the first two years, eventually reaching $7,500 per month.
Community Redevelopment Director Philip Lanzafame said city officials would continue negotiations to acquire the 212 South Brand property, which includes an arcade. The city first attempted to buy it in November.
City officials said they were swayed by the museum’s proposal, setting up the possibility of eminent domain proceedings if negotiations to acquire the property fell through.
Politics
A spokesman for Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian on Tuesday denied claims that he offered Chahe Keuroghelian, a candidate for his former Assembly seat, a later endorsement in exchange for him dropping out of the race.
Keuroghelian, an Armenian-language-television host and former spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, claimed in an election forum Monday that Krekorian tried to pressure him to back out of contention for the 43rd Assembly District.
Keuroghelian’s departure from the field of four candidates would leave Krekorian’s endorsement, Glendale school board member Nayiri Nahabedian, as the lone Armenian vying for the Assembly seat.
Representatives for Krekorian and Nahabedian denied the claims.
Keuroghelian, who has failed in his three election bids for Glendale City Council, added after the forum that Krekorian offered to issue that later endorsement for another council run.
Education
Ongoing statewide protests against proposed education funding cuts continued Tuesday when scores of Glendale Community College students held their own march and budget rally.
Students and professors alike spoke of reforming the legislative budget-making process, where California is one of three states that require a two-thirds majority to pass a budget.
