Interests

Now that the midterm elections are behind us, I want to thank my constituents for the continued opportunity to serve. I first ran for office because I wanted to ensure that the country we pass on to our children is even better and stronger than the one we inherited. As the father of two young children, it is still what motivates me. But that intergenerational compact is at risk. I understand how deeply people are hurting in this poor economy, as well as how many others are worried about our country's future.

Regarding all the news about the campaign for the United States to recognize the 89-year-old Armenian Genocide, it isn't going to happen. The realistic fact is that Turkey is a most important and valuable ally of the U.S. in the troubled Middle East since the formation of NATO, and furnishes us with vital military assistance in that part of the world. The U.S. maintains a major air base in Turkey, a factor in the 1990s war in former Yugoslavia, as well as in our military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.

GLENDALE — Burbank Unified School District Board member Paul Krekorian won termed-out Majority Leader Dario Frommer's 43rd State Assembly District seat Tuesday night, with 62.9% of the vote. At his victory party at the Minx restaurant in Glendale Tuesday night, Krekorian expressed his objective of representing the interests of all facets of the district. "This is a district with great diversity in every respect — ethnically, in terms of income, geographically and so on — but I think that the people of this district have common interests," he said.

If it wasn't so laughably absurd, one might actually wheeze up a chuckle at the Greggs' protestations that they really care for the environment and the best interests of the citizenry. Unfortunately, their definition of environmental preservation most likely features a 12-point buck deer head mounted over their fireplace, and our best interests a funnel into their already bulging bank accounts. The Gregg Company is merely a microcosm of Enron. A powerful manipulator of public policy that dwells on short-term greed at the expense of a responsible vision toward the future, regardless of the human and environmental toll.

City should support Alex upgrade Absolutely the city should allocate the funds for improving the sound system at the Alex Theatre. In the Alex, we have a treasure that other cities would give their eye teeth to have. Let's invest what is necessary to keep it an attractive and competitive venue in our city. HERBERT R MILLER Glendale Letter in defense of Starr misses point In his March 16 letter ("Starr vote was in best interests of event," mailbag), Gary Cornell misses the point.

Degnan Inducted to Phi Beta Kappa The University of California at Santa Barbara has inducted La Crescenta resident Natalie Susan Degnan as one of 135 seniors to the California Lambda Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest honorary society in the country. Its purpose is to honor high achievement in the liberal arts and sciences and to recognize and encourage scholarship, friendship and cultural interests. Pascual Receives MBA in Wisconsin Emmanuel Hernandez Pascual, a Glendale resident, received his master's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on May 13.  

I am not sure how the News-Press identifies who or what may be the 103 most significant people/events for Glendale. However, having read the article, it became apparent that little if any research was done. The top 103 included people who have little if any impact on Glendale, or who have not been around or done anything significant for months, e.g., the staff of Joel Wachs, La Canada City Council, fences, etc. You completely ignored many significant people such as Michael Antonovich, the Mayor of Los Angeles County (Board of Supervisors)

June W. Dougherty, long time La Cañada Flintridge resident died Thursday, January 6 of natural causes.  She was 90.  Born August 5, 1920 in Los Angeles, June’s family moved to Arcadia in 1932 where she attended Monrovia Arcadia Duarte High School.  In 1942 she received a BA in Home Economics from UCLA and in that same year married James Dougherty.  Together they raised three children.  In 1956 the family moved to La Cañada Flintridge.  June had many interests including politics, art, weaving and history and was active in Pasadena’s League of Women Voters, Descanso Gardens and the Lanterman House.

Why does Adam Schiff refuse to talk about issues important to people, like affordable health care? Does he have nothing to say? Maybe he is too nervous about people realizing that his campaign is in the pocket of special interest lawyers. It seems obvious from what I have seen so far that Schiff would rather litigate not medicate. Doesn't Schiff get it? It takes more to have a position on health care than showing up and kissing babies, he actually has to answer questions on this important issue.

Burbank police say they have identified a person of interest in their invesitgation into who threw a brick through the window of Councilman David Gordon's optometry business. Police officials are working with the city attorney's office to determine a possible misdemeanor charge of vandalism for the person who allegedly threw the brick on March 16 in the 800 block of Hollywood Way, Sgt. Darin Ryburn said today. Police would not release any details about the identity of the person, citing the ongoing investigation.

The public response to Kim Kardashian's announcement that she is interested in filling the top leadership role in the city has been largely negative. Users on Twitter expressed disdain for the TV celebrity and some criticized her for not being intelligent enough to become mayor. What do you think of Kardashian's comment? RELATED: Kim Kardashian: 'I'm going to run for the mayor of Glendale' Kim Kardashian wants to be mayor... Of Glendale?

The dwindling number of houses up for sale is still impacting the local real estate market as the number of condominiums on the market plummeted by 70% last month compared to March 2011, according to the latest figures. There were only 50 condos for sale last month, a sharp drop from 166 in March 2011, according to statistics compiled by Realtor Keith Sorem with Keller Williams of Glendale. Single-family homes fared a little better. There were 134 homes on the market last month, a 44.5% decline from 241 the same period last year.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is facing six opponents to represent the redrawn 28th Congressional District, but they will have to overcome incredible odds and funding disadvantages to mount a serious challenge to the long-time congressman. Schiff raised $725,559 in 2011, bringing his total campaign cash on hand to more than $2.1 million, according to the Federal Election Commission. He's also led several high-visibility initiatives in the past several months, such as working to stop proposed funding cuts to Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars program and pushing the U.S. Forest Service to reinstitute night flights when battling wild fires.

Don't kid yourself, people will kill, or risk being killed, for just about anything of value. They'll take that risk for money, for land, for gold, for diamonds - even for water. Water, more than anything in our desert climate in Southern California, has long been at the heart of bloody fights, from the earliest days of settlement to “Chinatown” and the rape of the Owens Valley until today, when the water wars are only figuratively bloody. But a lot of people still get hurt.

China's Solar Valley - a green tech version of California's Silicon Valley - wants to cozy up to Glendale. Government officials there are interested in sending staffers to work at Glendale City Hall for a year to see how planning is done here, Mayor Laura Friedman said this week as she described her visit to China during a City Council meeting. A businessman who developed much of the clean-tech metropolis is also eyeing Glendale for a possible 8.5-acre manufacturing site, she said.

Glendale's investment portfolio ended the second fiscal quarter at $396 million, down $2 million from the end of the previous quarter, according to the latest report. The portfolio's slip is driven by historically low interest rates, which have factored heavily into the investment portfolio's downward slide. “It is remarkable that after three years of historically low interest rates, rates have yet to improve, and it's even more remarkable that these rates continue to fall,” City Treasurer Ron Borucki told the City Council on Tuesday.

Glendale City Council members on Tuesday voted to raise the financial threshold for recusing themselves from voting on contracts that involve political donors, a move officials said would make the conflict of interest rules more in line with existing policies at City Hall. Under the new rules, City Council members will be required to recuse themselves from voting on contracts involving developers, subcontractors, investors or high-level employees who have donated to political campaigns if the contract is worth $50,000 or more.

Some typos make you look bad. But some of the typos that make you look bad put you in such good company that, in the end, you don't look so bad after all. Take, for example, a Twitter post (or “tweet” as we technonarcissists call them) written a few months ago by an AMC network staffer offering a “sneak peak” at an episode of the show “Breaking Bad.” “Breaking Bad” is a smart show that, I can only presume, has smart viewers. So a “sneak peak” instead of “peek” in promotional copy is more likely to get noticed than a similar typo on, say, a “Work' It” promo or tattooed on Charlie Sheen's forehead.

Well, now that the floats are dismantled, the decorations are stored and we are beyond the gluttony of the holidays, it's time to turn our attention back to matters of civic interest. Let's start with Assembly Bill 1x 26, better known as the demise of local redevelopment agencies. In theory, getting rid of redevelopment agencies is supposed to save the state nearly $2 billion in the next fiscal year. And if Gov. Jerry Brown is true to his word, some of that money will go to schools, law enforcement and fire departments around the state.