Politics

I read with amusement the comments of John LoCascio regarding the Mission-style building at 230 South Orange St. (“History may trip up Nordstrom plan,” March 28). He says, as president of the Glendale Historical Society, he wants to preserve this building. It is interesting that when he was asked, in the recent past, by the Mountain/Bellhurst Zoning Committee to become involved in the preservation of a quality 1923 Spanish Colonial Revival home on North Carmen, he displayed no interest at all. It appears that it is only when LoCascio can get his name in the paper is he interested.

That thousands of people would clamor to get onto a waiting list for affordable housing that already has thousands of names on it is a testament to the crushing demand that this and other cities will face for years to come. This week, 3,848 applicants took part in a lottery to get one of just 1,200 spots on the waiting list for Casa De La Paloma, an affordable senior housing complex on Kenwood Street. As Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators continue to press for the elimination of local redevelopment agencies to redirect their tax revenues to cash-starved Sacramento, cities like Glendale will lose a key tool for building affordable housing projects.

I find it ironic that letter-writer Roberta Medford is upset to see Mike Mohill's posters flourish up and down Honolulu Avenue and elsewhere (“ Not a fan of what Mohill stands for ,” Mailbag, Feb. 13). She states that businesses should not express their politics and that shopkeepers risk turning customers away with partisanship. Where was Medford when former councilman John Drayman, the unofficial mayor of Montrose, ran for office and had posters all over town? Did she object then?

Words are important. We can have discussions about politics, policies and ideas and forget the role that words play in shaping how we feel about an issue. It seems, on its face, an obvious thing, but when news agencies dictate the terminology of debate, it's more insidious than Orwell's "1984. " It's more dangerous because most of us take it for granted. Recent revelations from News Corp. that it uses "Government Option" to describe a component of health-care reform as opposed to the term "Public Option" reveals that the company wants to shape the debate by tapping into the inherent mistrust some people have in those we elect.

The USC Trojan Guild of Los Angeles welcomed Glendale resident Richard H. Dekmejian, professor of political science and director of the Institute of Armenian Studies at USC, as its guest speaker at the first fall meeting on Oct. 4 in the Davidson Conference Center. Dekmejian is considered an expert in Middle Eastern politics, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Islamic civilization, terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, oil politics, international human relations and religious terrorism. His recent books include “Islam in Revolution” and “The Just Prince: A Manual of Leadership.” Dekmejian's presentation focused on current Middle Eastern issues, which was an appropriate topic, said member Christin Bey Moses, because the meeting was held just before the national election and because it parallels the guild's theme for the year - “USC's Global Reach.” The Trojan Guild has been an active women's philanthropic support group at USC since 1960.

The way that Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and the cabalists of the San Gabriel Valley cities treated Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian over his Metropolitan Transportation Authority board appointment because he opposes the 710 Freeway tunnel project is symptomatic of a dangerous trend in our political culture. We are seeing this kind of political thuggery in the name of righteousness in Washington, in Sacramento and in Los Angeles, where widely respected former Mayor Richard Riordan recently was humiliated publicly by the pipsqueak City Council President Herb Wesson for having the temerity to suggest real pension reform is needed to avoid bankruptcy.

Editor's Note: Numerous instances of plagiarism have been discovered in Dan Kimber's “Education Matters” column, which ran in the News- Press from September 2003 to September 2011. In those columns where plagiarism has been found, a For the Record specifying the details will be appended to the piece. The founders of this great nation had the foresight to separate government and religion, reasoning that the one has no business mixing with the other. The wisdom of that separation, despite periodic efforts to establish a state religion, has been demonstrated throughout our country's history.

Alex Coolman NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Religion and politics aren't always the most harmonious mix, but at the 38th annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, they snuggled together like the sausage links served in the buffet line. Maybe that was because the crowd of those who managed to assemble in the Glendale Civic Auditorium at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday included a healthy selection of City Council candidates. Among those in attendance were Larry Miller, Steve Ropfogel, Tony Tartaglia, Hamo Rostamian, Pam Ellis, Allen Brandstater and -- of course -- Mayor Dave Weaver.

What a farce! Kim Kardashian as mayor of Glendale! Isn't the country in enough trouble without the Kardashians getting into politics? She doesn't even know that Glendale doesn't elect its mayor! God help us! Francis Adams Glendale

Alecia Foster NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Armen Boyajian waited until the last minute to put together his speech on the influence of money on politics. "I wrote this in about two hours last night," he said. The Crescenta Valley High School student wanted to be able to put in the latest facts and figures into his speech to make it more effective and relevant. On Wednesday afternoon, Armen's speech won him the Glendale Host Lions Club's Student Speakers contest.

Glendale Unified school board candidates are a very polite bunch. I am convinced, in fact, that our local education race might be the last bastion of civilized discourse in American politics. Two months of campaigning has seen a string of cordial forums during which candidates carefully adhered to time limits and largely avoided voicing criticism. Tension over the prized Glendale Teachers Assn. endorsement - this year it belongs to second-time candidate Jennifer Freemon, but in the past had been touted by incumbents Christine Walters and others - has remained mostly muted.

Zareh Sinanyan - the City Council candidate at the center of this election season's biggest controversy so far - has also amassed the largest campaign war chest, with $70,065 on hand, according to the most recent financial disclosure filings. “The money is just flowing in,” Sinanyan said. “People are overwhelmingly supporting me.” Contributions for the April 2 election continued despite a request by some council members earlier this month to remove Sinanyan from his city commission seat because of vulgar and threatening comments that were posted under his name on YouTube and other websites.

Before P.J. Gaynard goes to the voting booth, he admits that he typically doesn't know much about local politicians. But the 37-year-old Glendale resident is glued to Twitter and Facebook, and that's where he found Glendale City Council candidate Roland Kedikian. That connection meant one more person watched Kedikian's nearly three-minute campaign video and left this post: “I think it really says something about how you feel about reaching people in 2013!” Elections experts agree social media is an ideal tool for reaching voters.

I find it ironic that letter-writer Roberta Medford is upset to see Mike Mohill's posters flourish up and down Honolulu Avenue and elsewhere (“ Not a fan of what Mohill stands for ,” Mailbag, Feb. 13). She states that businesses should not express their politics and that shopkeepers risk turning customers away with partisanship. Where was Medford when former councilman John Drayman, the unofficial mayor of Montrose, ran for office and had posters all over town? Did she object then?

A political newcomer who's running for Glendale Unified school board has raised the most money in the race, according to the most recent campaign filings. A dentist by trade, Armina Gharpetian reported raising $12,250. Of that amount, $1,155 came in the form of nonmonetary contributions and $2,500 consisted of a self-made loan. The majority of Gharpetian's contributions came from 17 supporters, 10 of whom donated $500 to $1,000 to her campaign. The total listed in her most recent financial disclosure forms for the period ending Feb. 21 put her far above the six other candidates in the race in terms of amassing campaign funds.

"Neighborhood Services Administrator" - it's a job City Council candidate Sam Engel has been out of for nearly six months, but that's how he's describing himself on the April ballot. Doing so is by the book. Candidates get only three words to describe themselves after their names appear on the ballot. And state law governing ballot titles allows candidates to use a title they have held within the last calendar year. “That's how I'm known in the community,” Engel said. “We thought about using 'retired city administrator' or 'retired neighborhood administrator,' but in the end decided that those were not real accurate.

The transportation future of this region rests, in no small measure, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. And that body's board is about to change. In part, that is because Los Angeles will be getting a new mayor. That mayor will sit on the MTA board and appoint three other members, giving him or her a sizable voice in directing money and identifying projects, from subways to freeways. Indeed, outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may be best remembered for his contributions to the area's transportation network and innovative attempts to pay for it. But even as the mayor's race plays out in full public view, a behind-the-scenes political fight is being waged that could bring further change to the MTA board.

Glendale got introduced to a whole a new meaning for "knock knock" in 2012, and became the focus of international media coverage after becoming the object of desire for two television stars - Kim Kardashian and a black bear with a taste for residential trash. Hardship struck at City Hall and other local agencies. And tragedy hit Glendale Unified. The year 2012 was all over the map. So lest we forget, here's a look back at some of the bigger stories of the past year. No longer third The city of Glendale - long-known as the third most populous city in Los Angeles County - lost that rank to Santa Clarita following that city's annexation of several unincorporated communities.

The way that Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and the cabalists of the San Gabriel Valley cities treated Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian over his Metropolitan Transportation Authority board appointment because he opposes the 710 Freeway tunnel project is symptomatic of a dangerous trend in our political culture. We are seeing this kind of political thuggery in the name of righteousness in Washington, in Sacramento and in Los Angeles, where widely respected former Mayor Richard Riordan recently was humiliated publicly by the pipsqueak City Council President Herb Wesson for having the temerity to suggest real pension reform is needed to avoid bankruptcy.

Glendale Unified school board members are 0-2 in consecutive 43rd Assembly District races. Local businessman and Republican candidate Greg Krikorian last week resumed his seat on the dais at district headquarters after conceding to Democratic incumbent Mike Gatto. “I really want to thank everyone [who was there] along the way,” Krikorian said at a board meeting the day after the election. “I met so many new voters, new friends.” Perhaps he will find Nayiri Nahabedian an empathetic colleague.