Proclamation

The following is the text of the proclamation issued at the City Council meeting April 17 declaring this week in Glendale as a week of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide. Whereas, the Ottoman Empire initiated an eight-year program of terror and mass execution beginning in 1915 that resulted in the deaths of more than 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian heritage; and Whereas, we must be vigilant in our efforts to ensure that such atrocities are never again forced by one people upon another; and Whereas, through courses and symposiums offered at educational institutions nationwide, citizens are learning more about the causes and effects of the Armenian Genocide, as well as the ramification of this sad episode in history on today's society and generations of people and families of Armenian ancestry; and Whereas, this year marks the 86th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and once again we have an opportunity to recall this tragedy and rededicate ourselves to ensure that no act of such horrible magnitude will ever occur again; Now, therefore, I, Gus Gomez, Mayor of the City of Glendale proclaim April 23-29, 2001, as a week of remembrance of the 86th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and urge all citizens of Glendale to join in activities being held statewide to commemorate this solemn observance; and Be It Further Resolved, that the...

Alex Coolman CITY HALL -- It will probably go down as one of the most controversial actions taken by the City Council this year, and yet four of the five council members had no control over it. Mayor Gus Gomez signed a proclamation Tuesday ordering the American flag to be lowered to half-staff on April 24 to recognize the Armenian Genocide. That stroke of the pen -- and not a vote by the full council -- was all that was necessary to put the proclamation into effect.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE CITY HALL -- The Glendale City Council issued a proclamation Tuesday designating March as Cesar Chavez Month. The proclamation precedes a commemorative event planned by the city's Cesar Chavez Committee for Saturday. The free event, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., will include speaker Lionel Maldonado of Cal State L.A. and the Baile Folklorico Dancers. Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers union, died in 1993.

I am pleased to note Mayor Gus Gomez's proclamation proclaiming Dec. 7, 2001, as Pearl Harbor Day in our city. I was also honored to be present when this proclamation was issued and presented to the citizens and veterans of Glendale. I ask all in Glendale to remember the infamous events of Dec. 7, 1941, and the sacrifices that U.S. service men and women continually make for all Americans. Pearl Harbor Day is the foundation of a significant American event that focuses on ultimate victory against initial bad odds, on death not in vain, but of sacrifice and honor.

The City Council has designated September as the "City of Glendale Employees' Charitable Giving Month." The proclamation is designed to encourage city employees to donate funds to different charities through the avenues offered throughout Glendale. The city offers employees the chance to provide charity through the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which helps to fund more than 220 health and human services agencies, including 14 in Glendale. In addition, employees were encouraged to donate funds through the Glendale Community Foundation, an endowment fund that has contributed to more than 100 local agencies over the past 46 years.

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- Some city streets are sporting stars and stripes in honor of flag week, which begins Sunday. The city on Friday put up American flags in preexisting brackets on posts along Central Avenue and Broadway in honor of flag week. The week, which was noted Tuesday in a proclamation by Mayor Gus Gomez, runs from Sunday through June 16. The proclamation also recognized June 14 as Flag Day. Flags were installed Friday because city staff would not be available to put them up Sunday.

The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors on Tuesday saluted Montrose?s Vito Cannella for his efforts 42 years ago in helping to create National Flag Week. Cannella, a former barber and Montrose postmaster, worked with the late Bill Bailey to set up the week-long celebration in 1966. With the help of Congressman H. Allen Smith, the celebration was ordered by a proclamation signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Flag Day on June 14 commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

Ryan Carter A presidential proclamation announcing Flag Week and what it means are on the White House Web site, but when 1,500 small American flags are handed out Sunday on Honolulu Avenue, that will mean a lot more to Vito Cannella, a Montrose barber. The Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, the Montrose Shopping Park Assn., the local Savon Drugs, Andy's Transfer Co. and Sardo's Interior Services pitched in to buy the flags. It was the first time merchants came together to buy flags to support Cannella's 36-year effort to drum up more publicity for Flag Week, which is next week and includes Flag Day on June 14. "It's important, because the original Flag Week proclamation was gained by people from Montrose," Cannella said.

The City Council meeting of April 17, in which a proclamation was issued authorizing the lowering the flag of the United States to half-staff on April 24 in recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, was a dark day for the citizens of Glendale -- both Armenian and non-Armenian. For the Armenians, ethnic tension and resentment against them will most likely increase. For the non-Armenians, the flag at half-staff will remind them of how arrogantly their concerns were dismissed.

Every time I have read about a vote of the City Council, I have agreed with the way Councilman (now Mayor) Gus Gomez voted. I feel fortunate to have him represent me on the City Council. I was born in Glendale and went to John Muir, Roosevelt and Glendale High. I have not served in the military, but both my parents were very active throughout my childhood at Highland Park Post 206 of the American Legion. My father served as commander and my mother served as president of its auxiliary.

A local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a talk on how it changed history presented by Christopher Jimenez y West, an instructor at Pasadena City College. The Martin Severance Chapter, which has members from Glendale, Pasadena and surrounding communities, met on Jan. 5 at the Pasadena home of Mary Ellen Mohler. Jimenez y West told members that in the latter part of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln formulated the Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery, and it eventually paved the way for the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

This is in response to Nat Read?s nonsensical comments and diatribe (?710 tunnel would benefit Glendale,? June 6). To suggest that the proposed 710 tunnel would reduce traffic on the 2, 5 and 134 freeways (how did he forget to mention the 210?) is highly insulting to the average person?s intelligence. The 710 tunnel would be a nightmare and definitely have a significant negative impact on residents in Glendale, La Crescenta, La Cañada and South Pasadena. Read, as the chairman of the 710 Coalition, is ad infinitum spinning his propaganda.

710 tunnel letter was an intellectual insult This is in response to Nat Read?s nonsensical comments and diatribe (?710 tunnel would benefit Glendale,? June 6). To suggest that the proposed 710 tunnel would reduce traffic on the 2, 5 and 134 freeways (how did he forget to mention the 210?) is highly insulting to the average person?s intelligence. The 710 tunnel would be a nightmare and definitely have a significant negative impact on residents in Glendale, La Crescenta, La Cañada and South Pasadena.

The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors on Tuesday saluted Montrose?s Vito Cannella for his efforts 42 years ago in helping to create National Flag Week. Cannella, a former barber and Montrose postmaster, worked with the late Bill Bailey to set up the week-long celebration in 1966. With the help of Congressman H. Allen Smith, the celebration was ordered by a proclamation signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Flag Day on June 14 commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In a late-morning ceremony packed with historical tidbits and abundant civic pride, 95-year-old Montrose on Sunday was officially proclaimed Glendale’s official Old Town. The Sixth Annual Montrose Founder’s Day, held in conjunction with the popular Harvest Market, was the vehicle for the event attended by more than 100 people, including city dignitaries, Montrose Shopping Park Assn. officials and individuals receiving awards for their efforts on behalf of the community.

The last vote counting for the Glendale city primary election will take place today, April 13, with an outcome that may change who ends up taking seats on the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees and the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education. Some 2,000 provisional votes will be counted by the city clerk's office. Provisionals are votes cast at the polling place if questions of eligibility come up. Whatever results from the number of new votes, the count could definitely affect the contest for Board of Education, where candidate Nayiri Nahabedian beat fellow contender Todd Hunt by a mere 29 votes.

Glendale Unified School District celebrated Yellow Ribbon Week, designated to focus on anti-violence in schools, despite the fact that it is no longer proclaimed by the state of California in official recognition. GUSD named the week of Jan. 17 through 20 Yellow Ribbon Week. Yellow Ribbon Week began in the late 1990s. It was scheduled to follow Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Until his defeat in 2003, former Gov. Gray Davis recognized the week with a proclamation. "Somewhere when the change occurred the proclamation did not come out," said Betty Barnes of GUSD's student support services.

Gary Moskowitz There's a story behind the weathered, slightly torn American flag that hangs outside Vito Cannella's Montrose barbershop. For those who know Cannella, he's a local legend who helped a Montrose businessman named Bill Bailey collect enough signatures in 1966 to get a national resolution passed recognizing the week of June 14 as Flag Week. For those who might not know Cannella's history, he's the witty, opinionated barber who can carry on full conversations while still giving a clean, precise haircut.