View

Supporters of an ordinance protecting views within the city of Glendale may consider locking the doors to keep a quorum when the City Council takes the matter up again on Tuesday. A previous meeting on the matter ended last week when the council quorum was broken by Councilman Bob Yousefian leaving the meeting. The issue came up because two council members were absent, Ara Najarian and Rafi Manoukian. Short councils have done business in the past, but the city attorney usually rules that three members must be present to make an official meeting.

GLENDALE — Homeowners in the Verdugo Woodlands area are looking to get an ordinance passed that would help keep intrusive structures and view-obstructing homes out of low-density neighborhoods in the city. Members of the Verdugo Woodlands West Homeowners Assn. are working on creating a draft resolution that would set more stringent standards for structures built in these areas, association treasurer Larry Hanson said. They plan to take it to the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council on Monday in hopes of garnering support, Hanson said.

The city of Glendale should not pass an ordinance to protect views in an ever-changing city. I understand that many homeowners, especially those with a city-lights view, would like to maintain that view; however not at the expense of needs of their neighbors. When you purchase a home, some do so based on the view. But a view is forever changing. Whether it changes because the trees grow larger, a new skyscraper is built or your neighbor puts up a two-story home, it still changes.

I really don't want Oakmont View V to be developed. If it were developed, hundreds of innocent, beautiful creatures would lose their homes. It would also ruin many people's gorgeous views of mountains that they probably paid for along with their homes. If Oakmont View V were developed, there would be a lot more pollution. If we all work together, we can save the peace and tranquility of the ever-beautiful mountains! I'm 11 years old, and I don't want any other child or me to grow up in a jungle of people, cars and big, ugly buildings.

Your recent article on the building approval process (or lack thereof) for Bob Smith Toyota is the latest in a series of articles that attack property ownership in this city in the guise of ?preserving views? (?Toyota expansion is denied,? Friday). You?ve had numerous people talk about ?saving our views? and indicate that potential projects are ?taking our views away.? People don?t own views. A view isn?t property. A property owner with a view didn?t buy it from the people who own it. If I pay more for a property because of its view, I didn?

Pride of ownership feeds on itself, and the benefits of this vested interest extend to the neighborhood and community, making that community a desirable place in which to live and work. A sense of belonging translates into a positive citizenry. Given Glendale's ever-increasing population, the city needs to provide more housing. John Gregg, president of Gregg's Artistic Homes, is willing to build a housing development on land he owns, Oakmont View V. These would be high-quality homes with a proven record in Glendale and will help alleviate some of the need that exists.

I would like to express five points in opposition to Oakmont View V. Oakmont View V would completely destroy a natural environment that is unique to a northern slope. Glendale is very limited in areas such as this. A major loss of beauty and recreational opportunities would occur. Traffic: Currently, the through streets of Oakmont IV and down can seem like San Fernando Road, with many trucks and cars, and that is before the proposed massive development!

To Mayor Manoukian: I believe this is your moment in the sun. Some politicians have tough acts to follow, but you have been blessed with an extraordinary opportunity. Gus Gomez has left his legacy, a city even more divided than before he was elected. This, as we all know, is due to how he handled certain issues. You, however, have a clean slate and can bring the public back to a more centered view of what a mayor is all about. Placed in front of you, as if the gods above have intervened on your behalf, is Iva Carrico.

Having opinions is part of being a teacher Bill Fabian, in his letter published Friday ("Reader sees columnist's opinions in his words"), states: "[Columnist Dan] Kimber's comments and activities are better suited coming from people like Michael Moore, not a public high school teacher. He should 'check in' his far-left liberal viewpoint at the door before entering the classroom." Fabian wants Kimber to teach Fabian's point of view and, by his letter, appears to think Kimber's point of view is wrong.

Wall Street's biggest credit rating agency, Standard & Poor's, has affirmed Glendale's AAA rating, citing the city's strong financial performance and management practices. The stable outlook puts Glendale's credit worthiness higher than that of the federal government, which was downgraded by the S&P in 2011 from AAA to AA+. In a statement, City Manager Scott Ochoa said the rating was "a reflection of the sound financial fundamentals adhered to by the City Council. " "Little long-term debt, sufficient cash reserves, a lean organization and a promising future of economic development opportunities afford Glendale the promise of being viewed as a premiere municipality in [Los Angeles]

Former Glendale Police Capt. Ray Edey is not one to relax, so when he had the opportunity to return to writing grant applications for the city in September 2011, about a week after he retired, he took it. "I don't golf, fish or hunt," said the 30-year employee. "I need to keep my mind busy. " In addition to more work, he also reaped more money. He took home both an annual pension of $198,386 and a self-reported salary of roughly $80,000 a year until about four months ago. Edey is one of 46 city employees who, since 2000, retired and then returned to work at City Hall, according to an analysis of records from Glendale and California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS.

A small notice in a 1916 edition of the Glendale Evening News informed readers, "Emil Kiefer, an employee at the White Store, is now working for Pulliam Undertaking Co. He intends to make this his life's work. He is a young man of great energy. He came here from Minnesota two years ago and has made many friends. " But shortly after this notice ran, Kiefer said good bye to his many friends - including a young lady we'll meet later in the story - and left town. He was in the first group of volunteers who responded to the call to fight in the Great War, as World War I was known in those days.

Back in 1924, when Alexander Nibley and his partners began planning a new development, they targeted people who were, even then, seeking to leave the increasingly crowded city for a place with more greenery and less noise and congestion. An early Nibley brochure read, "Rossmoyne is within a matter of minutes from Los Angeles, yet it might be in another world," as noted in an article "An Historic Neighborhood" included in the Rossmoyne Historic District application. The new residential development was to be on land previously owned by Erskine Mayo Ross.

Pat Mann was a loyal friend to many Glendale organizations. During the 1940s, she brought two groups together in a relationship that continues to this day. One group was the Foothill Club for the Blind, established in 1939 with support from the Glendale Lions Club. Its membership increased so rapidly that it outgrew three locations and the leadership began seeking a permanent home. By this time the local Lions had realized they couldn't support the very popular club alone. Fortunately, Lions clubs from Eagle Rock, Burbank and Griffith Park all became involved, as noted in a 1945 Glendale News-Press article.

The seven candidates competing for three seats on the Glendale Unified school board addressed district issues before dozens of people Thursday night at the La Crescenta Library in the final candidates forum of this election season. Hosted by the Crescenta Valley Community Assn., the candidates discussed how they would include students' opinions in school board plans and how Glendale Unified could better collaborate with Glendale Community College. But it was a question about what could be done to intervene with suicidal students - following public suicides at Crescenta Valley High and, most recently, La Cañada High, which is outside the district - that stirred the forum the most.

For many years, the Miss Glendale Pageant was a major event in this city. The young woman who received the crown reigned as queen of the Days of Verdugos and also served as official hostess for the City of Glendale. The contest was sponsored by the Glendale Jaycees. In 1961, with Maxwell Soss heading the committee, the contest took on a new look. Soss was assisted by Arthur Jones, Robert Peterman, Roy Otis, A. M. Christensen, Jr., Palmer "Bud" Beck and Robert Clark. They were all listed in a news clipping provided by Juliann Smith Budimir, one of the contestants, who has an album filled with newspaper articles, photos and programs from that year.

For years, Webb's department store was a fixture on Brand. But few knew the story behind Webb's. The story came to light when I interviewed Sharon Thompson about her father, Glenn Ward. Sharon's husband, Rob, sat with us and talked about Ward and when we were finished, asked if I'd like to see home movies made by his great uncle, Harry Webb, who, by the way, had founded the department store. Well, of course, I wanted to see the home movies. And, so, through the magic of old film, I met Harry S. Webb, his mother and sister and second wife and her daughter - but, I'm getting ahead of the story.

The time was 7 a.m. The year was 1994. It was a Thursday morning and many who lived on Marion Drive on Adams Hill were still in their bathrobes. Suddenly the early morning quiet was shattered as a truck roared onto the street. The residents knew why the truck and its crew were there: to take out, despite protests from residents, the old lampposts that had been installed when the area was developed. “The city planned to remove them as part of its street-widening project on Marion Drive,” resident Rebecca Rees explained in a recent interview.