Elen Asatryan says Glendale needs revenue, not cuts, as housing and safety pressures grow
In an Inclusive Voices Media interview, Asatryan said Glendale should place new housing where infrastructure can support it, protect public safety funding and expand revenue-producing projects
Elen Asatryan says Glendale cannot cut its way into a stronger future.
In an interview conducted by Inclusive Voices Media’s Silva Harapetian, the Glendale City Council member and former mayor said the city needs to protect core services, generate new revenue and push back where it can against state housing mandates that she called “heavy handed.”
Asatryan said she shares residents’ concerns about growth, traffic, neighborhood character and infrastructure.
“I share the same concerns as our residents,” Asatryan said. “You have seen that time and again when these items have come up on the dais.”
Asatryan is running for another term on the Glendale City Council. Her campaign biography describes her as a councilwoman, former mayor, human and civil rights advocate, community organizer and businesswoman. She has focused much of her public work on civic engagement, women and girls, public safety, immigrant communities, parks, youth programs and stronger communication between City Hall and residents.
In the interview, Asatryan said Glendale cannot simply stop state housing mandates. But she said the city can work with other cities and state lawmakers to seek changes.
“We can’t stop the mandates,” Asatryan said. “We can group with other cities to be able to advocate for amendments to some of these very heavy handed mandates that are coming down from Sacramento.”
Asatryan said Glendale now faces a requirement for about 13,000 new housing units. She called that number “absolutely bonkers.”
But she said the real question is where that housing goes.
“It’s really important for us to look at the land that we have in the city of Glendale,” Asatryan said.
She pointed to the San Fernando Corridor as one area where the city can look for housing opportunities. She said housing should go in places where infrastructure can support it, rather than forcing all growth into downtown or pushing density into single-family neighborhoods.
“One of the things that I championed during my tenure was looking at the San Fernando Corridor,” Asatryan said.
Asatryan said she remains proud of Glendale’s record on affordable housing. But she said new housing brings real costs that the state does not always address.
She said the city must pay for police officers, dispatchers, roadwork, utilities and traffic needs when thousands of new residents move in.
“I have grave concerns about how we fund the rest of the things that come with added housing,” Asatryan said. “That includes our public safety, that includes our infrastructure, that includes our power grid.”
She pointed to a Central Avenue project as an example. Asatryan said the council opposed the project, but state rules limited the city’s ability to shape or reject it.
“We as a council voted against it, knowing that we couldn’t,” Asatryan said. “We were basically a rubber stamp for Sacramento.”
She said the frustration came from having a project before the council without the power to demand community-serving changes.
“Why is it in front of me if I can’t vote no?” Asatryan said.
Asatryan said she wanted the ability to require features such as green space or a grocery store on the ground floor, so residents could meet daily needs without getting into a car.
“It’s not that I don’t want the housing,” she said. “But if we can’t dictate what that project looks like at the heart of our city,” the city loses one of its most important planning tools.
On the budget, Asatryan said she voted against last year’s budget because she does not believe cuts and taxes should serve as the first response to budget pressure.
“I was the only council member that voted against the budget last year,” Asatryan said. “Because I think cuts and adding taxes are the lazy way of budgeting.”
Asatryan said she has brought forward at least 10 to 12 revenue-generating ideas during her time on the council. She said those ideas have not moved quickly enough.
She pointed to a public-private partnership for electric vehicle chargers as one example. She also said she met with the president of the California Bears about a possible ice hockey and ice skating facility in Glendale.
Asatryan said a similar facility in Pasadena generates about $1.5 million for that city.
“They were looking at doing two sheets,” Asatryan said. “It’s been sitting there for two years without it being brought to a vote.”
She said Glendale needs to move faster on projects that can bring in money without cutting services or adding taxes.
“I believe in revenue generation,” Asatryan said. “I believe in being creative in how we generate revenue.”
Asatryan said she would not support cuts to public safety, permitting or communication with residents.
“I am not willing to make cuts to public safety,” Asatryan said. “I’m not willing to make cuts to anything that impacts permitting. I’m not interested in anything that impacts communication to residents.”
She also said Glendale invests nothing in programming specifically for women and girls within a $1.27 billion budget. She called that unacceptable.
“We also make $0 investments in women and girls programming in a $1.27 billion budget,” Asatryan said. “That is insane to me.”
Asatryan connected that concern directly to public safety. She said Glendale police received more than 635 domestic violence calls last year.
“That is 635 too many calls,” Asatryan said.
She said the city can continue to send officers to respond after violence happens, or it can invest in resources that help families leave dangerous situations earlier.
“This is not a women and girls issue,” Asatryan said. “This is a public safety issue that has generational impact.”
Asatryan said she also wants to protect parks, arts, green spaces and libraries because they shape daily life in Glendale.
“Those are the things that people love about Glendale,” she said.
She also defended festivals and community events, saying they bring people together and help local businesses.
“It’s not just great for the soul,” Asatryan said. “It brings community together, but it also an indirect source of revenue for the city.”
She said visitors who come to Glendale for family-friendly events also spend money at coffee shops, restaurants and stores.
Transportation came next.
Asatryan said she has pushed for better public transportation and a review of current transit routes and schedules. She said Glendale must improve mobility for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and businesses while recognizing that street design affects safety.
“Public transportation is something that I’ve been pushing for for the last three and a half years,” Asatryan said.
She said Glendale has a strong public safety record overall, but a serious traffic and pedestrian safety problem.
“We’re one of the safest cities in the nation, and that doesn’t happen by accident,” Asatryan said. “We’re also one of the worst cities when it comes to pedestrian and traffic safety.”
She said Glendale needs to look at how it engineers streets, times signals and designs crosswalks.
“How we engineer our streets moving forward is going to be really important,” Asatryan said.
She also said education plays a role, along with smaller changes such as traffic signals and crosswalk lighting.
Asatryan closed the interview by directing voters to her social media accounts and campaign website, ElectElen.com. She said she hopes to earn voters’ support again.
“I hope to earn your vote and your support again,” Asatryan said.
Candidate profile
Elen Asatryan
Race: Glendale City Council.
Current role: Glendale City Council member and former mayor.
Background: Asatryan’s campaign biography describes her as a human and civil rights advocate, community organizer and businesswoman. Her public service work has focused on civic engagement, women and girls, youth programs, public safety, parks, immigrant communities and resident communication.
Key campaign themes: Revenue generation, affordable housing, public safety, women and girls programming, domestic violence prevention, parks, arts, libraries, community events, improved public transportation and safer streets.
Campaign website: ElectElen.com.
Interviewed by: Silva Harapetian, Inclusive Voices Media.
Inclusive Voices Media candidate interview protocol
Inclusive Voices Media has interviewed all but one of the Glendale City Council candidates.
In the interest of fairness and equal treatment, Inclusive Voices Media followed the same protocol for every interview.
All candidates were invited and given the opportunity to select a time slot on the same interview day.
Each interview was limited to 10 minutes.
All interviews were conducted live-to-tape. That means they were recorded continuously without stopping, editing, retakes or do-overs.
Each candidate was asked the same questions. No candidate received the questions in advance.
The interviews air in alphabetical order.
Inclusive Voices Media says its goal is to provide voters with a fair, transparent and consistent platform so they can hear directly from the candidates and make an informed decision at the ballot box.
All candidates were reached and given the same opportunity. All but one candidate participated.