One Week til Glendale Elections
- 47 minutes ago
- 4 min read
With one week to go before Glendale's local election and the state primary everything is definitely normal and good in area politics.
Lol. No. Everyone is losing their minds.
A criminal federal administration is waging a chaotic war in the Middle East (again). It is using the militarized powers of the police state to target immigrants (including children and babies) and political enemies. It is tanking the economy as inflation and cost of living explode. Tech oligarchs steal data, hoard wealth, buy influence, and try to force water-poisoning data centers on poor communities to fuel the AI bubble the world economy now balances upon. An extremist dominated Supreme Court makes special exceptions for the policy demands of a demented executive, eviscerating the Voting Rights Act. Five or 6 assholes in robes are creating a new status quo, in which the civil rights afforded women, LGBTQ+ people and people of color change with movement across state borders.
Meanwhile, in Glendale, wealthy candidates weaponize baseless boomer fears about renters, busses, apartment buildings, immigrants, and websites. Rather than any attempts to reckon with the present, they glorify a past Glendale- the one kept small and homogenous by racial covenants, redlining and the historic presence of the KKK, American Nazi Party, and German Bund. Instead of a positive vision, creative plans, or pragmatic strategizing, the majority of candidates (Balekian, Brooks, Murphy, etc.) prioritize attacking perceived enemies, spreading paranoid conspiracy theories, and making empty promises about lowering utility rates and stopping transit expansion.
A few low-lights:
After the release of images and court records showed candidate Evelina Sarian was arrested for DUI in 2023, she released a Melania-eque video statement claiming she's faced unique "attacks." Local newsletter crank Mike Mohill was quick to defend Sarian.
What will Evelina Sarian say now that numerous videos of the incident are now online, including her touting her friendship with Ardy Kassakhian and Elen Asatryan, accusing GPD of anti-Armenian racism and sexual harassment, and doing homophobia-lite with a female police officer, saying, "It's very uncomfortable. You're a woman touching me."
"Doctor Alex" Balekian appears to be spending most of his time fighting with constituents on Facebook, where he mocks them and lies about his opponents. Great campaign strategy!
Beth Brooks thinks this website is somehow a "potential threat"and claims it is under FBI investigation. She also appeared to think vaccines are similar to Auschwitz? This is the lady who says her main qualifications to be on council are that she attended a lot of meetings and knows how to read reports. Jury is out on the reading comprehension (but not on the apparent racism)!
Several candidates attended what was promoted as an event for young voters, hosted by a "first time voter." City council candidates Evelina Sarian, Carolyn Kaloostian and Gevorg Grigoryan, along with city clerk candidate Susan Wolfson and treasurer candidate David Gevorkyan joined a young man in a large suit to talk about why bus lanes are chopped or something.
In Glendale school board races: Janet Balekian seems to think she can get elected with a combination of AI generated images and by replaying the rants of GUSD school board meetings in 2023. Debbie Blute is endorsed by the far right Young Republicans and Greg Krikorian has resorted to using Mike Mohill's "newsletter" to launch attacks at a high school student. Campaign must be going great for ol' Greg to attack a teenager for practicing legal civic engagement. So weird that some young voters are acceptable to MAGA candidates and others are not!
After promoting a "Glendale Deployement" (sic) the LA County "Young" Republican chapter descended on the area for two days of "foot knocking."
The spry gang (who get very upset when you mention the many, many nazi-related scandals of the Young Republican organization) included endorsed candidates Debbie Blute and Beth Brooks (Patrick Murphy, who has been evasive on his Republican party status skipped the event-- huh!). Also present were MAGA congressional candidate Scott Myers, event organizer/GOP central committee member Lisa Cusack and LAGOP chair Roxane Beckford Hoge. What a youthful group!
Lastly, since this website has become a primary topic of discussion at local country club city council forums and in the paranoid warrens of Nextdoor groups, a few things to remember:
A website is not a "hate group." All the Nextdoor posters who wave flags and call themselves "patriots" should understand the first amendment and how it protects speech. This website documents publicly available words, actions, and records of people seeking political power. It does not "target" individuals or promote or endorse violence of any kind.
This website has no affiliation with any political candidate, elected official, or party. It was formed to share information about local agitators and political actors and the networks of money, influence, and institutional power supporting and/or amplifying their efforts. GEN does not endorse candidates, but does pay attention to the words, actions, and associations of all elected officials and candidates and focuses on those who target growth, accessibility, and inclusion of all groups within the city.
Using a red arrow is not a "Hamas symbol"- it's an icon used to identify a person in a photograph with multiple people. No one called candidates "Nazis" just noted the frequent Nazi-related scandals of an event's sponsoring organization. No attempt was made to "deter canvassing" rather community members were warned about the presence of canvassers they may wish to avoid. Finally, "MAGA" is not an attack, even if it's finally dawning on some that the branding is so toxic it hurts their electoral chances.
The amount of paranoia, projection, and rage this blog appears to provoke is revealing. In a time when actual state violence and censorship threatens vulnerable groups along with free press and independent media, it's worth asking why those at the top of the social hierarchy- wealthy, mostly white suburban homeowners-- want you to believe they are somehow victimized by light criticism based on their professed beliefs, associations, and priorities.
Once again, a critical blog is not a terrorist cell, violence is wrong, and the only thing threatening the MAGA candidates is the tide of public opinion shifting firmly against their political aspirations. Or so we can hope.
If you haven't mailed your ballot by today, bring it to a ballot drop box, early voting center or drop off at your polling place on election day, June 2nd.