u/After_then_5438

“Public records indicate Sarian was arrested in connection with a DUI-related incident in March 2023 that was later resolved as a “wet reckless” offense. In California, a “wet reckless” is commonly understood to involve alcohol-related reckless driving and is frequently negotiated from an original DUI allegation. Whether the matter was reduced or resolved through a plea agreement is not the only issue before voters. The real issue is credibility.”
…
“A Miami Herald investigation into a Florida healthcare dispute reported that [Evelina] Sarian was identified in litigation involving internal conflicts over hospital financial accounts connected to Healthcare Systems of America and her ousted CEO husband, Michael Sarian. 
According to Miami Herald’s reporting, her name surfaced in connection with an attempted takeover of hospital banking accounts during an intense struggle over control of corporate assets.

To be clear, Sarian has not been accused of criminal conduct in that reporting. But public office requires more than simply avoiding criminal charges. It requires transparency, ethical judgment, and the confidence of the community.

When voters see a candidate connected to alcohol-related arrests as a motorist and campaign positions that conflict with that record as well as litigation tied to takeovers of corporate bank accounts, they are justified in asking serious questions about a candidate’s fitness for office.”

The City of Los Angeles just published a new resource for renters. Should Glendale do the same?

From the site:
The Top 100 Problem Rental Properties Dashboard is a public data tool that highlights the 100 rental properties with the highest number of reported Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance (JCO) violation cases.

It shows the total violation cases linked to each property including ownership information for the top 100 violators. The dashboard is designed to support tenants, advocates, and public officials in identifying buildings with repeated documented problems and pushing for stronger enforcement, repairs, and accountability. Our office believes that all Angelenos deserve safe, stable, and dignified housing.

METHODOLOGY
We used public LAHD data sets to identify the top 100 rental properties in Los Angeles with the most housing violation cases. Building code violations were included for additional context.

The addresses provided are directly from LAHD data, which uses an Assessor Parcel Number (APN) to tie violations to an address. In some cases, these addresses may be different from a property's mailing address or main entrance. An APN can contain many addresses, but the main address tied to the APN and violations are the ones used. We're working to add a second address to reflect the impacted rental property.

DATA SOURCES
We began with public data from the Los Angeles Housing Department. This data includes RSO/JCO violation cases and building code violation citations tied to rental properties across the city from 12/2013 through 11/2025. We used this information to identify buildings with the most documented problems and to understand how often the same properties appeared in enforcement data over time.

The raw data sets are publicly available here: - Housing Violations - Code Violations
The addresses provided are directly from the city's data. In some cases, these addresses may be different than a property's mailing address or main entrance.

PROPERTY MATCHING
We then matched each property to its address and ownership using public city and county records, including ZIMAS and the Los Angeles County Assessor. When ownership was listed under an LLC, we traced the entity back to the human owner whenever possible so the people behind the property would be visible too.

OWNERSHIP RESEARCH
Many landlords in Los Angeles do not hold property in their own names. Instead, they use LLCs or other business entities, which can make it harder for tenants and the public to hold bad landlords accountable. When ownership was listed under an LLC, we reviewed public records to trace that entity back to the human owner whenever possible.

NOTE: We included all complaints and violations documented by LAHD.
Cases/Cited: Indicates all submitted complaints, regardless of whether they have been verified.
Cleared: Indicates when a case was either resolved or dismissed.

With outgoing council member Ara Najarian soon to no longer to represent Glendale on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, the city will need to select a new representative.

Out of all the boards and commissions Glendale participates in, the LA Metro board is arguably the most important seat at the table. Decisions made there directly impact transit funding, freeway projects, bus and rail expansion, housing policy, active transportation, and Glendale’s influence within LA County.

So who on the Glendale City Council (or soon to be on the council post June 2 elections) should be appointed as Glendale’s next Metro board representative — and why?

A few things to consider:
Who would be the strongest advocate for Glendale’s transportation priorities?

Who understands regional politics and coalition-building across LA County?

Should the city prioritize transit expansion, traffic congestion relief, bike/pedestrian infrastructure, or freeway improvements?

Who would actually show up prepared and engaged on Metro issues?

Does Glendale need someone with experience on city council, or should this be an opportunity for a newer councilmember?

Interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on which councilmember would best represent Glendale at Metro and what priorities they should push for.

I get why Ardy would endorse Ellen and Dan —his colleagues on council who are running for reelection. I also get why he endorsed Alek, who is smart and involved in the city and brings his transit planner experience. As a progressive myself, I’m glad to see our mayor endorsing the progressive slate.

What I don’t get is why Ardy would then also endorse someone like Evelina Sarian who allegedly has had a DUI when street safety is a top priority for Glendalians. And also Evelina’s husband was ousted as CEO of a healthcare company for alleged financial mismanagement (including allegedly putting Evelina’s name on a financial account he shouldn’t have). Ardy is a smart guy. He knows these accusations. So why did Evelina days ago post a slick, highly produced video of her with Ardy endorsing her?

By endorsing a 4th candidate when there’s only 3 seats kind of says, well I like the progressive slate but I don’t back them 100%.

But why would Ardy support the progressive slate and then support a seemingly sketchy candidate like Evelina?

From the mailer Ronnie Gharibian (a more conservative candidate) sent out this week it looks like Ardy endorsed a 5th candidate for council.

Ardy is of course free to endorse whoever he wants and if he wants to endorse more candidates than there are seats that’s his prerogative too. But endorsing a seemingly shady multimillionaire, as well as progressive and conservative candidates —it gets confusing.

Sometimes when you stand for everything you end up standing for nothing. I also feel that it further betrays Ardy’s more progressive origins. Remember those days?

Has Ardy just grown cynical in his decades in office? Is he trying to please some rich folks so that he can call in some donations when he runs for reelection in a couple years?

I also am confused by Ardy’s endorsement of David George Gevorkyan for Treasurer. The current treasurer, Rafi Manoukian, is a CPA, has an MBA, and has grown the city’s portfolio quite a bit. And he’s a veteran. Kind of an ideal candidate.

So why would Ardy pass over Rafi and instead choose to support scandal ridden David George Gevorkyan who had an LA Times article written about him 10 years ago accusing him of embellishing his resume after which he promptly resigned from the Glendale Audit Committee?

Can someone please make these endorsements make sense? TIA

Okay, I was researching candidates and was looking at the candidate statements in the sample ballot for City Treasurer. The guy who’s been doing it for a while, Rafi Manoukian, seems pretty solid: CPA, MBA, grew the city’s investment portfolio significantly. He’s even a veteran.

Then I looked at the guy running against him, David George Gevorkyan, and I saw some certification I’ve never heard of before, “Certified Government Investment Professional”.

So I did a little searching around and ended up finding a LA Times article from 2016 in which there’s a scandal concerning Gevorkyan: he was accused of embellishing his resume and then he promptly resigned from his appointed position on the Glendale City Audit Committee.

“On Nov. 4, local blogger Ara Manoogian told the council that Gevorkyan falsely identified himself as a Certified Treasury Professional and misstated his undergraduate major.
“I’m not sure what the vetting process is, but clearly these are very relevant pieces of information [that] were somehow overlooked when Mr. Gevorkyan was appointed,” Manoogian said.”

After digging a little more I found reports that he had allegedly never completed course work and repeatedly failed the exam.

So maybe in the past 10+ years Mr. Gevorkyan has in fact completed the coursework and passed the exam. It would be nice to have some confirmation. But at the end of the day it just leaves me wondering…can this guy actually be trusted with our city’s money?