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Glendale council approves Lehi Palayo Lozada as director of Library, Arts and Culture
Summary
The Glendale City Council voted unanimously to approve the City Manager’s appointment of Lehi Palayo Lozada as the director of Library, Arts and Culture, and Lozada addressed the council and community at the meeting.
The Glendale City Council on March 4 voted unanimously to approve the City Manager’s appointment of Lehi Palayo Lozada as director of Library, Arts and Culture.
City Manager-appointed Lehi Palayo Lozada, who had been acting director for eight months, was confirmed by roll call after a motion to approve the appointment and a second. The motion cites the Glendale City Charter procedures for appointments; the council vote was recorded as yes by all members present.
Lozada told the council she was “grateful for the trust” and described the library system’s recent output: last year, she said, “602,885 people walked through our doors, and we checked out over 800,000 items.” She credited staff and community partnerships and said libraries contribute to Glendale’s economic and social fabric.
City staff and councilmembers praised Lozada’s leadership during her time as acting director and the number of staff who attended the meeting to show support. Council comments noted past partnerships and expressed expectations that Lozada will expand arts programming and community engagement.
The motion that approved the appointment referenced the city charter procedure for certifying the appointment to human resources. The council did not change department budgets or adopt any new program at the meeting; the action was limited to approving the City Manager’s appointment.
Lozada said she was “honored to continue the tradition of exceptional library services” and highlighted recent large events and partnerships that drew regional attention to Glendale’s arts and culture programs. The council will follow usual onboarding and administrative steps to complete staffing transitions.
No additional council direction or separate votes on department authority, budget changes or programmatic initiatives were taken at the time of the appointment.
The council’s approval is a final administrative appointment; any future budget requests or program changes from the Library, Arts and Culture Department will return to the council through the budget and appropriation process.
Short-term next steps noted by staff included standard HR certification and the City Manager formalizing the appointment paperwork.
