Glendale council pauses Verdugo Wash master-plan contract after state ethics advice prompts recusal dispute

The Glendale City Council put a planned $5.76 million master‑planning contract for the Verdugo Wash on hold after an ethics advisory letter and heated public comment produced disagreements over recusals and the scope of the project.

At issue: whether councilmembers with property near the wash must step aside. The city attorney told the council the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) issued an advice letter concluding that two councilmembers have disqualifying conflicts of interest and should recuse themselves from decisions on the project; a third councilmember was advised he did not have a disqualifying interest under the FPPC's geographic analysis.

Council direction: staff to submit additional information to the FPPC within 15 days and request a timely response, and the council agreed to bring the matter back for further consideration once the FPPC responds.

Why it matters: The Verdugo Wash master plan is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar study funded in part by state grant money that would analyze a long north–south greenway and multiuse trail through the city—s wash corridor. The item drew an unusually large public turnout and dozens of callers and speakers — many supporting the study and many opposing it on fire‑safety, cost and neighborhood‑impact…