Beth Brooks announces run for Glendale City Council, pledges moratorium on discretionary projects

Beth Brooks announced her campaign for Glendale City Council and laid out a range of platform positions, calling for immediate action on street safety, limits on nearby high-density development, and a one-year moratorium on discretionary projects.

Brooks, who said she has lived in Glendale for 30 years and worked in marketing research for two decades, framed her candidacy as a response to what she described as outside influence in local decision-making. "My platform overall is to remove political, donor, and self interest from decision making and serve the public to preserve and protect our quality of life," she said.

On public safety, Brooks said she would prioritize patrols and speed enforcement over event staffing. "Our police force is 1 of the best in the nation, but we need less presence at community events and more presence on the streets and at speed traps," she said, calling street safety "an urgent problem." The remark reflects Brooks's stated preference to reallocate police resources; she did not provide supporting data during her remarks.

Brooks also raised concerns about development near transit stops, citing "SB 79" and saying the measure would "allow up to 9 story buildings within a half mile of certain bus stops." She presented that claim as a threat to single-family neighborhoods and said she would protect those neighborhoods from conversion tied to dedicated bus lanes. The transcript records Brooks's statement about SB 79 as her claim; the provision and its application were not independently verified in her remarks.

On housing and affordability, Brooks said she would "dispel the myth that we have a housing crisis," arguing the problem is affordability and that increased supply has worsened that problem, a position she presented without accompanying data in her statement.

Brooks proposed lowering utility bills by increasing local energy production and selling excess power, and said she would "end voluntary politically motivated spending." She also pledged to help low-income elderly residents, people with disabilities, and veterans remain in their homes while protecting "mom and pop landlords."

Addressing local economic and civic assets, Brooks said she would preserve city-owned parking lots used by businesses in Montrose, downtown, at Saint Gregory's Armenian Church, and at the Civic Auditorium, and alleged the current council told the state those lots were "no longer needed." She did not provide documentation of that claim during her remarks.

On transportation policy, Brooks said she would oppose removing car lanes that she said are used by "80% of Glendaleians" to install dedicated bike lanes she said are used by "1%." "You don't make it harder for someone in an ambulance to get to the hospital," she said, linking lane removals to emergency access concerns. The usage percentages were presented as Brooks's assertions and not independently substantiated in the remarks.

As a fiscal pledge, Brooks called for a one-year moratorium on discretionary projects and repeated calls for audits to "stop reckless spending." She concluded by asking for voter support on June 2.

Brooks's remarks in the public meeting were a candidate announcement and policy outline rather than a request for formal council action; no motions or votes were recorded in the transcript. Several specific figures and references (for example, SB 79, the 80%/1% usage figures, and the council's alleged communications with the state) were asserted by Brooks and were not verified in the meeting record.