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Council approves GDGA 2025 annual report and 2026 downtown budget
Summary
The Glendale City Council voted to accept the Greater Downtown Glendale Association(GDGA) 2025 annual report and the GDGA2026 budget for the Greater Downtown Glendale Community Benefit District after hearing a presentation from GDGA board president Randy Stevenson and brief council discussion.
The Glendale City Council unanimously voted to accept the Greater Downtown Glendale Association(GDGA) calendar-year 2025 annual report and the GDGA calendar-year 2026 budget for the Greater Downtown Glendale Community Benefit District.
Randy Stevenson, president of the GDGA board of directors, told the council the association "continues to stand in excellent financial condition," and summarized last years work maintaining a clean, safe and inviting public right-of-way in the greater downtown corridor. Stevenson cited the associations 2025 activities, including graffiti removal and litter collection, outreach and shopping-cart recovery, and promotional work with a newly engaged firm, CMMC, to expand downtown marketing.
Why it matters: The councils acceptance preserves the GDGAs role in delivering street-level services paid for by the Community Benefit District and clears the budget needed for its 2026 operations.
What Stevenson told the council: Stevenson listed operational metrics included in the annual report, reporting that GDGA staff removed thousands of graffiti tags and stickers, returned hundreds of shopping carts to businesses, conducted hundreds of homeless outreach interactions and removed hundreds of thousands of pounds of litter. He described improvements in plan-check coordination for multi-tenant projects while warning that interdepartmental handoffs (for example with public works) can still slow some permitting work: "When there needs to be interdepartmental communication, that's where sometimes there's some breakdown," Stevenson said.
Council discussion focused on implementation and outreach. Council members asked about delays for permitting small tenant improvements, coordination with city departments, and whether GDGA tracks the economic impact of downtown events on local businesses. Stevenson said event organizers typically measure outcomes, and GDGA will work with city staff to better cross-promote events and develop tenant contact information so the association can amplify city-listed activities.
Public comment: Caller Fernando Rodon urged attention to long-closed storefronts and recommended leveraging major upcoming events to boost downtown tourism.
The vote: Council member Kasakian moved to accept the report and budget; the motion was seconded and approved in roll call. The council adjourned the special meeting and immediately called the regular meeting to order.
What happens next: With the report and budget accepted, GDGA will continue delivering the listed services and coordinating with city staff on promotional and operational items raised at the meeting.
