Glendale mayor highlights crime drop, housing progress and shift to coal‑free power in State of the City address

The mayor of Glendale used the State of the City address to outline what he called a year of public‑safety gains, infrastructure reinvestment and housing progress.

Opening the address, the mayor credited efforts to support local business and jobs, saying the city "supported over 285 businesses, helping to attract and retain more than 2,000 jobs." He also cited public‑safety metrics: "Overall crime dropped by 20%," and, he added, burglaries were down by more than 15%.

The mayor described investments in emergency response and public works. He said the fire department added five basic life‑support ambulances across five stations to improve medical response and noted the La Crescenta Avenue rehabilitation project included street and sidewalk repairs, ADA upgrades and new bike lanes.

On housing, the mayor highlighted several projects moving toward completion, naming Pioneer Village and Parkview Glendale as major affordable developments and citing openings of Harrower's Village and Citrus Crossing for seniors. He said the Glendale Housing Authority remains a HUD high performer in Section 8 administration for its 23rd consecutive year.

In energy and utilities, the mayor said Glendale Water and Power "reached a major milestone as the Intermountain Power Project transitioned to 100% coal free power, supporting cleaner hydrogen‑ready energy for the future." He also reported conservation numbers for city programs and noted new solar capacity and roughly 100 new EV charging ports across the community.

The mayor framed transportation as a regional priority, pointing to the Larry Zarian Transportation Center as a hub linking MetroLink and county transit and announcing that the Burbank‑Glendale‑Pasadena airport — which Glendale partially owns — will open a new passenger terminal in October.

He closed the address by criticizing state actions he said limit local decision making, stating the city "must rage against the state legislature and governor every chance we get to keep the control in our city," and reaffirmed a commitment to preserve Glendale's character while preparing for future needs.

The address emphasized accomplishments the mayor said residents and staff delivered, and outlined priorities for infrastructure, housing and energy as the city moves forward.