Alek Bartrosouf (Glendale City Council At-Large, California, candidate 2026)
Alek Bartrosouf is running for election to the Glendale City Council At-Large in California. Bartrosouf is on the ballot in the general election on June 2, 2026.[source]
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Biography
Alek Bartrosouf has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Alek Bartrosouf, click here to fill out the survey.
Elections
General election
The general election will occur on June 2, 2026.
General election for Glendale City Council At-Large (3 seats)
The following candidates are running in the general election for Glendale City Council At-Large on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Vrej Agajanian (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Elen Asatryan (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Alex Balekian (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Alek Bartrosouf (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Beth Brooks (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Dan Brotman (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Ronnie Gharibian (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Gevorg Grigoryan (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Carolyn Kaloostian (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Davit Mnatsakanyan (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Patrick Murphy (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Evelina Sarian (Nonpartisan) | ||
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign website
Bartrosouf's campaign website stated the following:
Affordability
High cost of living is pushing people out of the city and state.
I support programs that increase financial assistance to help moderate and low-income residents. Cost of living is one of the top three concerns for Glendale residents, according to a 2025 City Survey. Residents are struggling to get by, due to mortgage/rent payments, utility bills, transportation costs, and more. Glendale has the advantage of owning our utility, allowing us to determine how our rates get allocated for local investments-including assistance for those who need it the most.
I support more affordable and desirable rental units. The existing demand is straining supply and creating a squeeze in the housing market. Any one prospective tenant battles with dozens of others for a coveted home in our Jewel City. A recent analysis of utility data reveals our vacancy rates are below 2%, indicating a severe housing shortage. The majority of Glendale residents are renters, and our limited housing supply drives up rent, the greatest expense for our residents.
I want to work with residents to tackle common causes for vehicle collisions, and reduce risk to life and property. Have you seen your car insurance rates go up, up, and up? Despite a clean driving record, my car insurance has gone up four times in two years. Glendale's auto insurance rates are some of the highest in the county and state - 51% higher than the average in California. Rates in Burbank and Pasadena are only 28% and 17% higher, respectively. Even Los Angeles rates are lower than ours! You are paying hundreds of dollars extra each year, just because you live in Glendale. I won't accept this as an inevitability!
Resources and Support
- Glendale Water and Power low-income CARE program
- Glendale Water and Power cash rebates and incentives
- Glendale offers $1.50 Dial A Ride Program to seniors and people with disabilities
- Metro Micro services Glendale for only $2.50 a ride
Transportation Safety
Glendale needs a safe, reliable, and efficient transportation system.
A 2025 Glendale survey shows traffic safety is the #1 concern for residents. Speeding and unsafe driving continues to be an unfortunate theme in the city. This is backed up by data - Glendale ranks worst in the entire state for crashes involving elderly pedestrians, and our residents face skyrocketing car insurance rates. As a transportation planner and two-term appointee to the Glendale Transportation & Parking Commission, I know what it takes to actually tackle this issue, starting with street design changes that will curb reckless driving.
Right now, our roads don't give us the freedom of choice when it comes to transportation. When walking or biking feels too dangerous, and public transit isn't convenient or predictable, the only option we leave residents is owning and maintaining a car. The Glendale Pedestrian Plan outreach results speak for itself: 5 out of the top 6 concerns raised by residents about walking are related to street safety. If we can make more safe, affordable, and high-quality transportation options available, our residents will have choices in how they get around town.
I want to live in a Glendale where kids can walk to school again, and where the elderly can safely walk about. For me, the most important issue is how our streets serve our children, students, and aging population. Streets with the highest concentration of pedestrian collisions are near schools. When I grew up in South Glendale in the 90s, I and most other kids walked to school. More than 30 years later, we have chronic congestion issues around school drop-off and pick-up, because we don't feel our streets are safe for kids to walk anymore. I will build on the city's Safe Routes to School Programs and find solutions for safer intersections near schools.
We owe it to those in our city who aren't drivers–whether due to age, disability, socioeconomic status, or preference–to make it safe and easy to get around Glendale.
I have been advocating for safer streets for 15 years as a founding member of the local group Walk Bike Glendale. I have spent the last decade working professionally as a transportation planner. Glendale has a street safety problem. I actually know how to fix it–and am ready to invest in real solutions. There are many low-cost safety improvements we can deploy in Glendale to calm traffic and reduce collisions without compromising throughput and exacerbating delays. I am ready to fight for real solutions.
Resources and Support
- Alek's Letter to the Editor - Let's Green Light Speed Cameras for Safety
- Alek's Op-Ed - Glendale's Mobility Element Needs Work
- Alek quoted in the Glendale News Press on lowering speed limits
- Why More Communities are Reconsidering Speed Limits
- Glendale's Pedestrian Master Plan
- Glendale's Vision Zero Plan
Public Spaces and Urban Fabric
Public Spaces, Parks, and Plazas are foundational to a vibrant city.
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to live just a block away from Maple Park, one of the few but heavily used public parks in South Glendale. I cannot quantify the enormous benefit of having a park within walking distance of my childhood home. All children in our city deserve easy access to outdoor spaces to play. Unfortunately most South Glendale residents are not so lucky.
In 2016, LA County did a Parks Need Assessment that compared North Glendale with South Glendale, with the 134 Freeway as the dividing line. Let's look at the two distinct areas comparatively.
North Glendale
238 Park Acres, 110,501 people, with 2.2 acres per 1,000 residents.
South Glendale
24 Park Acres, 86,058 people, with 0.3 acres per 1,000 residents.
Since the publication of that report, which humorously considered the now- defunct "Chess Park" as an actual park, we have actually lost park space in South Glendale.
City Council finally acquired property in 2025 for a new park in South Glendale, but we need much more. Glendale has generated millions in development fees for parks, but hasn't proportionally dedicated those funds for new parks near dense housing developments in South Glendale. Open and public spaces like parks are critical for families who live in apartments and condos.
Our city's lack of open public spaces is likely a shock for people who immigrated from other cities such as Yerevan. I first visited Yerevan in 2015, and experienced an amazing sense of vibrancy and aliveness walking in the city center. The city fabric of Yerevan leans into public spaces where families and friends get together and catch up. Sadly, many of our Glendale youth and elders resort to socializing in parking lots because there are so few inviting and welcoming spaces to mix and mingle with neighbors.
In 2009, I was approached by the City to start the first community-run garden in Glendale. I jumped at the opportunity to serve our community and learned a lot along the way. The garden, which now spans 3 locations with 51 active members, serves many people who do not have their own property to grow food for their families. I am extremely grateful for the city giving me this opportunity at such a young age to create open spaces for the residents who benefit from it the most, and I'm excited to continue this work as a Councilmember.
Resources and Support
- Community Garden in LA Times - From Eyesore to Garden Spot
- Community Garden in LA Times - Glendale to Welcome Third Community-Run Garden Amid High Demand
- LA County Park Needs Assessment
- Take Glendale's Survey on Park Needs
- Former Joann's Fabric store to be new Glendale Park
A Government for the People
We need a Citywide Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy.
An engaged, informed citizenry ensures that local government and its decisions are aligned with what the community needs. But our fragmented information system leaves residents out of the loop on issues they care about. As your councilmember, I will advocate for a city-adopted Community Engagement Strategy–a policy framework that removes the guesswork for city staff and establishes benchmarks for success. If we aren't committed to community engagement, we fail.
The single most important decision of the City Council is to pass a budget. Every year, City Council convenes study sessions that dive deep into each department's staffing, maintenance, and service costs to determine how money is spent. In 2025, four sessions were held, all of which were scheduled in the middle of the day when the vast majority of Glendaliens are busy. My priority will be to ensure these sessions are done in the evenings or weekends when more of the public can be informed and engaged in this critical yearly process.
Having worked for various city and regional government agencies for ten years, I know all about government inefficiency and bureaucracy. I've seen with my own eyes that a strong work ethic emerges when city staff operate in an inspiring work environment, guided by thoughtful leaders with a clear vision. I believe Glendale currently lacks the clear vision and bold leadership that retains good talent, attracts new civil servants, and delivers for our residents.
Resources and Support
- Glendale City's Adopted Budget for 2025-2026
- California Air Resources Board adopts a comprehensive Community Engagement Model
- West Hollywood's Dedicated Engagement Website and Platform
- Culver City considers a more participatory budgeting process
Community & Diversity
Supporting our diverse community strengthens our resiliency.
I am proud of Glendale's rich diversity, which is a real strength. We have thriving immigrant communities and people from all walks of life. Glendale residents get to enjoy amazing cuisine from all around the world, cultural festivals and events, and a thriving arts scene. When Glendale is a welcoming place for all, we all benefit.
In an increasingly isolated and online world, we should look for ways to bring our diverse community together in person. Life is better when you know your neighbors and spend more time outside. I want to make it easy and natural to do so! That means walkable neighborhoods with convenient access to public parks, plazas, and amenities, as well as more community events in those public spaces to bring us together.
Resources and Support
- Glendale Library Arts and Culture Calendar of Events
- Glendale announces 3 new art installations
- Proposed (then canceled) Artsakh Plaza Improvements Project
- Summer Concert Series
- Glendale International Film Festival
- Glendale's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Championing Local Business
Policies that prioritize small businesses strengthen Glendale's economic vitality and give residents a reason to spend locally.
Local businesses are the lifeblood of Glendale. Residents who invest their lives into the big risk of starting a business deserve our city's support to help them get their dream off the ground. I want to revamp our permitting process to streamline approvals, and bolster our economic development program to attract and encourage new startups and storefronts in our city.
We should also take a hard look at land use decisions that affect the viability of small businesses. Outdated policies tip the scale toward established and large corporations, making it difficult for local and small businesses to compete. A thriving small business scene–with more fantastic local restaurants, coffee shops, bars–can make Glendale a destination in the region.
I worked hard to raise awareness about corporate fast food drive-thru proposals that would have demolished seven small businesses and one residence. These drive-thrus would have caused major traffic congestion in and around residential areas. I built a coalition of neighbors who got organized and lobbied the council to help protect their residential streets.
National chains are trying to take advantage of outdated drive-thru policies to build big-box establishments that are out of character with our neighborhoods and would wreak havoc on dense residential streets. Had our City Council not taken action in response to our efforts, we would have lost cherished local businesses to more traffic, fewer jobs, and corporations that are less invested in our local community. In 2025, Council finally adopted new parameters for allowing high-volume drive thrus requiring design review and conditional use permits - a huge victory for vulnerable neighborhoods in Glendale.
Resources and Support
- Glendale's Business Concierge Services
- Glendale's Economic Development Division
- Alek authors Sustainability Commission-adopted letter to City Council on needed drive-thru reforms
Sustainability
Sustainability at the local level means protecting residents from natural disasters, hotter summers, and pollution.
Climate change is not just an abstract or global issue. The effects of a warming planet directly impact how we live in Glendale, including the increased threat of wildfires, deadly heatwaves, and higher energy costs.
In the absence of any national strategy to tackle climate change, the City of Glendale must be prepared for warmer and more extreme weather. This includes providing shade, shade, and more shade so that our sidewalks and public spaces stay cool. It includes public EV chargers for renters or homeowners who cannot afford to upgrade their electrical system at home but want to make the switch to an electric vehicle. We need to invest in generating clean energy locally to ensure a reliable electrical grid while reducing our reliance on vulnerable transmission lines and air-polluting fossil fuels.
2025 showed us that fire risk is here and it is real. Glendale has a responsibility to take measures that minimize fire and flood hazards in our vulnerable neighborhoods, which is why the recently adopted Climate Adaptation and Action Plan is so important. We are beyond the point of debating whether or not climate change is real–we are living through it. Yes, we need to do our part to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but we must also ensure our city is resilient and ready to adapt as climate conditions change.
I have spent years studying these issues and am passionate about addressing them. When I was a student at Glendale Community College, I started a group called The Coalition for a Green Glendale. The Coalition advised the city on its Greener Glendale Plan and advocated successfully for Glendale to adopt its own Plastic Bag Ordinance before the State took up the issue in 2014. I also helped start all three community-run gardens in Glendale, including the first one in the state to use reclaimed water.
More recently, I served in a volunteer capacity as the first chairperson of Glendale's Sustainability Commission, and I am currently on the board of the Glendale Environmental Coalition, advocating for climate-conscious policies, tree plantings, and more.
Resources and Support
- Alek's Letter to the Editor - Climate Action Plan Is Good City Planning
- Cutting Emissions with Roundabouts
- Socal Water Smart's Cash for Grass Rebate Program
- Glendale's EV Chargers and Programs
- Glendale's Gas Leafblower Prohibition
Preserving Glendale's Character
We must preserve our historic treasures and ensure new development fits the charm and scale of Glendale.
Local government control is the best way to facilitate growth while also preserving our heritage and culturally significant treasures.
As a city, we designate historic resources for preservation that serve as a reminder of our history and the people who shaped our community. I think of icons like the Alex Theater, Rockhaven, the Maryland Hotel, beautiful Spanish homes in Rossmoyne, or unique garden apartments in south Glendale–none of which can be replicated by today's developers. We must continue to protect these treasures.
I will advocate for reviewing and updating our Comprehensive Design Guidelines to ensure that new residential and commercial buildings are in-character with the historic architecture of our city. We can look to our neighboring city, Pasadena, for good examples of development that honors the city context, character, and function.
State-mandated housing development is coming whether we like it or not. We need to act now to make changes to our Design Guidelines and ensure that new developments enhance–rather than detract from–Glendale's charm.
Resources and Support
- Glendale's finest landmarks
- Rockhaven Sanitarium
- The Arts Apartments (formerly Maryland Hotel)
- Hows it Going to End Coffee and Garden
A City for Our Youth
How do our policies reflect the needs of our young people?
I applaud the City's recent inclusion of student commissioners in our city commissions. I worked alongside a few student commissioners during my service on the Transportation and Sustainability Commissions, and their unique perspectives were invaluable.
Too often, youth perspectives go unheard in city hall. Only a young person can tell you how meaningful it is to be able to get around town without relying on their parents driving them. A young person who may live to see the end of the 21st century has a different stake in sustainability than older generations who enjoyed a stable climate most of their lives. Working with these student commissioners made it clear to me that their voices, input, perspectives, and needs must be part of our policy discussions.
For example, one student commissioner proposed a prom dress swap as an event. I assure you no one other than a student commissioner would have come up with this opportunity to share resources and bring the community together.
Glendale has many youth programs through our Community Services and Parks, Glendale Youth Alliance, as well as Associated Student Bodies (ASBs) on campuses. I think we can do even more to engage our young people. The policies we enact today will shape the lives of the next generation. We should do everything we can to include their voices to ensure we are serving all of our community.
Resources and Support
Housing
Glendale needs affordable, entry-level housing for first-time home buyers.
Glendale leaders must be honest about our state-mandated obligation to build more housing if we want to build trust, ensure community participation, and plan a city together that we can take pride in. Any candidate or city elected official that tells you we can freeze Glendale in time–stopping all development or growth–is lying. State mandates require Glendale to upzone for new housing. Glendale must zone for an additional 13,425 units.
This is a shocking mandate, and most are not even aware of it. To me, that is Problem #1. I am committed to bringing Glendale communities together to resolve zoning and development in the best possible ways while understanding Glendale's role in meeting regional housing needs. As a city planner myself, I know zoning discussions are inaccessible for many people. Whether you're working, raising children, or taking care of your elderly parents, this is just not something most people have time to dig into or get involved in. I believe we need a Community Engagement Strategy that overcomes these barriers and reaches people we traditionally do not reach.
The way our city grows and where it grows is largely up to us. I believe we need to build more entry-level housing for sale: townhomes and condos that appeal to younger generations looking to start a family or build equity. The lack of newer for-sale housing units is the "missing middle" in Glendale. Entry-level homes should be in areas with easy access to jobs, transit, cultural resources, and daily amenities. The next generation deserves a chance at homeownership in our city. When we build new housing units, we should make sure it's the type of housing Glendale residents actually want to live in.
Resources and Support
- Southern California Association of Governments - Regional Housing Needs Assessment and FAQ.
- Glendale's Affordable Housing efforts and portfolio
— Alek Bartrosouf's campaign website (April 4, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
