The Alex is the centerpiece of Glendale’s downtown district, providing cultural resources, creating jobs, and attracting spending by patrons, which benefits local restaurants and retailers.

Glendale Arts currently operates the Alex under an agreement in effect through mid-2015. This may delay the forced sale of the Alex, but will not prevent it. The Alex Theatre could be saved as a “carve-out” project through language that allows cities to retain public facilities built with redevelopment money.

A strong message from the community will make a difference, and go a long way in Sacramento. Write to state representatives, send letters to the editor in the Glendale News Press, and spread the word to others to do the same.

Check out the Glendale Arts fact sheet about the Alex Theatre, Glendale Arts programs and its many events and supporters.

Send messages to elected representatives now!
Local representatives contact information:

Senator Carol Liu – 21st District
(818) 409-0400
Senator.Liu@senate.ca.gov

Assemblymember Mike Gatto – 43rd District
(818) 558-3043
assemblymember.gatto@assembly.ca.gov

Assemblymember Anthony Portantino – 44th District
(626) 577-9944
assemblymember.portantino@assembly.ca.gov

Letters to the editor Glendale News Press
gnp@latimes.com

We are enjoying every Glendale Pops concert immensely, and hoping the community will quickly realize what a gem this orchestra is and pack the Alex for every show, including the next one, This is Romance, featuring guest artist Kenny Loggins, February 10. Here’s what our resident expert just sent out in an email:

“The Glendale Pops Orchestra performs at the Alex Theater next on February 10. Led by Matt Catingub, it is one of the finest orchestras in the nation. Matt’s arrangements are sparkling, and when he’s not conducting them he’s singing a solo or taking a big saxophone cadenza. Top-notch guest musicians, like jazz pianist David Benoit, are featured at every concert. Matt handpicks the top studio musicians in LA for the orchestra (one standout is trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, whose stratospheric high notes soar over the band).

Go to the Glendale Pops Orchestra concert on February 10 at the Alex Theatre. You won’t be disappointed. I hope you give them the support I know they deserve.”

I received this email the same day Glendale and other cities in California confronted the news reported in the Glendale News-Press: “the state could try to pry away about nine properties the redevelopment agency transferred to the city, including the Alex Theatre. If the state got a hold of them, city officials fear quick liquidation.”

Glendale Arts manages The Alex Theatre, and the Glendale Pops Orchestra. In addition to Matt Catingub and his stellar musicians, it brings other top-rated orchestras, shows, and international groups to the Alex regularly. It supports local and aspiring artists and talent and partners with our school district, the entertainment industry, and other nonprofits and community leaders to support worthy causes.

Glendale Arts General Manager Elissa Glickman writes on her Facebook page: “If the state of California does choose to take and sell the Alex Theatre, it would not only impact the hundreds of downtown restaurants and businesses who rely on the Alex’s 150,000+ patrons to increase sales, but also our more than 30 full and part time employees and the hundreds of non-profit community, education and arts organizations that perform at the Theatre every year.”

Support our local arts organization and its stewardship of the Alex Theatre: speak out, write legislators, and fill theatre seats to keep excellent arts programming and resources in Glendale.

Until then, this branch of the Glendale Public Library will be closed, and all items requested for Casa Verdugo Branch pick up will be sent to the Central Library.

Library patrons can continue to return books at the Casa Verdugo Branch bookdrop at the front of the building.

Sunroom Desk will resume publishing in January.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Libraries provide free resources for young and old, rich and poor, employed and unemployed, insured and insured, Democrat and Republican – all of whom can use their learning to benefit themselves, develop skills and find jobs, create businesses, and contribute to civic life.

Why are we spending so much money on prison doctors who aren’t even working? News like this appears day after day (thanks, by the way, to the LA Times for making such revelations a priority). Why do state legislators insist the state needs to raise taxes, and why did they propose cutting state library funding almost to nothing, when there is so much inefficiency in the system?

While turmoil and short-term thinking continues at the state level, shouldn’t municipalities do everything they can to preserve libraries, which provide clear benefits to all segments of society?

Yesterday, at the end of a long day of civic meetings, Friends of the Glendale Library President John Steele, and Community Events Chair Leon Mayer both addressed Glendale City Council and asked them to reconsider surveying city residents to see if they would support a parcel tax for local library services (the city council voted 3-2 against a survey two weeks prior).

Steele said, “I think the electorate can be trusted to make a good decision in this matter…I recommend the council reconsider and approve a survey.” Mayer spoke later, urging, “Support the request by the Library Director to spend privately-donated money to conduct a survey to see if there is support for a parcel tax.”

Library Director Cindy Cleary submitted a Library Tax Assessment Survey Proposal to city council two weeks ago. The report shows that Glendale’s budget for its libraries is already lower than those of neighboring cities.

California’s 2011-2012 budget “presented some very tough challenges for three major library programs – the California Library Services Act, the Public Library Foundation, and the state literacy program. These programs continue to be in jeopardy…”

In January, the Governor’s Budget proposed eliminating funding for these three programs ($30.4 million), but compromises kept half of it ($15.2 million).

Part of the 2011-12 budget agreement was AB 121, the “Budget Trigger” bill, listing items that could be cut if the revenue forecast fell below $87,452,500,000. This would zero out the $15.2 million. The proposed public library cuts are on a list of reductions along with major cuts to UC and CSU, In Home Support Services, and juvenile justice programs, among others.

This will have a huge impact on local library services. It will dismantle California’s cooperative loan program, end library adult literacy programs serving approximately 20,000, and could impact millions in federal funding as well.

Libraries are a vital resource now for citizens needing job leads, resources for self-teaching, and also life-long learning opportunities. Write the governor and your legislators today to urge preservation of state library funding!

The Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Jr.
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, Room, 1173
Sacramento, CA. 95814

CC’s to the following

The Honorable Darrell Steinberg
Senate President pro Tempore
California State Senate
State Capitol, Room 205
Sacramento, CA. 95814

The Honorable Bob Dutton
Senate Minority Leader
California State Senate
State Capitol, Room 305
Sacramento, CA. 95814

The Honorable John A. Perez
Speaker of the California State Assembly
State Capitol, Room 219
Sacramento, CA. 95814

The Honorable Connie Conway
Assembly Republican Leader
State Capitol, Room 3104
Sacramento, CA. 95814

“We are a third party logistics firm, offering freight transportation services on van and flatbed in California and all throughout the USA and Canada,” Claycomb wrote to me when I inquired about his work. “I pride myself in superior customer service and am always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to please a customer. Many firms do what we do so it is essential to stand out with exceptional customer service.”

He’s also taking the lead in community service and providing the same opportunity to neighbors. Sunroom Desk recently featured Claycomb’s Kenneth Road cleanup initiative; check out the link and if you’d like to volunteer, get in touch with him.

Congratulations to Cliff Claycomb and MoveFreight, Inc. on ten years in business in Glendale!

My name is Cliff Claycomb and last year I was involved in getting all of us together to send a powerful message to the children AND adults in our community about the importance of putting trash in its place. The local principals made announcements during break times at school and sent our announcements via the automated phone system. Neighbors helped spread the word, and the City of Glendale was kind enough to put out trash cans on several corners up and down Kenneth Road; an area that is very popular for Halloween trick-or-treaters. IT ALL WORKED!! The amount of trash up and down the streets was reduced dramatically and I feel this got people thinking about littering. We topped it off by putting together a cleanup crew made up of members of our community and several folks from the City of Glendale to help clean up Kenneth Road the day after Halloween.

I know you are all very busy so I will get to it. WE WANT TO DO IT AGAIN THIS YEAR!!

This year the City of Glendale agreed to distribute cardboard trash cans up and down Kenneth to those homeowners willing to put them out on Halloween night then pull that back on their property the day after Halloween and hold them until the city can pick them up. I have spoken to Principal Mason (Mark Keppel Elementary) and Principal Card (Toll Middle School) who agreed to help spread the word at their schools, and I myself and doing my best to pull in homeowners willing to help with the trash receptacles mentioned above and by spreading the word via e-mail and word of mouth. I am also trying to put together another cleanup crew for the day after Halloween.

I am writing to ask you 4 favors:


1) Can you help spread the message to all the children how important it is to put their Halloween trash back in their bags OR in a trash can and on NOT on the ground?


2) Please tell any/all interested in being a part of the day after cleanup crew to meet on the corner of Kenneth and Sonora at 3:30pm on 11/1.


3) Please e-mail me if you live on Kenneth Road and are willing to put out then pull in these cardboard trash cans being offered by the City of Glendale OR have anyone you know who lives on Kenneth Rd contact me if interested. I will provide your name and address to the City of Glendale and they will make sure you get a cardboard trash can the day of or before Halloween.

4) I have a limited number of e-mail addresses to help spread this message via e-mail so please forward this to as many members of the community you know…it really helps!

I appreciate your time. My number is below if you have any questions and please feel free to give out my e-mail address and telephone number to anyone who wants to discuss this with me.

Cliff Claycomb
MoveFreight, Inc
4336 San Fernando Rd.
Glendale, CA 91204
info@movefreight.com
http://www.movefreight.com/
T 818-548-4378

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