This featured image is from a 2024 City Council meeting. Recently a 2026 candidate forum was added to the Glendale City Clerk’s website which contained illegal description that many recognized as favoritism for a political faction. City Clerk, Suzie Abajian was admonished for this at the April, 14, 2026 City Council meeting.
The so-called “People’s Forum” is sponsored openly by a couple of very heavily partisan groups in Glendale, as well as supported by a very radical Glendale activist group calling themselves “The Glendale Extremist Network.” The latter serves as a political attack dog for Dan Brotman and Alek Bartrosuf.
I have started to connect some dots between three City Council candidates, two of them incumbents, and the three organizations connected to the questionable forum: GlendaleOUT, GUSD Parents, and the Glendale Extremist Network. Each has ties to one another as well as their so-called “Progressive” slate in our current election cycle. Many of the characters appear in the included 2024 still shot from City Council.
Circled from left to right: Suzie Abajian (City Clerk), Shant J (GEN, GlendaleOUT, Brotman/Bartrosouf associate), Hans Johnson (East Area Progressive Democrats President), Alek Bartrosouf (GlendaleOUT, Walk/Bike Glendale, GEC, slate candidate, associated with GEN), Elen Asatryan (incumbent, slate candidate), Dan Brotman (incumbent, slate candidate, GEC founder, ties to GlendaleOUT, offered government position to member of Glendale Extremist Network).
I’m interested in the ties between the “Glendale Extremist Network,” a group who has engaged in some local political vandalism, and the candidates running for City Council who are pre-endorsed by the so-called “People’s Forum.”
If I were one of the 12 candidates running for City Council not pre-endorsed by these organizations, I would have serious reservations about attending such a biased forum connected to questionable local activists, some very radical or extreme.
So, here’s my ask: What light can our community share about the relationships of these organizations and the political characters that they support?
The political extremist climate has harmed our city at a time when we are all feeling the effects of difficult economic conditions. The partisan divisiveness and distractions over “culture issues” hampers us from getting our city back on track to fiscal responsibility and recovery at a time when Glendale citizens have to unite for everyone’s best interests. Our unity based on moderation, not extremism, is something that everyone’s quality of life depends upon, and it seems more important than ever.
I want to make this explicitly clear: I am not questioning or disparaging the stated causes of any organization. I am however very concerned about their effects on our political system and how they affect the representation available to the entire city (as well as the tactics some use for political ends).
I know this for certain; when politicians use extreme divisiveness and tactics to gain political advantage, everyone loses.
Informed voters make smarter choices.
Images:
1) City Council 2024
2) People’s forum as advertised by the Glendale Extremist Network
3) Council candidate endorsements by GEN also endorsed by the People’s Forum sponsors
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