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YOUSEFIAN SAYS FOES USING OUTBURST FOR POLITICAL GAIN
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Nov 27 2007
GLENDALE - Ever the city insider, Bob Yousefian sat down to breakfast
wearing a Glendale utility company polo shirt and soon was doling
out water-conservation tips to a waitress.
But even while he's quick to reach out to constituents, the maverick
city councilman is a politician under siege - at least from his
perspective.
After a Sept. 25 outburst at a council meeting, the 50-year-old
Yousefian this month suffered the council's first ever no-confidence
vote. Since then, he has resigned from the chairmanship
of the city Redevelopment Agency and from positions with the
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority board and the six-county
Southern California Association of Governments.
While dining on a restaurant patio one recent morning, Yousefian said
stress helped provoke his outburst and he regrets it. But he also
argued that his colleagues on the council are using the outburst to
score political points against him.
"This is all about the next election," he said. "I can actually write
the next fliers for them - right now."
Yousefian's outburst came during a council discussion about front-yard
setbacks on Glenoaks Boulevard, which affected Yousefian because the
new rules would have applied to his house.
Barred by conflict-of-interest law from acting as a council member
on the issue, Yousefian opted for a show of populism and used the
public speaker's lectern to plead his case to council colleagues.
As the meeting wore on, his frustration grew as he tried to explain
his take on the issue. Seconds after the meeting ended, he began
waving his arms and yelling expletives at the city manager, who tried
to take him aside by the arm.
On Nov. 6, reacting to the outburst, Yousefian's four council
colleagues unanimously approved a symbolic no-confidence vote for his
service on the airport authority commission, to which the council
appointed him in 2005. Yousefian was the authority president. But
before the council could vote to remove him, he resigned his seat on
the commission.
"Mr. Yousefian's conduct, demeanor, behavior - however you want to
categorize it - is basically getting worse," City Councilman Frank
Quintero said before the vote.
"While the electorate put him in office and then re-elected him, we -
the City Council - are the ones who put him on the airport authority."
Yousefian said that, in addition to leaving the authority, he resigned
from the city Redevelopment Agency chairmanship and from his post
with SCAG because he felt it would be wrong to keep those positions
without full council support.
Yousefian said his outburst was caused by stress from grief at the
death a few days earlier of a beloved aunt who lived in his native
Iran and from watching the health of his political mentor, Ginger
Bremberg, deteriorate in the weeks before her death. But, he said,
he's not making excuses for his behavior. And it was not Yousefian's
first outburst.
During the 2005 council election, critics accused him of throwing a
tantrum when he stormed out of a candidates' forum. The year before,
Yousefian and City Councilman Dave Weaver got into a loud argument in
Weaver's City Hall office - and each claimed the other used physical
force.
Weaver said Yousefian's apologies do not excuse his tirades.
"He has no leadership skills," Weaver said. "He may be very
knowledgeable and stuff. But, come on, council people don't act
that way."
Yousefian acknowledges his style is different, and he counters council
critics by saying he spends more time on council business than they do.
After he was elected to the council in 2001, Yousefian quit his job
as a remodeling contractor to devote himself to city business. Since
his council outburst, Yousefian has also blamed overwork, saying he
has not taken a vacation in three years.
Now, with no airport meetings to attend, Yousefian said he plans to
re-activate his contracting license to make some extra money.
While Yousefian has made enemies, City Hall watchdog Barry Allen,
67, is not one of them.
"He really represents the people, the little guy," Allen said. "And
I think his statement - to the effect that he stepped down from the
mount and he no longer has to kowtow to the City Council or to city
management - he can really do what he was elected to do, and that
was represent the people. I respect that."
Yousefian, along with Mayor Ara Najarian, is one of two
Armenian-Americans on the council. And some prominent members
of Glendale's Armenian community chided the council for rebuking
Yousefian.
"Council is not a place for personal attacks, and I feel that is
what they are doing," said Elen Asatryan, executive director of the
Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee.
"The decision should have been made based on his work at the airport
authority, rather than what took place at the City Council meeting
with the manager."
Yousefian said he plans to complete his council term but is undecided
about whether to seek re-election.
"If there is more goals to be accomplished, yes, I'll do it," he
said. "But, you know, I'm not a power-hungry person to just run out
there to achieve it. There's a million things I could do."
In the meantime, he wants to push for campaign reform and try to impose
limits on how much donors can give each City Council candidate. He said
he will wait to see how his colleagues on the council react to that.
Yousefian, whose middle name is Hamlet, said he has suffered "slings
and arrows" from his colleagues. The infighting began well before
his recent outburst, he said.
"I gave them the daggers that they used to slay me," Yousefian said.
"This was beautiful for them."
Najarian, Yousefian and Quintero are up for re-election in 2009. But
Najarian said Yousefian is wrong to think anyone is using his outburst
for political gain.
"I think Bob is too concerned about the election," Najarian said. "I
think he should just focus on his work at City Hall and let his
actions speak for themselves. All of my colleagues should do that."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Nov 27 2007
GLENDALE - Ever the city insider, Bob Yousefian sat down to breakfast
wearing a Glendale utility company polo shirt and soon was doling
out water-conservation tips to a waitress.
But even while he's quick to reach out to constituents, the maverick
city councilman is a politician under siege - at least from his
perspective.
After a Sept. 25 outburst at a council meeting, the 50-year-old
Yousefian this month suffered the council's first ever no-confidence
vote. Since then, he has resigned from the chairmanship
of the city Redevelopment Agency and from positions with the
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority board and the six-county
Southern California Association of Governments.
While dining on a restaurant patio one recent morning, Yousefian said
stress helped provoke his outburst and he regrets it. But he also
argued that his colleagues on the council are using the outburst to
score political points against him.
"This is all about the next election," he said. "I can actually write
the next fliers for them - right now."
Yousefian's outburst came during a council discussion about front-yard
setbacks on Glenoaks Boulevard, which affected Yousefian because the
new rules would have applied to his house.
Barred by conflict-of-interest law from acting as a council member
on the issue, Yousefian opted for a show of populism and used the
public speaker's lectern to plead his case to council colleagues.
As the meeting wore on, his frustration grew as he tried to explain
his take on the issue. Seconds after the meeting ended, he began
waving his arms and yelling expletives at the city manager, who tried
to take him aside by the arm.
On Nov. 6, reacting to the outburst, Yousefian's four council
colleagues unanimously approved a symbolic no-confidence vote for his
service on the airport authority commission, to which the council
appointed him in 2005. Yousefian was the authority president. But
before the council could vote to remove him, he resigned his seat on
the commission.
"Mr. Yousefian's conduct, demeanor, behavior - however you want to
categorize it - is basically getting worse," City Councilman Frank
Quintero said before the vote.
"While the electorate put him in office and then re-elected him, we -
the City Council - are the ones who put him on the airport authority."
Yousefian said that, in addition to leaving the authority, he resigned
from the city Redevelopment Agency chairmanship and from his post
with SCAG because he felt it would be wrong to keep those positions
without full council support.
Yousefian said his outburst was caused by stress from grief at the
death a few days earlier of a beloved aunt who lived in his native
Iran and from watching the health of his political mentor, Ginger
Bremberg, deteriorate in the weeks before her death. But, he said,
he's not making excuses for his behavior. And it was not Yousefian's
first outburst.
During the 2005 council election, critics accused him of throwing a
tantrum when he stormed out of a candidates' forum. The year before,
Yousefian and City Councilman Dave Weaver got into a loud argument in
Weaver's City Hall office - and each claimed the other used physical
force.
Weaver said Yousefian's apologies do not excuse his tirades.
"He has no leadership skills," Weaver said. "He may be very
knowledgeable and stuff. But, come on, council people don't act
that way."
Yousefian acknowledges his style is different, and he counters council
critics by saying he spends more time on council business than they do.
After he was elected to the council in 2001, Yousefian quit his job
as a remodeling contractor to devote himself to city business. Since
his council outburst, Yousefian has also blamed overwork, saying he
has not taken a vacation in three years.
Now, with no airport meetings to attend, Yousefian said he plans to
re-activate his contracting license to make some extra money.
While Yousefian has made enemies, City Hall watchdog Barry Allen,
67, is not one of them.
"He really represents the people, the little guy," Allen said. "And
I think his statement - to the effect that he stepped down from the
mount and he no longer has to kowtow to the City Council or to city
management - he can really do what he was elected to do, and that
was represent the people. I respect that."
Yousefian, along with Mayor Ara Najarian, is one of two
Armenian-Americans on the council. And some prominent members
of Glendale's Armenian community chided the council for rebuking
Yousefian.
"Council is not a place for personal attacks, and I feel that is
what they are doing," said Elen Asatryan, executive director of the
Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee.
"The decision should have been made based on his work at the airport
authority, rather than what took place at the City Council meeting
with the manager."
Yousefian said he plans to complete his council term but is undecided
about whether to seek re-election.
"If there is more goals to be accomplished, yes, I'll do it," he
said. "But, you know, I'm not a power-hungry person to just run out
there to achieve it. There's a million things I could do."
In the meantime, he wants to push for campaign reform and try to impose
limits on how much donors can give each City Council candidate. He said
he will wait to see how his colleagues on the council react to that.
Yousefian, whose middle name is Hamlet, said he has suffered "slings
and arrows" from his colleagues. The infighting began well before
his recent outburst, he said.
"I gave them the daggers that they used to slay me," Yousefian said.
"This was beautiful for them."
Najarian, Yousefian and Quintero are up for re-election in 2009. But
Najarian said Yousefian is wrong to think anyone is using his outburst
for political gain.
"I think Bob is too concerned about the election," Najarian said. "I
think he should just focus on his work at City Hall and let his
actions speak for themselves. All of my colleagues should do that."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress