GLENDALE : Community Forums Program Revived

After a one-year hiatus, a Glendale program that brings strangers together to discuss local problems in each other’s living rooms has started anew.

More than 400 residents participated in the “Understanding Who We Are” community forums, as they are called, from 1989 to 1992. The program was dropped last year because of staffing constraints at City Hall, but city officials said they revived it by popular demand.

“We’re hoping to get about 50 or 60 participants,” said Emily Eggleston, coordinator of the program. “We want everyone from students to seniors, people from all backgrounds and walks of life.”

Participants will be divided into four groups of 10 to 15 people, and will meet four consecutive Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. beginning Oct. 19.

The group discussions will be led by a faculty member from Glendale Community College, focusing on a different topic each week. The discussion topics are public safety, cultural diversity in the community, growth and development of Glendale and raising children in the city. Each group will be joined by a police officer and a school or city official to provide perspective on the topic at hand, Eggleston said.

An opening ceremony for the program will be held Oct. 12 at City Hall. Those interested in signing up for the community forums must call (818) 548-4844 by Friday.