Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
December 13, 2006
Contact: Lerna Kayserian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ANC Delegation Travels to Sacramento to Congratulate New State Legislators
SACRAMENTO, CA — Friends, activists, and leaders from the Armenian
National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) traveled to
Sacramento to take part in the California State Legislature’s
swearing-in ceremony for new and returning legislators. The December
4th inauguration of the newly elected and re-elected Assembly Members
and State Senators took place at noon in the State Capitol Building.
"The State of California is home to the largest Armenian American
community in the nation," remarked ANCA-WR Community Relations
Director Haig Hovsepian. "For this reason, our regional board
members and local ANC chapters were pleased to welcome many new and
returning legislators in Sacramento. After all, it is these officials,
people like Assembly Member Paul Krekorian, who will carry the hopes
and dreams of our community with them in Sacramento over the next
several years. The ANC is pleased to have strong relationships with a
vast majority of California’s state legislators," Hovsepian added.
The ANC delegation proudly attended a celebratory dinner for Paul
Krekorian on Sunday evening just prior to his swearing-in ceremony the
next day. At the dinner, ANC officials were joined by a broad array of
Krekorian supporters, celebrating the new Assembly Member’s success in
the 2006 election cycle. Krekorian soundly won his race for the 43rd
State Assembly District, which includes Burbank, Glendale as well as
parts of North Hollywood and Silver Lake.
"Paul Krekorian and his wife Tamar have been two of the most
active members of the Burbank ANC for the past several years,"
noted Arbi Ohanian, Chairman of the Burbank ANC. In recounting
Krekorian’s contribution to the local community, Ohanian emphasized,
"I can confidently say that the Burbank City Council’s Genocide
recognition observances and the effort to collect hundreds of donated
Armenian books for the Burbank Library system would not have been as
successful if not for Paul and Tamar."
One of the offices visited by the ANC delegation was that of newly
elected California State Senator, Dr. Leland Yee. Prior to his election
to the State Senate, Yee served as a State Assembly Member in the San
Francisco Bay Area. "Having collaborated with Senator Yee since
the early years of his political career, we feel very proud to have
been able to see him rise to a new level of responsibility and public
service as a Senate Senator," remarked Roxanne Makasdjian, Chair
of the San Francisco Bay Area ANC. Representatives from the ANCA-WR and
the Sacramento ANC were guests at Yee’s celebration dinner.
Following the swearing in ceremony for new legislators, several members
of the ANC delegation met with other elected officials including
Anthony Portantino, newly elected Assembly Member from the 44th
Assembly District, which includes Pasadena and La Canada. They also
visited the offices of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and spoke with Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was in the State Capitol for
the occasion.
"Traveling to Sacramento to welcome new state legislators is a
great experience for ANC leaders, friends and activists," remarked
the ANCA-WR’s Hovsepian. "As our network of grassroots supporters
grows, the ANC grows with them by providing new and more effective ways
to build relationships and educate local, state and federal officials.
Truly, our trip to Sacramento was democracy in action," he added.
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United
States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian-American community on a broad
range of issues.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
