GLENDALE—Longtime community leader and small business owner Elen Asatryan has launched an unprecedented grassroots campaign for her Glendale City Council bid. Asatryan became the first candidate to file and qualify to be on the June 7th ballot and submitted double the number of signature sheets required just a week after the nomination period opened, showcasing broad community support for her candidacy. If elected, Asatryan would be the first Armenian-American woman on the Glendale City Council and at age 39 the youngest woman ever elected to that office.
“My experience has more than prepared me for the challenges we all face —whether it is the rise in homelessness and crime, small businesses struggling to stay afloat, people feeling left behind by unaffordable rents and the rising cost of living or ensuring that our families and children have clean air to breathe,” Asatryan said. “I am ready to take on these challenges and to chart a new course for the city we love–grounded in our common vision of efficient, responsive, and transparent city government.”
When elected, Asatryan will advocate for affordable housing; improve neighborhood safety; build more parks; promote traffic decongestion and walkable neighborhoods; champion environmentally friendly policies; invest in the arts; and promote programs that help small businesses and create local jobs.
“I believe now is the time to elect someone with experience in policy and government who can make change where it counts,” Asatryan said. “I will lead with courage, integrity and empathy, while bringing my experience and proven track record of helping everyday people succeed, and our residents and small businesses cut through the bureaucratic red tape. I know how to get things done,” she added.
Since the launch of her campaign, Asatryan has held more public facing events than any other candidate in the race, garnering support from a broad coalition of groups, diverse communities, residents, and small business owners in Glendale. The campaign has 4 upcoming events next week with details available at electelen.com/events
An award-winning human and civil rights activist, community organizer, and businesswoman who has invested a majority of her life in Glendale and its challenges, she proudly remains a product of the city that afforded her all of her opportunities.
Elen volunteered on her first campaign at just 15 years old, where she discovered her passion for public service and giving voice to the underrepresented; by the age of 19, she served as a campaign manager for a local election in Glendale. This helped pave her career of leading successful community and advocacy initiatives to bring about policy changes that positively affect people’s daily lives.
Spanning over two decades, Elen led successful initiatives and campaigns on the local, state, and federal level, which include: expanding green space and access to programs for low-income families and marginalized communities as the Chair of the Glendale Parks and Recreation Commission; establishing the Glendale Domestic Violence Task Force; helping residents and small businesses cut through the bureaucratic red tape; ensuring equal access and representation at government entities; creating public policy fellowship and internship programs for high schoolers, college students, and recent college graduates; launching and implementing voter registration, education, and GOTV initiatives, which resulted in registering over 50,000 new voters in LA County alone, leading to record-breaking voter turnout in some of the most competitive elections.
Asatryan has been a passionate leader in the Armenian community. She served as Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America – Glendale and the Western Region (ANCA-WR), a grassroots public affairs organization devoted to advancing issues of concern to the Armenian-American community in 19 western U.S. States. She secured recognition for the Armenian Genocide and Republic of Artsakh, and the adoption of the Genocide education curriculum in California public schools. She is the recipient of the Gratitude Medal from Artsakh Republic.
Most recently, during the Artsakh war, Asatryan helped lead efforts in organizing the communities across the United States, and as an elected member of the LACDP and a DSCC Member of the California Democratic Party, authored and passed several resolutions condemning Turkey and Azerbaijan for the war crimes they committed over the course of 44 days after their attack on the Republic of Artsakh and Armenia, which began on September 27, 2020. The resolutions, which became one of thirteen Party priorities, also urged Congress and the Biden Administration to sanction Turkey and Azerbaijan and demand that Azerbaijani authorities immediately release all Armenian POWS and captured civilians. Furthermore, they called on the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the State Teachers’ Retirement System to take socially responsible steps and divest all public employee retirement funds from investment vehicles issued by Turkey and Azerbaijan until Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923, and until the people of Artsakh are afforded the opportunity of self-determination on their indigenous lands.
Asatryan’s commitment to her community and civic engagement, in general, is evident in the years she has dedicated to serving on various committees and boards of local and regional organizations including: the City of Glendale Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission, where she served as Chairwoman, board member of the Glendale Youth Alliance, Glendale Community Police Partnership Advisory Committee, the Glendale Unified School District Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, Los Angeles County Voter Outreach Committee, Los Angeles City Voter Outreach and Education Committee, and many more. She is currently an elected member of the LACDP representing the 43rd Assembly District, as well as a DSCC member.
After a long career and history of service that ingrained her into the political fabric of the region, Elen decided to further serve her community through a new avenue. She founded The Stark Group—a consulting firm specializing in public affairs, nonprofits, advocacy, and campaigns. Through her consulting work, Elen shows a deep commitment to protecting the rights and advancing the interests of underrepresented and underserved communities, including women, minorities, and working-class people.
Elen Asatryan’s vision for Glendale includes:
A culture change at city hall, which makes the delivery of services efficient, transparent and accessible.
Smart development that includes affordable housing and green space, relieves traffic congestion and improves walkability,
A robust economic development department that helps small businesses prosper;
Investments in sustainable energy, green solutions, and open spaces within walking distance from homes;
Expansion of refined public safety programs to ensure our police and fire have the resources they need to keep neighborhoods safe;
Dynamic arts and recreation programs that unite communities and promote the mental and physical health of residents;
Sophisticated community outreach and widely accessible city services that engage all residents.
Elen and her family moved to Glendale from Armenia when she was at the formative age of 10. She is a graduate of Columbus Elementary School, Toll Middle School, Herbert Hoover High School, and UCLA. Juggling work and school, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with concentrations in American Politics and International Relations.
The Glendale City Council election is scheduled to take place on June 7, 2022. All registered voters in Glendale will be mailed a ballot week of May 9. Those not registered, may register to vote at lavote.gov
To learn more about, get involved in, and contribute to Asatryan’s campaign visit www.electelen.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the campaign’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ElenAsatryan