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GLENDALE--The Armenian
National Committee - Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC) announced
this week its endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
for the upcoming March 3rd LA city elections.
"The ANC-PAC is pleased to endorse Mayor Villaraigosa who has been a
steadfast and vocal supporter of issues of concern to the Armenian
American community," said ANC-PAC chairperson, Armen Martin.
In 2007, at the urging and support of Mayor Villaraigosa, the Los
Angeles City Council passed a resolution urging the House of
Representatives to pass H. Res. 106. His support of the resolution
made him a target of the Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles who
sent the mayor a letter and provided Turkish government
pseudo-academic propaganda in order to pressure him into changing
his stance. In response, Mayor Villaraigosa donated the books to the
community for educational purposes along with a letter to the
Turkish Consul General reiterating his support for Armenian Genocide
recognition.
In 1994, Villaraigosa was elected to the California State Assembly;
four years later, his colleagues elected him the first Assembly
Speaker from Los Angeles in 25 years.
During his tenure in the State Assembly, Villaraigosa was a
consistent supporter of Armenian Genocide recognition resolutions
and other bills of importance to the Armenian community. After
serving as Speaker, Villaraigosa served as a member of the Los
Angeles City Council where championed official where he continued
his Armenian Genocide affirmation and supported community efforts to
create a Los Angeles-Yerevan Sister City relationship.
During the 2004 Presidential election season, Villaraigosa was
selected by then Democratic Presidential Nominee Senator John Kerry
to chair the Democratic Party Platform Committee. As Chair of the
Platform Committee, Villaraigosa led the effort to include Armenian
Genocide affirmation and Nagorno-Karabakh self-determination
language as part of the Platform.
The ANC-PAC is a non-partisan federally registered political action
committee established to support political candidates who share the
values of the Armenian American Community. For more information, you
may logon to
www.ancpac.org.
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