ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/13/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://
1) Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Poochigian Bill on Armenian Genocide Heirs
2) NATO Cancels Exercises over Azeri Ban on Armenian Troops
3) Warning to Azerbaijan on Tragic Consequence of Renewed War
4) Arzumanyan Resigns as Administrative Head of Ninotsminda District
5) Aram I Discusses Genocide Anniversary of Genocide with Armenian Party Representatives
6) If You Build It, We Will Come
7) A B C easy as 1 2 3, oh simple as Do Re Mi
8) Interview with Rick Caruso
1) Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Poochigian Bill on Armenian Genocide Heirs
LOS ANGELES (ANC-WR)On Friday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
signed
into law Senate Bill 1689, which will exempt Armenian Genocide life insurance
settlements from state taxation and other calculations related to income.
Praising the move, Armenian National Committee Executive Director Ardashes
Kassakhian explained that Charles Poochigian’s bill addresses an injustice
that
New York Life insurance committed against its policy holders who were
massacred
by the Turkish authorities. “The road to justice for the victims of the
Armenian Genocide has been long and arduous. The passage of SB 1689 is an
important step in this process,” Kassakhian said.
The exemptions in the bill are similar to exemptions provided to
recipients of
the Holocaust. The bill was crafted because of the long-standing insurance
policy claims by survivors and descendants of the Armenian Genocide.
Prior to 1915, the New York Life Insurance Company wrote thousands of life
insurance policies to Armenians living on historic Armenian lands in the
Ottoman Empire. New York Life had refused to pay out many of the claims
until a
settlement was reached last year as a result of a class action lawsuit. SB
1689
allows the victims and their descendants to collect their settlements without
being subject to taxation by the State of California.
SB 1689 was introduced by Senator Poochigian on February 20 and was
subsequently referred to the committee on Revenue and Tax. The bill was passed
by a unanimous 11-0 vote in committee followed by a 37-0 vote by the entire
State Senate. SB 1689 secured strong support in the California State Assembly.
It was then sent to the Governor Schwarzenegger on September 2 and quickly
signed into law on September 10.
2) NATO Cancels Exercises over Azeri Ban on Armenian Troops
BRUSSELS (AFP/RFE-RL)NATO announced the cancellation of military exercises,
scheduled several months ago to take place on September 27 in Azerbaijan,
after
Baku said it did not want Armenian troops on its territory, a NATO spokesman
said on Monday.
The decision, taken by the supreme commander of allied forces in Europe US
General James Jones, came after five officers of the Armenian Armed Forces
were
denied entry visas by the Azeri embassy in Tbilisi.
News of the exercise cancellation coincided with a meeting in Brussels
between
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the visiting Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian. Oskanian praised the decision taken by the NATO
leadership, according to his press office. He at the same time regretted “the
loss of an opportunity for regional cooperation.”
PfP events, largely involving peace-keeping exercises, are organized and led
by NATO commanders. Under the terms of the program, a host country not
affiliated with the alliance cannot prevent any other partner state invited by
NATO organizers from sending troops to its soil.
“We regret that the principle of inclusiveness could not be upheld in this
case, leading to the cancellation of the exercise,” NATO said in a separate
statement.
Hundreds of people attended street protests in Baku over the past week
against
the expected arrival of Armenian officers. The Azeri media have joined in the
chorus of condemnations by running blank pages and suspending broadcasts to
get
the message across.
On Friday, Azerbaijan’s parliament adopted a message sent to de Hoop Scheffer
denouncing the initial inclusion of Armenian soldiers. Its position was
endorsed by Aliyev the next day. “I do not want Armenian servicemen to arrive
in Baku, and Azerbaijan will take necessary measures for it,” he told
reporters.
However, de Hoop Scheffer was quoted by an Armenian Foreign Ministry
statement
as telling Oskanian that Baku’s stance is “unacceptable” because it runs
counter to its PfP commitments.
The PfP exercises, codenamed Cooperative Best Effort 2004, were due to bring
together hundreds of troops from two dozen countries, including the United
States. Most of the participants appeared to have already arrived at their
venue near the Azeri capital.
In Yerevan, meanwhile, news of the Baku-bound Armenian officers’ early return
home was greeted with relief by some people interviewed on the streets. “The
Azeris’ refusal to let them in was wrong,” said one middle-aged woman. “But
the
security of our guys would not have been ensured there. So I’m glad that they
did not go.”
“If they did such a thing in Hungary, imagine what they would do on their
soil,” she added in reference to last February’s gruesome murder of an
Armenian
army lieutenant by a fellow Azeri officer attending a NATO course in
Budapest.
“What they did only harmed themselves, not us,” said one man.
3) Warning to Azerbaijan on Tragic Consequence of Renewed War
BAKU (PanArmenian/Itar Tass)–The US Ambassador to Azerbaijan said on Thursday
that an attempt to force a military solution to the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict would prove tragic not only to Azerbaijan, but also the entire
Caucuses region.
Reno Harnish, who has served as Ambassador to Azerbaijan for just a little
over a year, said during an interview with Baku-based Zerkalo newspaper that
with the stepped-up military training on both sides, Azerbaijan would bear
greater losses than its 30,000,000 casualties during the previous battle over
Karabagh.
He also mentioned the resulting 750,000 refugees, and warned that any
economic
progress since 1991 would be wasted.
Asked whether the US considers it possible to find a resolution of the
conflict that maintains the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Harnish
stressed that the US has backed all UN Security Council resolutions that
reflect the attitude of the international community on a solution to the
Karabagh conflict, within a certain time frame.
He also explained that at the OSCE Lisbon summit, the US voted for the
settlement principles put forth by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. “Thus, it is
quite clear which principles officially guide the US in this question,”
emphasized Harnish.
Harnish explained, however, that according to the US co-chairman of OSCE’s
Minsk group Steven Mann, the US–as a member of that group tasked with finding
a resolution to the conflict–“must act within its mandate–thus seek a just
and long-term solution to the conflict.”
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are due to meet at the CIS summit in
Astana, Kazakhstan that convenes on Wednesday.
As he addressed correspondents in the town of Barda in western Azerbaijan on
Saturday, Azeri president Ilham Aliyev said the meeting would clarify whether
an agreement is close at hand, or if the sides are drifting away from finding
one.
As he met with a group of refugees in the Barda district earlier in the day,
he stressed that the Azeri government envisioned an increase of defense
spending in 2005 “to strengthen our Armed Forces and make the army one of the
guarantors of settling the Karabagh conflict.”
While he reiterated that the country seeks a peaceful solution, he threatened
that the people of Azerbaijan would free occupied territories by any means.
“We
have all the prerequisites for it–patriotic spirit, moral mobilization of our
people, and the persistently growing economic potential.”
As he addressed a meeting with public representatives in Barda on the same
day, Aliyev said: “The people of Azerbaijan must be prepared to liberate its
occupied lands by force.”
4) Arzumanyan Resigns as Administrative Head of Ninotsminda District
AKHALKALAK (A1plus/Armenpress)On Monday, Rafik Arzumanyan, administrative head
of Georgia’s Ninotsminda District, sent in his resignation to President
Mikhail
Saakashvili. Although reasons for his resignation are not cited, it is
believed
that Arzumanyan’s resignation is connected with the September 6 incident
between the employees of Georgia’s National Security Ministry and ethnic
Armenians in Ninotsminda.
As reported, two ethnic Georgians initiated a clash between Georgians and
ethnic Armenians in the southern Georgian region of Ninotsminda on
September 6.
After drinking in a restaurant, the chief of the Georgian National Security
Ministry’s local branch, and the deputy head of the Ninotsminda district
council, attempted to fill up their car at a local gas station without paying,
saying that Ninotsminda belongs to Georgians and everything should be free for
Georgians.
After being denied free gas by the Armenian employee, the Georgian officials
attacked and beat him. The local police interfered, but were unable to stop
the
shoot-out that followed a fistfight. The Georgian officials were arrested and
transported to Akhaltsikha.
5) Aram I Discusses Genocide Anniversary of Genocide with Armenian Party
Representatives
ANTELIASOn Saturday, September 11, Catholicos of Cilicia His Holiness Aram I
held a meeting with representatives of Lebanon’s three main Armenian political
partiesthe ARF, the Hunchak party, and Ramkavar partyto discuss the joint
activities and programs commemorating the upcoming 90th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide. His Holiness stressed the necessity of working together to
organize the events. The meeting provided an opportunity for
representatives of
the three parties to share ideas and focus on the task at hand.
6) If You Build It, We Will Come
By Skeptik Sinikian
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Glendale is a world of its own.
Sometimes, I feel as though it’s a biosphere experiment, fully contained and
independent of the world around it. The upcoming special municipal election is
evidence to back my theory and for anyone who has been living in a cave in the
Verdugo Mountains for the last three years, here’s the Skeptik ynopsis.
On September 14, Glendalers (I refuse to dignify them with an “ian” ending
call me a snob if you wish) will go to the polls to decide whether they want a
Town Center built in Downtown Glendale or not. If you drive through
Glendale as
often as I do, then you must have noticed the “No on A, B, and C” or “Yes
on A,
B, and C” signs littered all over the place. And contrary to what you may
think
after visiting the city, Glendale is not hosting an election to promote or get
rid of the alphabet or literacy. By voting “yes” on A, B, and C, Glendalers
will approve the project proposed by wealthy developer Rick Caruso of Caruso
Affiliated. If you vote “No” on A, B, and C then you support another wealthy
entityGeneral Growth Properties, owners of that vast wasteland and black hole
of suburban culture known as the Glendale Galleria (just typing those two
words
brought back horrendous Christmas shopping memories.) Now either way, the only
real people benefiting from either decision are people who have more money
than
they know what to do with, who care more about their off-shore bank accounts
than Glendale, even if it were ravaged by the bubonic plague. Voters will
have
to forget this for a minute while they are herded to the polls on Tuesday to
cast their ballots. It’s like having an executioner ask you if prefer to be
stoned to death or hung. At first you think you have a choice but you realize
the end results are the same and you resent even being asked.
It would seem as though Glendalers were stuck between a Rick and a hard place
until you drive by the area where the development is supposed to be built. You
can’t miss it. It’s that vast area of nothingness in south Glendale right
before the miles of car dealerships and nothing else. The area is anchored by
an empty asphalt lot used by Galleria employees as a parking lot during the
Holiday season.
It’s no secret that when coming up with weekend plans, Glendale doesn’t make
it on anyone’s list of top three destinations unless you happen to be a
fourteen year old unibrowed kid in Adidas warm-ups who likes to smoke
cigarettes while watching frog statues randomly spit water. Why has Glendale
been black listed? Is it because there’s nothing to do in Glendale past 9 PM?
Is it because Brand Boulevard is spattered with random, mediocre
restaurants, a
beauty academy, and even more random clothing and gift stores? I personally
think that much like some of its more bigoted residents, Glendale has no
heart.
No center of gravity. Nothing to pull people towards it. Everyone seems to
prefer either Pasadena’s Old Town or Burbank’s Media Center.
Personally, I think it’s high time that Glendale had a “Town Center.” The
only
argument that merits any type of consideration from the opposition is the
complaint that the development would increase traffic in the area. But the
Galleria complaining about traffic problems is like a chain smoker complaining
to a waiter about the person at the next table smoking a fat cigar. I’ve read
the arguments for and against this project and I personally believe that with
the new development, the city will actually take steps to fix the traffic
problem in the area. I’m sure that amongst the people who are complaining
about
traffic, there are a few SUV ownersthe same one’s who think that their
gigantic
hunk of steel designed to fit every known animal on it two-by-two will fit
into
the compact car parking space in the Galleria parking lot. It’s people who
drive 5 miles-to-the-gallon Hummers that make me glad that oil prices are
at an
all time high. But that’s a rant for another day.
I’m also convinced that with a premiere shopping area next to it, the
Galleria
will be compelled to redesign and revamp the enclosed capitalist red brick
gulag into a nicer, outdoor type shopping center. I haven’t stepped foot
inside
the Galleria for nearly three years and I don’t have any plans of doing so in
the near future either. If I wanted to go to a depressing, enclosed space
filled with obnoxious, rude, horny teenagers, I’d visit my old high school.
I hope Glendalers vote to build the Town Center and I hope they do it soon. I
promised myself that I wouldn’t touch this topic with a ten foot pole, but it
seems as though everywhere I turn, people are talking about this issue. So I’m
putting in my two cents with the hope of urging people to abandon the NIMBY
(Not In My Back Yard) attitude and do what’s right for this city. In an ideal
world, we’d build a nice park with a monument to the martyrs of the Armenian
Genocide in the area that’s going to be developed. But a park and monument
won’t generate tax revenue for the city. And even a monument won’t knock some
sense into the chain-smoking fourteen year olds hanging out at the Marketplace
up the street. But a Town Center will hopefully provide us with a decent park,
some stores with merchandise worth purchasing, and a place of congregation for
those of us who are seeking a change of scenery from Burbank and Pasadena.
Just vote “yes” on this project and let’s build something that will put
Glendale back on the map rather than keeping it the no-man’s land/buffer zone
between Burbank and Pasadena. If you build it, we will come.
Skeptik Sinikian encourages people to vote their conscience on September
14regardless of their choices.
He can be reached for comment at [email protected] or visit his website
at
7) A B C easy as 1 2 3, oh simple as Do Re Mi
By Garen Yegparian
With apologies to the Jackson 5, and those who don’t live in Glendale,
I’ll be
addressing the three ballot measures citizens of that fair city will vote for
or against on Tuesday, September 14.
Measures A, B, and C address different aspects of enabling the
construction of
a major downtown development including retail, office, and residential space.
It would be similar to and built by the same company that developed The Grove
at Fairfax and Second in Los Angeles.
Those opposing the measures cite increased traffic and crime, use of
redevelopment funds, housing/environmental issues, and competition to the
Glendale Galleria.
Regarding traffic issues, naturally more cars will enter the area when such a
large project is built. This is understandably distasteful for those who
already sit in their cars while crawling at a snail’s pace. Conversely,
traffic
engineers do come up with solutions.
An example from neighboring city, Burbank, might be illuminating. Many who
live, work, and shop in the area know “five points,” which was a five-way
intersection with hellish traffic. A very large development of stores was
built
adjacent to it. The intersection was reconfigured with grand promises of
improved traffic flow. In fact, ramps from I-5 are also to be built to serve
this area. Everybody seems to wait, idling behind red lights, for just as long
as ever. So, frustrated city staff did a traffic count. Pleasantly surprised,
they discovered that the number of cars going through that intersection had
increased from about 4000 to about 40,000. Not bad, ten times the flow,
with no
increased waiting. The moral of the story is, there are solutions to traffic
problems.
Some $77 million dollars of Glendale Redevelopment Agency money will be
allocated to this project. Some rightly argue, “Why give a rich guy more of
the
public’s money to make even more money for himself?” Unfortunately,
redevelopment funds can only be used in certain, restricted ways. One way or
the other, some “rich guy” will end up with it as local government strives to
improve pre-designated areas of the city, in accordance with state law.
While I
too find it disturbing that public money is privatized in this manner, it
hardly makes a difference to which “rich guy” it goes.
For me, the housing/environmental issue is the most salient. More than
seventy
residential units are part of this project. This kind of high-density
living is
absolutely necessary if Southern California is to remain livable. Sprawling
endlessly like some deformed fungal growth across the landscape is not
something that is sustainable. SCAG (Southern California Association of
Governments) recently issued a report predicting dire consequencestremendous
congestion and pollutionif the region continues growing in the same fashion as
in the recent past. Sprawl destroys virgin wildlands, causes extinction, and
reduces space available for people to recreatea necessary part of remaining
sane. High-density developments, with attendant public transportation and open
space, must become the largest portion of new residential construction.
People,
over the years, will overcome their aversion to this approach. It will take
time, but we must start somewhere.
Fear of increased crime following increased numbers of people is also likely
misplaced because of the types of people this kind of “lifestyle” attracts.
Does the Glendale Galleria, adjacent to the site of the proposed project,
invite increased crime? People will be working, living, and playing in an
open-air setting.
One of the biggest opponents of this project is the Galleria. This mall’s
owners, rightly, fear the competition from a near-by complex of stores.
This is
accentuated by the growing appeal of un-enclosed settings throughout the
United
States. The era of the enclosed mall seems to be ending. Those who own such
properties are understandably worried. Some people argue that the
redevelopment
funds would be better spent on improving the existing mall.
It seems both those who support and oppose this project have resorted to
hyperbole in advocating their position. This has engendered cynicism among
votersan unhealthy and undesirable outcome regardless of the ultimate vote
tallies for these ballot measures. In addition, the sheer volume of mail and
telephone contact has fatigued voters.
Glendale citizens will have to consider these and many others issues and
risks. To go forward with the new project portends some of the ills,
attenuated
or not, mentioned above. To deny this project could mean the long-term loss of
sales tax revenue, a very important source of municipal income for California
citiesif enclosed malls go the way of bell-bottoms and afros.
8) Interview with Rick Caruso
Glendale’s airwaves are booming with heated debate on the pros and cons of
building a proposed Town Center in the heart of downtown Glendale. In a
special
September 14 election, Glendale voters will consider the proposed $264 million
retail and residential development project, casting their ballots on three
ordinancesknown as A-B-Cthat concern the project’s planning and zoning and the
development agreement between Caruso Affiliated and the city. Although Rick
Caruso, the Founder and President of Caruso Affiliated got the go-ahead from
the Glendale City Council to build The Americana at Brand (Town Center), the
referendum was forced by opponents led by the Galleria’s owners, General
Growth
Properties Inc., the second-largest US shopping mall proprietor.
Both sides say they expect the vote to be close, and have spent close to $1
million to defend their issues. The ensuing battle has not been pretty.
Asbarez
spoke with Caruso about the issues on the minds of voters.
WHEN YOU BUILD A STRUCTURE SUCH AS THE TOWN CENTER, YOUR INTENT IS TO
NATURALLY ATTRACT PEOPLE. HOW CAN YOU TACKLE TRAFFIC THAT IS ALREADY HEAVY IN
THE AREA?
There’s no question more cars will be added to the streets. A ton of money
will be spent on improving traffic, specifically $14 million to improve
traffic
flow. Studies show that 14 intersections will get better. Past experience
shows
that there will be no negative impact on traffic in the area. That was the
result achieved at the Grove [Caruso’s 575,000 square foot project adjacent to
the Farmers Market in Los Angeles]all the intersections improved. The area
around South Brand has not seen any new developments or investments in a very
long time. As a result, there has been no improvements in fixing the streets,
including street widening or new signal systems. A number of things can be
done
to improve the freeways. We are spending $1.5 million of our own money to
design changes to exits and entrances. I am confident that everything will
operate even more smoothly when completed. Traffic studies conducted show
this.
The traffic issue is a scare tactic.
BUT PEOPLE ARE CALLING THE INVESTMENT THE CITY IS MAKING IN THIS TOWN
CENTER,
SIMPLY A BAD ONE.
I disagree strongly with that. The city will get all their money back plus
profit. Of the $77 million figure set aside, $65 million is for the
acquisition
of land that the city bought over 20 yearsand the city will retain most of the
land; $12 million is for public improvement. The city is expected make $3.5
million in new tax revenues per year from sales and property taxes. Over the
next 30 years, an estimated $109 million will be made in taxes$16 million
would
go to public schools and private agencies.
HOW WILL THE PROJECT AFFECT EXISTING SMALL BUSINESSES?
I know it will help the small businesses. It happened at the Grove because it
brought increased shoppers to the area. Right now, there are 15 acres of empty
lot and run down buildings. That hurts the area. It will create more shoppers
walking around Brand. With new stores, parking structures, etc., people will
flock to the area. The tax receipts for stores on 3rd street, Beverly Dr., La
Brea, and Fairfax [area surrounding the Grove] show a 65% increase since the
Grove was built. There is always a spillover effect. That’s why the city wants
to invest this money.
BUT WILL YOU ENCOURAGE THE GROWTH OF LOCAL BUSINESSES?
Absolutely…We not only have programs within our company that reduce rental
rates [for small businesses] but we also programs called ‘incubating small
businesses.’ For example, we have a jeweler at the Grove, Tracy Allen, who
used
to sell products door to door. We helped her build a store, rent-free and now
she is very successful and pays rent.
WHY DO YOU THINK THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CENTER SO ACTIVE IN THIS
COMMUNITY?
General Growth properties, the owners of the Glendale Galleria, don’t want
the
project built. They don’t want competition, and this isn’t good for the city.
They want to maintain a monopoly, at any cost. It has even been said that I
don’t like Armenians and am trying to drive them away from the city which is
absolutely not truemy sister-in-law is Armenian and lives in the area. It’s
very unfair and wrong, and we took them to court. Though the court ruled that
they lied to the public, and ordered them to stop, they continue.
DID YOU FACE OPPOSITION WHEN DOING THE GROVE?
Yes, but not to this extent. The Beverly Center tried to stop it, but wasn’t
as vicious as the company that owns the Glendale Galleria. Malls will try to
stop such projects because they don’t want to reduce their rental rates as a
result of the emerging competition. That’s what they’re trying to prevent.
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.