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Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
ancawr@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Friday, April 15, 2005

Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA ENDORSES ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA FOR MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
announced today that it has endorsed Los Angeles City Council Member
Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor of Los Angeles.

The ANCA conducted a vigorous evaluation process in which it met with
both Los Angeles Council Member Antonio Villaraigosa and incumbent
Mayor James Hahn on multiple occasions in order to make an informed
decision.

“We have met with the candidates and, after careful consideration,
have decided that the City of Los Angeles needs the kind of energetic
and visionary leadership Antonio Villaraigosa offers to the hundreds
of thousands of Armenian Americans who call Los Angeles home,” stated
ANCA board member Steven J. Dadaian. “Having worked closely with
Antonio over the past decade on the city, state and national levels,
it is clear that he possesses both a keen understanding of the unique
diversity of Los Angeles and has a deep appreciation for the Armenian
community. He has the skills and energy necessary to unite and lead
Los Angeles toward a brighter future.”

Villaraigosa has worked closely with the Armenian American community
and the ANCA throughout his years as a Los Angeles City Council
Member and Speaker of the California State Assembly. As Speaker,
he led the effort to include the Armenian Genocide in the state’s
mandatory curriculum for public education as well as outlawing foreign
governments like Turkey from endowing chairs in state universities
with the intent of conducting work to deny the Armenian Genocide. “I
am thrilled to receive this endorsement and upon election as mayor
pledge to continue working closely with the ANCA to make sure the
Armenian American community has a seat at the table in the life and
future direction of the city,” said Antonio Villaraigosa.

The ANCA encourages Armenian Americans to vote for Antonio Villaraigosa
for Mayor of Los Angeles during the run-off election on Tuesday,
May 17.

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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