+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, September 22, 2005

Contact: Talin Gregorian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

VILLARAIGOSA ANNOUNCES KEY APPOINTMENTS OF ARMENIAN AMERICANS TO HIS
ADMINISTRATION

Four Armenian American Community Members Named to Los Angeles Mayor’s
Administration

LOS ANGELES, CA – Newly elected Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
Antonio Villaraigosa this week announced appointments of Armenian
Americans to one of the city’s departments and various
commissions. The announcement of Maria Armoudian, Ara Bedrosian, Ed
Ebrahimian, and Raffi Ghazarian to the City of Los Angeles’
administration came during special remarks the Mayor delivered at the
2005 Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR)
Annual Banquet.

`There were a great deal of people wanting to be a part of my
administration because we said that it would be an administration that
would reflect every community in Los Angeles,’ said Mayor Villaraigosa
during his remarks.

Most notably, the Mayor appointed Ed Ebrahimian General Manager of the
Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting. Ebrahimian is the Mayor
Villaraigosa’s first appointment as a department head and is the first
Armenian American to head a department in the City of Los
Angeles. Prior to his appointment, Ebrahimian served as the Interim
Director of the department. As General Manager, he will be in charge
of the department which is responsible for providing over 5,000 miles
of street lighting, which includes over 240,000 street lights, within
the city. The Bureau of Street Lighting is one of six bureaus in the
Los Angeles City Department of Public Works and is responsible for the
design, construction, operation, maintenance, and repair of the city’s
street lighting system. Ebrahimian is a longtime member of the
Homenetmen Glendale `Ararat’ Chapter.

Maria Armoudian was appointed to the Los Angeles Commission of
Environmental Affairs. She is on the Board of Directors of KPFK radio
and its parent company Pacifica Foundation. Armoudian is the host and
producer of `Insighters,’ which airs Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. on
KPFK. She was an instrumental part of State Senator Richard Alarcon’s
staff, and remains an ANCA activist.

Ara Bedrosian, an ANCA-WR Board member and Chairman of the National
Organization of Republican Armenians (NORA) was appointed to the Los
Angeles Police Permits Review Commission. He is an attorney in a
private practice law firm in downtown Los Angeles.

Raffi Ghazarian, who is a member of the Armenian Youth Federation
(AYF) Camp Management Board, Homenetmen `Masis’ Chapter’s athletic
director, and a former longtime AYF member, was appointed to the Los
Angeles Children, Youth, and Their Families Commission.

Since taking office, Mayor Villaraigosa has honored his pledge to have
Los Angeles’ diverse ethnic communities represented in his
administration. Speaking in front of the over 600 attendees of the
ANCA-WR Annual Banquet, the Mayor emphasized that he made the first
appointments of Armenian Americans because they were the best
candidates for the chosen roles. Mayor Villaraigosa’s appointments are
subject to confirmation by the Los Angeles City Council.

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.

Editor’s Note: Photo attached. Photo caption: Newly appointed General
Manager of the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting, Ed Ebrahimian.

#####