Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
ancwr@anca.org

PRESS RELEASE

May 7, 2009
Contact: Andrew Kzirian

Armenian American Delegates Make their Mark on California Democratic
Party Convention

Sacramento, CA – Armenian Americans from across California joined
Democratic Party delegates for the 2009 California Democratic Party
(CDP) convention hosted in Sacramento. The event drew public
officials and party leaders from across the state to elect CDP leaders
and discuss policy issues and challenges facing the Golden State.
Among the many delegates were over a dozen Armenian Americans,
including several ANC activists. The weekend-long convention began on
April 24th coinciding with the annual commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide.

`I was proud to see so many Armenian Americans from across California
participate in this year’s convention,’ said Aida Dimejian, a
convention delegate from Pasadena. `There were young and old Armenian
American delegates attending their first convention joined by seasoned
party faithful with several years of convention experience, yet we
were all here to make sure our community’s voice was heard as we cast
our votes in determining the course of action and future leadership of
the party,’ she added.

Retired California Senator Art Torres, the outgoing chairman of the
CDP opened the convention on Friday evening and during the welcome
reception read a letter from the Armenian National Committee – Western
Region (ANC-WR) explaining the significance of April 24th and
remembering the Armenian Genocide in California.

"The California Legislature has passed several resolutions over the
years reaffirming and remembering the Armenian Genocide, but Chairman
Torres’ reading of the ANC letter and asking for a moment of silence
in front of hundreds of convention participants was the most heartfelt
acknowledgment I have seen in the past 17 years that I have been a
delegate to the CDP convention," said Richelle Noroyan, a delegate
from Santa Cruz.

Armenian American delegates also actively participated in many of the
convention events including several of the ethnic caucuses and
committee meetings. Aram Kaloustian, a delegate from Los Angeles,
attended the California Young Democrats (CYD) caucus with fellow
first-time convention delegate Gagik Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan, a
resident of Glendale and a student at Woodbury University in Burbank,
took the opportunity to educate caucus members about the Armenian
Genocide while Kaloustian discussed the importance of engaging more
Armenian American youth with CYD leaders.

`At the [California] Young Democrats’ caucus I was reminded of the
many strong and vibrant leaders of our Armenian American youth
organizations,’ said Kaloustian. `In the coming years I know we will
be seeing even more young Armenian Americans participating in local
Democratic party clubs and joining us as delegates at the annual state
convention,’ he added.

Throughout the weekend, Armenian American delegates and convention
attendees met with numerous party leaders including Los Angeles County
Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman and African American Caucus Chair
Dean Parker in addition to local public officials including Lieutenant
Governor John Garamendi, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, California
Senator Gloria Romero, California Senator Alex Padilla, California
Assembly Members Paul Krekorian, Anthony Portantino, Mike Feuer and
Bob Blumenfield, as well as Pasadena City Council Member and former
Mayor Chris Holden.

`President Obama’s statement on the Armenian Genocide was released on
the opening day of the convention and unfortunately it fell far short
of what we as Armenian American Democrats expected,’ noted Nishan
Bostanian, a convention delegate from Los Angeles. `However, Armenian
Americans were not the only ones disappointed in his failure to
unequivocally reaffirm this crime against humanity. Many delegates
and party leaders made their concerns known to us in our discussions
with them,’ he added.

Bostanian noted that Chairman Torres’ address to the convention floor
on April 24th was more in-line with the Democratic Party’s principles
than President Obama’s statement. He was hopeful that President Obama
and his advisors took note of the forthright way in which the largest
state in the country addressed the issue.

For Nayiri Keosseian, a recent graduate of the University of Southern
California and a delegate from Glendale, the convention was a great
learning experience that exemplified the grassroots nature of
community empowerment.

`Having studied political science at USC it was a great opportunity to
see the political process in action,’ remarked Keosseian. `This was
an eye opening and educational weekend and I hope to see more Armenian
Americans as convention delegates and participants next year,’ she
added.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest
Armenian American grassroots community organization in the Western
United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and
affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR works to
promote understanding regarding issues of concern to the Armenian
American community.