Armenian National Committee – San Francisco Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: (415) 387-3433 Fax: (415) 751-0617
Email: mail@ancsf.org Web:
PRESS RELEASE
August 8, 2011
Contact: Armen Carapetian
Office: (415) 387-3433
OREGON LABOR COMMISSIONER AND CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE VISITS SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – On Sunday, August 7, 2011, the San Francisco Bay
Area Armenian National Committee (Bay Area ANC), in partnership with
the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region, hosted a
reception for Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and
Industries and Congressional Candidate Brad Avakian. More than 75
community members attended the event to hear about Avakian’s
background and his bid to represent Oregon’s 1st Congressional
District. This was the second such event for Avakian in the Golden
State over the week.
“It is nice to have a member of Congress that will be a reliable vote
on your issues, but I plan to go to Congress and be the flag bearer
for Armenians every single day,” stated Avakian to the San Francisco
Armenian community. “My grandparents came to this country fleeing
oppression and seeking opportunity. It is my pledge to never forget
where I come from or why my family came to this country.”
Brad Avakian was born in Fresno, CA before moving to Oregon. His
grandfather had moved to Fresno from Moush in 1898 and his grandmother
had moved to Fresno from Bitlis in 1900. He graduated from Oregon
State University with a degree in Psychology before receiving his
Juris Doctorate from Lewis and Clark Law School. He was a Civil rights
attorney before being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
in 2002 and was elected to the Oregon State Senate in 2006. In 2008,
he was appointed by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski to be the
Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. In April of
2011, Avakian announced his intention to run for a seat in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
“Brad Avakian is a proven public servant who will make a great
addition to the growing number of friends of Armenian Americans in
Congress,” stated Bay Area ANC Board Member Matt Senekeremian. “We are
honored that he took the time to visit our community to share his
plans for this seat.”
To learn more about Brad Avakian and his campaign, please visit
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NOTE TO EDITOR: Photo attached. Photo caption: Oregon Labor
Commissionar Brad Avakian (second from left) with Bay Area ANC
activists Razmig Kalayjian, Matt Senekeremian, and Sahag Mahseredjian.