Karo Torossian (Photo: Dan Tuffs/KPCC)
TUJUNGA, Calif.—Karo Torossian’s City Council campaign is building a large, broad and diverse coalition of community leaders. Torossian this week received endorsements from Mónica Ratliff, Venessa Martinez, and Olga Ayala.
Ratliff, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member in the area (District 6), was also the third-place finisher in the March 7, 2017, Council District 7 (CD7) primary election, garnering 14 percent of the vote. Martinez is a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice under Xavier Becerra and was the sixth place finisher in the March 7 City Council Primary Election. Ayala is a longtime organizer in the Northeast Valley’s Latino community and also a former City Council candidate, finishing seventh in the field of 20.
With Martinez and Ayala now on board, Karo has been endorsed by the top three women candidates in the CD7 race, his opponent notwithstanding.
“I fully support Karo and hope that my supporters and those who are undecided will vote for him in May,” said LA School Board member Mónica Ratliff. “It is extremely important to me that we, the voters, support candidates who are willing to put the interests of the voter and constituent above special interests and the establishment. I believe that Karo is fully committed to supporting constituents in CD7.”
“Mónica Ratliff is a highly respected community leader and a dedicated public servant who has done so much to improve the lives of children and the families throughout the Northeast San Fernando Valley” said Torossian. “I’m honored to have her endorsement and ecstatic to work with her as part of the broad and growing coalition of neighborhood leaders who are supporting my City Council campaign.”
“I am convinced Karo will be a fighter for our communities,” Martinez said. “He’s the kind of guy that stays up all night trying to figure out the answer to a neighborhood problem. He wants with his whole heart to serve, to find a solution to big issues, and to keep working and seeking information until he finds that solution. He is humble and tenacious. This is our chance for new day in CD7.”
“The Latino community is an incredible community and we deserve the best,” Ayala said. “We have a lot of potential, a lot of talent, but unfortunately we have not received the support we deserve from our representatives. That is why I support Karo Torossian. He is intelligent and humble, but most importantly he cares about the well-being of the community.”
After the announcement of Martinez and Ayala, Torossian said “I’m honored and humbled to win Venessa’s and Olga’s support. They are two of the most community-minded people I know who care most about making Council District 7 a better place. Our coalition of community leaders is unprecedented and growing every day. We have a shared outlook and goals: to represent the interests of all residents, to reject the corrosive influence of special interests, and to improve city services in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, an area that has been neglected for far too long.”
Torossian, one of the top two finishers out of 20 candidates for City Council in the March 7 Primary Election, will face Monica Rodriguez in the May 16 General Election.
Karo Torossian is the Director of Planning and the Environment for L.A. City Councilman Paul Krekorian. In his position, he has created hundreds of jobs for Angelenos, has built parks from vacant lots, and oversees the revitalization of the L.A. River. He was born and raised in the East San Fernando Valley and lives in Tujunga with his wife and two young children. karo4council.com
Source: Asbarez
Link: Community Leaders Endorse Karo Torossian for City Council