LOS ANGELES, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) and its 5 local chapters in the City of Los Angeles, ANCA Hollywood, ANCA Crescenta Valley, ANCA San Fernando Valley East, West and North congratulate Eric Garcetti on being elected as the next Mayor for the great City of Los Angeles. Though the City Clerk has not yet returned canvass for the May 21, 2013 City of Los Angeles Elections, Garcetti stands strong with a 26,498 vote difference over Wendy Greuel.

“The ANCA-WR congratulates Mr. Garcetti and looks forward to continuing its strong working relationship with him,” stated Elen Asatryan, ANCA-WR Executive Director. “We are confident that he will move the City of Los Angeles in the right direction as Mayor and will continue to stand strong on issues of importance to his large Armenian-American constituent base,” continued Asatryan.

As the councilmember representing Little Armenia, Garcetti has always been a great friend and a strong supporter on issues of concern to the Armenian-American community. His many accomplishments include consistently calling upon the U.S. Government to recognize the independence of Artsakh and the Armenian Genocide, helping initiate the sister-city partnership between Los Angeles and Yerevan, advocating for city council to add Armenian language to election ballots and materials, and providing funding to support programs and projects of many community based organizations and projects such as the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen L.A., Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and the Armenian Youth Federation. As Mayor, Garcetti will be representing over 150,000 Armenian-Americans that live in the City of Los Angeles.

ANCA-WR endorsed Garcetti and Greuel in both the primary and general elections given that each, in their own capacity, had a proven track record on issues of importance to the Armenian-American community. In an effort to ensure a high Armenian-American voter turnout, ANCA-WR and its local chapters activated their grassroots efforts for the Los Angeles elections. The long list of ANCA-WR undertakings leading up to Election Day included heavy voter registration and community education initiatives, GOTV efforts, and equipping each candidate’s campaign with community volunteers.

“We thank Ms. Greuel for her commitment and support throughout the years and congratulate her on a very well-run campaign. ANCA-WR extends its support to Ms. Greuel in any future political endeavors she may undertake,” added Asatryan.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy 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 ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.