NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California – The Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) San Fernando Valley Chapters have endorsed Marisa Alcaraz for Los Angeles City Council District 6.
“We are proud to endorse Marisa Alcaraz for Los Angeles City Council, and look forward to working together to ensure the voice of the San Fernando Valley’s vibrant Armenian-American community is represented at city hall,” remarked ANCA San Fernando Valley – East co-chair Dr. Avo Babian. “Alcaraz demonstrated a commitment to representing the interests of the Armenian-Armenian community – from ensuring support for local small businesses, addressing the disturbing uptick in hate crimes against local communities, as well as expressing support for Artsakh’s right to self-determination amid Azerbaijan’s brazen aggression.”
Over the course of her career as a staffer for elected officials, Alcaraz has been a leading force behind efforts to raise the city’s minimum wage, securing ‘hero pay’ to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, developing the city’s guaranteed basic income program pilot, and supporting the development of hundreds of affordable and permanent housing units as part of the City’s homelessness prevention program. Her platform priorities include promoting affordable and homelessness housing projects, addressing rising crime rates through a more effective public safety response by the city, supporting local communities and small businesses through development grants, and reforming city hall amid recent controversies surrounding entrenched racism and the inequitable redistricting process.
“Thank you Armenian National Committee of America – San Fernando Valley East for putting your support behind our campaign. I proudly stand as an ally for the Armenian-American community in District 6 and beyond,” remarked Alcaraz in a statement to the ANCA. “I look forward to working with our Armenian neighbors in the San Fernando Valley to ensure proper representation for your unique needs and look forward to strengthening my relationships with community leaders to uplift Armenian people. If elected to serve as your Councilmember, I will be guided by an equity lens and continue to lean heavily into my values and integrity, spread tolerance and acceptance, and join forces for community-led action.”
Los Angeles City Council District 6 includes the neighborhoods of North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Pacoima and Arleta – areas with a rapidly-growing Armenian-American population. Council District 6 was left vacant following the resignation of Councilmember Nury Martinez last year after leaked recordings revealed Martinez expressing racist and disparaging comments about various communities across Los Angeles – including Armenian-Americans.
“Council District 6 is home to a vibrant Armenian-American community – fast-becoming one of the most densely Armenian-populated areas in the City of Los Angeles – that has left an indelible mark on the cultural, political and economic fabric of the San Fernando Valley,” remarked ANCA San Fernando Valley – West chair Shant Hagopian, Esq. “We are confident that in Marisa Alcaraz we have a partner devoted to the development of our community – from supporting community-led programs and services, empowering our community’s youth, and supporting the small business owners that make up the backbone of our community.”
As part of its endorsement process, the ANCA San Fernando Valley Chapters conducted interviews with candidates during both the primary and the run-off to determine which candidate would best represent the interests of the Armenian-American community.
