Elen Asatryan

Elen Asatryan Announces Candidacy for Democratic County Central Committee in Calif.

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LOS ANGELES — In December, community activist, and advocate for human and civil rights, Elen Asatryan announced her candidacy for the Democratic County Central Committee representing the 43rd State Assembly district — the official governing body of the Democratic Party in the County of Los Angeles and the largest local entity in the United States, representing nearly 2.7 million registered Democrats.

In formally announcing her candidacy, Asatryan stated: “My purpose has always been clear — to leave a positive footprint for future generations, fight for social justice, human rights and equity, empower and protect the rights of women, minorities, the working class and small businesses — values that we share.”

“In these alarming times, when a woman’s right to choose is in jeopardy, families are being torn apart, our children no longer feel safe in school, homelessness is at an all-time high, and people with full-time jobs can’t afford to get sick, we need leaders who will roll up their sleeves and fight vigorously to uphold our democratic values. I want to be that person to lead this fight and represent you.”

Spanning over two decades, Asatryan’s activism dates back to her middle school days when she took to her Board of Education and City Council to address discrimination issues at her school and in her city.

Committed to community education and empowerment, Asatryan has served and continues to serve on various committees and boards of local and regional organizations, including the City of Glendale Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission, where she served as Chair, the Glendale Youth Alliance, the Glendale Community Police Partnership Advisory Committee, the Census Complete Count Committee, and the Los Angeles County Voter Outreach Committee. She is currently a delegate for the CA Democratic Party where she continues to be involved in shaping the party platform and advocates for the issues closest to her heart.

An advocate for women’s rights, Asatryan founded the Glendale Domestic Violence Task Force — bringing together Glendale based nonprofits to help identify areas of mutual cooperation and assistance in matters relating to domestic violence.

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Dedicated to empowering youth, Asatryan founded and led internship and public policy fellowship programs for high school and college students as well as recent college graduates. She also spearheaded the Path to College Program to help non-English speaking parents navigate the school system and provide a pipeline of support for students to successfully graduate high school and complete the college admissions process.

In her mission to ensure that all voters have equal access to the democratic process, Asatryan developed and implemented voter registration and ‘Get Out the Vote’ initiatives resulting in over 50,000 newly registered voters and record-breaking voter turnout in some of the most competitive and heated local, state, and national elections.

A firm believer in the power of grassroots, the greater portion of Asatryan’s professional tenure before starting her consulting firm, the Stark Group, included serving as Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America – Glendale, then the Western Region (ANCA-WR) — a grassroots public affairs organization devoted to advancing issues of concern to the Armenian-American community in 19 western U.S. States. Some of her proudest accomplishments include leading the struggle to achieve equal representation in government entities, Armenian Genocide recognition in every state in the region, mandating Genocide education in the CA high school curriculum, mobilizing 166,000 participants in the historic March for Justice for the 100th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, and championing to gain recognition for Artsakh’s right to self-determination for which she was presented the Artsakh “Gratitude” Award by the President of the Republic of Artsakh.

A first-generation immigrant, Asatryan, with her family, moved from Armenia to Glendale at the age of 10, where she attended Columbus Elementary School, Toll Middle School, and Hoover High School. She is a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles, where she studied Political Science with concentrations in American Politics and International Relations.

The 43rd State Assembly district encompasses the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, and parts of Los Angeles including Hollywood Hills, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Franklin Hills, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village.

The election for the Democratic County Central Committee will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Registered Democrats — and those who have declined to state a political party, but have requested a Democratic ballot — residing in Assembly District 43 will see Asatryan’s name on their ballot. To register to vote or update voter information visit lavote.net.

Topics: elections

To learn more about, get involved in, and contribute to Asatryan’s campaign visit www.electelen.com.

 

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