As you probably already know, Paul Krekorian is running for the LA City Council seat vacated by Wendy Greuel when she got elected city controller. This, the 2nd Council District, covers parts of the eastern San Fernando and western Crescenta Valleys, spanning from urban to almost rural areas.
Ten candidates are in the running. By all accounts, three of them are serious contenders, including, of course, Paul. The remainder runs the gamut from sincere but with no chance of winning, to the almost farcical.
At this point many people wonder out loud why a sitting member of the State Assembly would run for a “mere” City Council seat. The reason rises from one of the aspects of California government dysfunctionality. The voters, egged on by one political faction with particularly strong antipathy towards a state level leader, passed a ballot proposition implementing term limits, and ridiculously short ones at that. You know how it is… We want elected state government to be perpetually populated by neophytes rather than experienced people. What other job do we “hire” the greenest applicant for? The upshot is that now those who have the call to serve the public are compelled to go position hopping.
Krekorian is in this situation, and with the vacancy created, he will bring his competence and erudition to the service of the people of the City of Los Angeles. Of course, first he has to get elected. And here’s the new frontier. As Armenians have gotten more involved in U.S. political life, we’ve had Members of Congress, state legislatures, county and city governments, but never a member of a major city’s council (that I’m aware of). This is breaking new ground, and given the large Armenian population in the district, should help get more of our community’s members engaged and involved in political life.
Now’s the time to pitch in. As usual, the campaign needs volunteers and money. You can go to the website, paul4council.com/, and proceed from there. You can just show up at 13063 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91606 or call ahead—(818-391-4350). Naturally, you can also contribute online or with a check made out to “Krekorian for City Council 2009,” and mail it to the aforementioned address.
Don’t delay! By the time you read this, there will be only four weeks remaining to the Sept. 22 Primary Election Day. Jump in and let’s get one of our best representatives elected. Otherwise, don’t whine when we have some unfulfilled community need that gets no attention from electeds.
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