(Los Angeles, California)—ANCA-Western Region (ANCA-WR) is proud to announce its official endorsement of U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA-37) for Mayor of Los Angeles in the 2022 General Election set to take place on November 8.

“After careful deliberation and consultation with our local chapters and supporters, we are pleased to endorse Rep. Karen Bass for Mayor of Los Angeles,” said Nora Hovsepian, Esq., Chair of the ANCA-WR Board of Directors. “For nearly two decades, Rep. Bass has been a staunch supporter of Armenian issues first in Sacramento and then in Washington DC. She has been a true friend of the Armenian-American community in California throughout her political career and will certainly continue her ongoing support for our issues as Mayor.”

“Los Angeles is home to the second largest Armenian American population in the world, next to Amenia itself, and I am honored to have the support of the Armenian National Committee,” said Rep. Karen Bass. “The Armenian community deserves a Mayor who will prioritize issues that are often overlooked. For the past few decades, I have worked to hold Azerbaijan accountable and support the people of Artsakh. I have fought to combat anti-Armenian hate, and ensured that I have Armenian representation in senior staff roles in my elected offices. The work that ANCA-Western Region does is incredibly important in fighting for the best interests of the Armenian community and as Mayor, I vow to continue to help in that fight.”

After conducting an extensive review of the candidacy of both Karen Bass and Rick Caruso, the two accomplished candidates in the 2022 Los Angeles Mayoral General Election, the ANCA-Western Region and its local chapters in Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley and Crescenta Valley decided to endorse Rep. Bass for Mayor of Los Angeles based largely on her long-standing relationship with the organization and her consistent support for issues of importance to the Armenian-American community.

Initially as a member of the California State Assembly starting in 2004 and then as Speaker starting in 2008, Karen Bass has always maintained an open line of communication with the ANCA-Western Region and has been endorsed by the organization for each of her elections. During the past decade of her service in Congress, Representative Bass has consistently received high grades including A- or A on the report cards issued by ANCA-National, which tracks the performance of every incumbent Senator and Representative across a broad array of pro-Armenian legislative metrics at the federal level.

Most recently, following Azerbaijan’s attacks against the Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh and invasion and occupation of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, Representative Bass co-sponsored H.Res.1351 by stating: “Proud to stand with my colleague Congressman Adam Schiff in cosponsoring his resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s unprovoked military attacks on Armenia and Artsakh and calling on the Biden administration to immediately withhold further assistance to Azerbaijan.”

At a moment in history when the very existence of the Armenian nation hangs in the balance as the threat of another Armenian Genocide or Ethnic Cleansing looms upon us, ANCA-Western Region firmly stands to advance the moral imperatives of the Armenian-American community, irrespective of party (Democrat, Republican, Independent) politics. ANCA-Western Region endorses candidates that protect the Armenian-American community’s socio-economic, political and human rights, who have the courage to stand up for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and acknowledge the independence of the Republic of Artsakh through its own legal right to self-determination.

Considering these concerns and the importance of the Los Angeles Mayoral Election to the largest Armenian-American community in the country, ANCA-Western Region meticulously reviewed both candidates. On October 11, 2022, ANCA-Western Region published the responses of Representative Bass and Mr. Caruso to ANCA-Western Region’s candidate questionnaire to inform the Armenian-American community in Los Angeles of the positions of both candidates as they pertain to Armenian issues.

In addition, ANCA-Western Region representatives personally met with Rep. Bass to discuss her vision as Mayor of Los Angeles, her plans to unite the community in LA and tackle its racial discrimination and socio-economic challenges especially in light of the recent events at LA City Council, her commitment to conclude her congressional tenure by signing onto H. Res. 1400 introduced by Rep. Speier on “Condemning Atrocities Committed by the Republic of Azerbaijan” against the Armenians of Artsakh and Armenia, and her pledge to ensure that the interests of the Armenian-American community of Los Angeles will be well represented within her administration if she is elected as Mayor.

Pursuant to the organization’s long-standing endorsement protocols, the ANCA-Western Region Board is the sole entity authorized to issue official endorsements in city-wide Los Angeles races. Any conflicting endorsement announcements using the organization’s name are unauthorized.

The ANCA-WR urges Los Angeles voters to cast their vote for Karen Bass for Mayor on or before November 8, 2022.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan 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 in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.