Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region announced that Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and Los Angeles City Coucilmembers Tony Cardenas, Wendy Greuel, Bernard Parks, and Antonio Villaraigosa will be amongst the special guests at this year’s ANCA-WR Annual Banquet. The Annual Banquet will take place on Sunday, October 24, 2004 at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington in Pasadena. Over 50 public officials have already confirmed their attendance in what promises to be the largest gathering of political activists, public officials, academics and ANC supporters in the Western United States.

Other officials who have confirmed their attendance include Congressmen Adam Schiff and Howard Berman and Congresswomen Dianne Watson and Linda Sanchez, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, California State Senators Richard Alarcon, Jack Scott and Jackie Speier, California State Assemblymembers Dario Frommer, Jackie Goldberg, Manny Diaz, Carol Liu, Jenny Oropeza, and Ronald Calderon and California State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi.

“The ANCA’s Capitol Hill Observance in Washington, DC is the only other event that attracts so many public officials of such significance,” commented ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian. “The Annual Banquet is an impressive display of our organization’s determination to follow through on our goals and it is important for public officials to witness this energy,” added Kassakhian.

This year’s banquet will honor U.S. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) with the ANCA-WR Legacy Award, State Senator Charles Poochigian (R-Fresno) with the Man of the Year Award and the Near East Foundation with the ANCA-WR Freedom Award. The Annual Banquet is the ANCA-WR’s largest annual event and helps raise funds to operate the nation’s largest grassroots and most influential political advocacy organization.

“Our Banquet Committee and ANCA-WR Staff have gone the extra mile for this event,” observed ANCA-WR Annual Banquet Committee Chair Aida Dimejian. Dimejian also mentioned that a number of very exclusive items will be up for auction at this year’s silent auction, including an autographed drum set from System of a Down, unique and original works of art by Armenian artists and rare hand crafted jewelry.