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Krekorian sworn in as newest LA councilmember

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  • Krekorian sworn in as newest LA councilmember

    89.3 KPCC, CA
    Jan 6 2010


    Krekorian sworn in as newest LA councilmember
    Jan. 5, 2010 | KPCC Wire Services | KPCC


    Former Assemblyman Paul Krekorian took the oath of office today,
    becoming the newest member of the Los Angeles City Council.

    Krekorian fills the Second District seat vacated by Wendy Greuel in
    July, when she became city controller. He will finish out the
    year-and-a-half remaining in her term. He will be representing the
    northeast San Fernando Valley.

    Krekorian's first City Council meeting will be Wednesday.

    "We face a great budget crisis and many other challenges and I'm very
    mindful of that, but I'm really excited about getting to work and
    starting to address some of those challenges,'' Krekorian said.

    City Clerk June Lagmay administered the oath to Krekorian while he was
    surrounded by his wife, his 4-year-old son, his year-old daughter,
    friends and staffers at the media briefing room behind City Council
    chambers.

    The ceremony was held hours after the City Council formally certified
    the results of Dec. 8 runoff election in which Krekorian defeated
    former Paramount Pictures executive Christine Essel.

    Krekorian received 10,810 votes 57 percent of the total, even though
    Essel spent about twice as much on the campaign as he did.

    "The campaign is over. Now is the time to govern and in a time of
    crisis like the city is now facing, it's really going to take our
    entire focused collective efforts working together to solve the
    problems that are ahead of us,'' Krekorian said.

    "I don't expect to be a go-along-to-get-along kind of council
    member,'' he added. "I expect there will be times when I will make
    some waves among colleagues and take different approaches than they
    do, but I think it's incumbent upon all of us as elected officials to
    pull together and make sure

    our oars are all in the water at the same time, because we face
    challenges that I think are pretty much unprecedented, certainly in my
    lifetime and maybe in the last century.''

    Krekorian said he believes the biggest issue facing his district is "a
    crisis of confidence in the city government.''

    "I think there's widespread feeling within the Second District that
    the Valley has been neglected for far too long, that decisions are
    made downtown that don't take into account the unique nature of the
    neighborhoods of the valley and they want to know that their voice is
    heard.''

    Krekorian also vowed to focus on public safety; limit development in
    such a way that balances economic gains with the quality of life in
    local neighborhoods; stimulate the economy; and develop jobs.

    "I know that building on his past record, (Krekorian) is going to do
    an extraordinary job here,'' City Council President Eric Garcetti
    said. "We look forward to welcoming him tomorrow, which happens to be
    Armenian Christmas, which is fitting for the first Armenian-American
    to serve in this Council chambers.''

    Krekorian was elected to the Assembly in 2006, and eventually became
    its assistant majority floor leader.

    Before that, Krekorian was a lawyer for 20 years and served on the
    Burbank Unified School District Board of Education.

    Krekorian received his law degree from UC Berkeley and a bachelor's
    degree in political science from USC.

    The Second District stretches from Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood
    Hills to Big Tujunga Road in the Verdugo Hills. It includes parts of
    Lake View Terrace, La Tuna Canyon, North Hollywood, Shadow Hills,
    Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Sunland, Sun Valley, Tujunga, Valley
    Village, Valley Glen and Van Nuys.

    http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/01/05/krekori an-sworn-newest-la-councilmember/
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