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California Legislature: $3 million for Armenian Museum, $10 for curriculum included in Calif. budget

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Armenian Museum, $10 for curriculum included in Calif. budgetSenator Anthony Portantino announced that the Armenian Genocide Education curriculum implementation and the Armenian-American Museum funding have been included in the final version of the State budget.

The California Legislature will be voting to pass the 2017-2018 budget on Thursday, June 15.

The $3 million-dollar funding commitment for the Glendale-based museum brings the state investment to this important human rights project to $4 million dollars. Earlier in the year, Portantino helped restore the initial $1 million from last year’s budget. Portantino asked the State Senate to prioritize increasing the State’s commitment to the museum to an additional $3 million over the next three years.

Portantino, with the support of Senate Pro Tem Kevin de León and Budget Subcommittee Chair Richard Roth, arranged a presentation from Armenian Museum Executive Board Member Zaven Kazazian before the budget subcommittee. Portantino joined Kazazian in making the presentation before the subcommittee.

“I am extremely happy that as a member of the budget committee, I was able to bring these two important proposals to light this year. It was such a pleasure to invite Zaven Kazazian from the Armenian Museum Board to Sacramento to present this significant human rights project to the attention of the Senate and then into the State Budget,” commented Portantino.

The subcommittee and the Senate subsequently included the funding in the Senate version of the budget. Since the request was not included in the Assembly budget, it had to be sent to the budget Conference Committee for resolution. The Conference Committee adopted the Senate proposal, paving the way for the museum funding to be included in the fiscal 2017 – 2018 budget.

“I am very pleased that the State Senate included the request for funding of our important museum proposal. It was an honor to present at the Senate subcommittee and I’m very excited that the full budget includes the Senate request,” concluded Zaven Kazazian, Armenian American Museum Executive Board Member.

As Chair of Budget Subcommittee on Education, Portantino also put in the request for the funding of the genocide curriculum update implementation. Again, this proposal was included in the Senate priority list. After long negotiations, $10 million dollars was included in the 2017-2018 budget to fund the History-Social Science curriculum framework, which includes teacher training for the Armenian Genocide and other important historical updates.

Over the past several years, the legislature has passed bills to update California curriculum on various issues included the Armenian Genocide. Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian authored the legislation to include teaching Armenian Genocide history. Portantino’s budget request funds the development and implementation of this important curriculum update.

Sen. Portantino represents nearly 930,000 people in the 25th Senate District, which includes Altadena, Atwater Village, Bradbury, Burbank, Claremont, Duarte, Glendale, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, La Verne, Lake View Terrace, Los Feliz, Monrovia, Montrose, Pasadena, San Dimas, San Marino, Shadow Hills, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Sunland-Tujunga, and Upland.

Calif. Senate Recognizes Artsakh’s Independence

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From Left: ANCA WR Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian, ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan, incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, ANCA Calif-senate-recog-arsakhWR Chair Nora Hovsepian, author of AJR 32 Assemblymember Mike Gatto, Senator Ricardo Lara, ANCA WR Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan

SACRAMENTO—The California State Senate, led by incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, by an overwhelming majority of votes on Wednesday passed Assembly member Mike Gatto’s resolution, AJR 32, encouraging Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation and formally calling upon the upon the President and Congress of the United States to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, reported the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region. Though the resolution has officially passed, the finally tally will not be available until early tomorrow morning as Senators absent from the floor during the vote have until the end of the day to cast their vote.

In his opening remarks, Senator De Leon recognized the presence of ANCA WR and ACA in support of the resolution, provided background information on the resolution and the region, and continued on to state, “The ethnic Armenian people in this region have suffered tremendously and deserve a free and independent homeland where they won’t be in danger of persecution. California can be a front line leader that seeks to motivate change in the world…With that in mind, I ask you to support democracy, freedom, a people’s resolution to conflicts and international recognition and recognition of Artsakh,”

His remarks and sentiments were echoed by fellow colleagues Senators Tom Berryhill and Ricardo Lara.

“As Americans, we should understand the desire to be an independent nation, free of tyranny and free to form a government that best reflects our values. It is our own history. Many times on this floor we address the plight of the oppressed and express our desire, as a state legislature, for people to be free and to be able to determine their own destinies. AJR 32 is no different. The peoples of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic did not elect to become part of Azerbaijan in 1921; they were forced into it by the Soviets. It is now their understandable desire to be free. Since declaring its independence Nagorno-Karabakh has held free, transparent and democratic elections. It is fitting that the United States stands behind regions seeking democracy. I urge your Aye vote,” stated Senator Berryhill.

“I rise today to speak in strong support of this important resolution, which encourages and supports the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation. The resolution states that this region has historically been Armenian territory, populated by an overwhelming majority of Armenians, and yet was illegally severed from Armenia by the Soviet Union in 1921. Senate District 33 is home to a thriving and vibrant Armenian community – people who have embraced important American values of freedom, democracy, and justice. This resolution asks the President and Congress to extend those fundamental values to the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and encourages their continued development as a free and independent nation. I ask for your support of this important resolution,” stated Senator Lara.

AJR 32 was adopted by the CA State Assembly in May 2014 by a sweeping vote of 70 to 2 under the leadership of Speaker Emeritus John Perez.

“Today, under the great leadership of incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon and Assemblymember Mike Gatto, the State of California stood strong on our nation’s core values of liberty, freedom and independence for the people of Artsakh. We are extremely grateful to the CA Senate for their resounding support of this resolution and Artsakh’s need to develop as a free and independent nation,” stated ANCA WR Chair, Nora Hovsepian. “ We, along with our grassroots, are proud to have worked alongside Senator De Leon and Assembly members Mike Gatto, Katcho Achadjian, Adrin Nazarian, John Perez, and Scott Wilk in making today’s victory possible and thank them profoundly for their unwavering leadership towards advancing a cause that is so dear to all of us,” added Hovsepian.

California is home to tens of thousands of Armenian-Americans who are refugees of pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait (1988), Kirovabad (1988), and Baku (1990), and the ethnic-cleansing of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan. Dozens of refugees from the region, many from the Shahumian district of Artsakh, were present for the historic vote along with representatives from the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region and the Armenian Council of America.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) worked closely with Senator De Leon’s office as well as the author, Assemblyman Mike Gatto, Co-Author Katcho Achadjian, and Assembly members Adrin Nazarian and Scott Wilk to garner support for the resolution. In weeks and days leading up to the vote, aside from having their Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan and Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian work day-in and day-out with local activists to educate officials about the resolution and the issues in the region, the ANCA WR also activated its grassroots in sending letters and making calls to elected officials, urging them to support AJR 32.

“The passage of this important resolution was a long and challenging journey that started with the introduction of this resolution back in January. We worked so hard to make it move forward, and we are so proud today that the California State Senate stood with me in support of the people of Artsakh in their ongoing quest for freedom, democracy, and independence,” stated lead author of AJR 32, Assemblymember Mike Gatto.

“This resolution couldn’t have come at a better time, given the recent escalated level of violence along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border, and as our freedom fighters continue to defend their right to live under a government of their own choosing. The people of Artsakh deserve nothing less and need this support now, more than ever before,” stated ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan.

The State of California now joins Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Louisiana in adopting legislation which supports the independence of Artsakh.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential 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.