US Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) on Thursday said he is very pleased with one significant aspect of Governor Brown’s May revision of the California State Budget, the restoration of funding for the Pasadena Playhouse and the Armenian American Museum in Glendale, Asbarez.com reports.
“While others were declaring defeat, I got to work and advocated in favor of the budget allocations for these two laudable projects. I’m very pleased and grateful that the Governor responded to these requests and restored the funding for two outstanding projects in the 25th State Senate District,” commented Portantino.
The Pasadena Playhouse is the State Theatre of California. It is a showcase for world class theatrical productions and educational programs targeted to California’s diverse population. The Armenian American Museum, proposed to be built in Glendale, is a new facility slated to bring Genocide awareness and educational programming to our region. Both facilities were set to receive $1 million dollars from last year’s budget but had that funding initially suspended by the Governor in his January budget proposal.
Upon seeing the budget draft, Senator Portantino impressed upon the Governor’s office, the Department of Finance and the Senate Budget staff on the importance of these projects. The Governor agreed by restoring the funding for both.

By Mike Scruggs – The beginning of the Armenian Genocide is usually dated as April 24, 1915, now over 102 years ago. It was a planned operation of the Ottoman Empire that exterminated at least 1.5 million Armenian Christians in Eastern Turkey from 1915 through 1918. According to George Horton, a U.S. State Department Consul General in Turkey from 1917 to 1922, it was actually preceded by sixteen massacres of Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Maronite Christians from 1822 to 1909, killing a total of over 358,000 men, women, and children. He noted that this was only a partial list. This was under the Ottoman Caliphate, which was replaced by the Turkish Republic in 1923.
By Nabih Bulos,
Senator Anthony Portantino’s legislation, SCR 25, which will install a sign in Pasadena to direct the public to the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial, passed the Senate Transportation Committee with unanimous support, 
Thousands of Armenians in Los Angeles are taking part in marches on the 102nd anniversary of Armenian Genocide.
The police in Istanbul hampered Armenian Genocide commemoration events after members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party started a peaceful march from their headquarters in the city’s Şişli district.
About 100 French Armenians assembled nearby the Consulate General of Turkey in Lyon on Saturday, the eve of the 102nd anniversary of Armenian Genocide.
The California State Senate on April 17 passed Senate Resolution 29 declaring April as a month of Armenian Genocide Recognition, commemorating the Armenian Genocide, calling for Turkey to return historic church properties to rightful congregations and requesting that the United States Government formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, Asbarez reported.