Nora Hovsepian, the chair of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region board of directors, was named by Los Angeles Mayor-elect Karen Bass to serve on her transitions team.
Hovsepian is one of four Armenians who were picked by Bass to serve on the body, which will advise her as she transitions into her role as the next—and first woman—mayor of Los Angeles. The other Armenians on Bass’ team are Maral V. Karaccusian, a deputy to L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn; Sam Kbushyan, a member of the California Public Service Commission; Leonard Manoukian, the chair of the Southern California Armenian Democrats.
“It is my privilege to serve on Mayor-Elect Karen Bass’ transition team, and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to represent the ANCA-WR and the interests of the Armenian community of Los Angeles to ensure that we have a seat at the table and are included as part of the solutions needed to solve the problems facing the City,” said Hovsepian.
“The ANCA-WR looks forward to working closely with the Bass administration over the course of the coming years as an integral partner for the betterment of our City,” Hovsepian added.
Bass will swear in as mayor during a special ceremony on Sunday, December 11 at the Microsoft Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
Bass, who was declared the winner of the mayoral race on November 16, was endorsed by the ANCA-Western Region.
“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,” Bass said at the time of her endorsement.
“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,” she added.
“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,” Hovsepian, the ANCA-WR board chair, said when the organization announced its endorsement last month.
Bass announced the individuals serving on her transition advisory team on Tuesday December 6. The team will be headed up by five honorary co-chairs, including famed labor and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta.
Rounding out the list of co-chairs are Monica Lozano, president of College Futures Foundation and the former publisher and CEO of La Opinión; Dominic Ng, CEO of East West Bank; Steve Soboroff, a civic and business leader; and Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Other transition team members include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the city’s former controller, Wendy Greuel, who also was the first female candidate to make it to a mayoral runoff in L.A. in 2013.
