As Assemblyman Paul Krekorian looks out from his office window in Glendale onto the stream of cars passing below on the 134 Freeway he is reminded that he is responsible for many people in his role as state legislator, including constituents in the Glendale Community College community.
Elected in 2006, Paul Krekorian, a Democrat, is California’s 43rd District State Assemblymember. He is the man to contact where state laws are concerned. His district covers Glendale, Burbank, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Valley Glen, Van Nuys, and Toluca Lake. He is one of 80 California State Assemblymembers, each representing more than 400,000 residents.
Krekorian believes that community college is extremely important for success. “I feel that community colleges play a critical role for California’s development.” Some of his experience with education and students stems from serving as president of the Burbank School Board in 2005 and 2006.
A former colleague, Debbie Kukta, now president of the board, said of the legislator, “I was the clerk of the board when Mr. Krekorian was president. He was a strong advocate for the school environment to contain the amenities for a quality education.”
As she got to know him, Kukta said, “His dedication and passion for service were tremendous assets to our school district. I appreciated the legal perspective he brought to our discussions.”
Kukta said she is also pleased that she can contact Krekorian to get information or advice on different topics affecting the schools, and he is always quick to respond.
Krekorian’s legal perspective comes from 20 years as a litigation attorney for business, entertainment, and intellectual property. Krekorian is partner with Kevin Fisher in the firm of Fisher and Krekorian.
Fisher, who has known the assemblyman for about 20 years, said “Paul has always had a long-standing deep commitment to public service. He brings a balanced perspective to issues we deal with.”
When asked why he wanted to get into politics, Krekorian replied, “Since I was a kid, I had this motivation to contribute to the public, to try and make society better. But I was not sure how I was going to.”
Krekorian?has been serving on the Utilities and Commerce Committee, Appropriations and Rules Committee, Human Services, and Judiciary Committees. He also serves on the Select Committee on Hate Crimes, and the Select Committee on Preservation of California’s Entertainment Industry, which he chairs.
The entertainment industry committee, he said, “was formed to help keep more than over 200,000 Californian’s employed.” Many of these industry workers are in his district. The state alone makes up about 58 percent of the U.S. payroll in motion pictures and sound, making this industry the largest for the state. The health of the California economy depends on the entertainment industry, Krekorian said.
“There are several states and countries offering tax incentives for film production to take place away from California,” the assemblyman said. “We must keep the home of the industry, at home.” The Committee was formed to pursue solutions to the problem of run-away filmmaking.
When it comes to legislation, Krekorian has introduced a range of bills concerning education, environment, drug and alcohol abuse,?elder care, health benefits, energy resources, and the Armenian Genocide.
In his first year, 12 of the bills he introduced have already been passed.
Krekorian received his law degree from UC Berkeley after graduating from USC with a degree in political science.
Krekorian, 47, has lived in the Los Angeles area his entire life and now lives in Burbank with his wife, Tamar, and sons, Hrag, 14, and Andrew, 2.
“There is a great amount of culture in Burbank, with the intimate feel of home, and the ability to live in Los Angeles at the same time,” Krekorian said.
To reach Paul Krekorian at his district office in Glendale, call (818) 240-6330. His Sacramento office number is (916) 319-2043
