As an 8-year-old fleeing political turmoil and war in Iran with his family, the thought of someday running for political office never crossed Adrin Nazarian’s mind. Where he came from, Nazarian said, one had to be of a certain religion or status to have decision-making power.
More than four decades later, Nazarian not only has served in the state Assembly, but he recently began a four-year term as one of the newest members of the Los Angeles City Council.
The longtime Angeleno was elected in November to represent Council District 2 in the San Fernando Valley, which includes communities in North Hollywood, Studio City, Sun Valley, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village and Van Nuys.
We recently spoke with the 51-year-old about how he got his start in politics, the challenges he sees facing Angelenos and his goals for the city. Below are five things to know about the newest L.A. City Council member to represent the San Fernando Valley.
1. Nazarian may be replacing his former boss on the City Council, but he plans to draw from his own unique experiences as the new representative for District 2.
Nazarian twice worked for Paul Krekorian – first as chief of staff when Krekorian was in the Assembly and again when Krekorian joined the City Council.
Then Nazarian himself was elected to the Assembly in 2012 – a seat he held until 2022.
While Krekorian and Nazarian share similarities in terms of the trajectory of their political careers, the two also have had different life experiences. Nazarian believes his own personal experiences will help shape his decision-making and how he leads the district.
“We all are motivated by different circumstances and want to bring our experiences to government to benefit others,” he said.
2. While making plans to attend law school, Nazarian got sidetracked.
Nazarian’s family survived the Armenian genocide, the Bolshevik Revolution and other political uprisings, and his grandmother spent five years in a Siberian work camp before his family fled Iran. Given his family’s history, Nazarian figured he’d become a lawyer and help “repair a lot of wrongs in the world.”
But he never made it to law school.
“I was so busy trying to do a lot of different internships and start amassing a dearth of recommendations for (law) schools that I ended up just getting into the political arena,” said Nazarian, who has a degree in economics from UCLA.
“I realized after working in government settings that it’s important to get the right people into office,” he added.
Nazarian interned or worked as a staffer for several elected officials including former Rep. Howard Berman, Rep. Brad Sherman, Gov. Gray Davis and L.A. City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, in addition to Krekorian.
3. Maintaining basic “constituent services” and public safety are chief among his immediate priorities.
Some call it the “bread and butter” of being a local city councilmember – responding to constituents who call their office, or maintaining basic quality-of-life issues such as making sure trash is picked up, that streets are clean and well lit, or addressing other public safety concerns. Nazarian said he’ll focus on such core services during his early days as a councilmember.
“It’s critical that the constituents of Council District know that they can reach the office and that they can get results. Constituent service is the hallmark of any public service,” he said.
In addition, Nazarian said public safety must remain a top focus.
He considers getting homeless people off the streets, providing the unhoused with services they need so that they’re not “dying and languishing on the sidewalk,” and ensuring that street lights remain on to thwart criminal activities all part of public safety.
“When Iran went through its revolution and the country fell into shambles, we left because we no longer felt safe as Christian Armenians. I know what it’s like to be in a country where it’s lost its police force, where minority communities don’t know who is going to protect them,” he said.
“Government exists to protect its public,” he added.
4. Longer term, the new councilmember wants to address housing affordability, transportation and environmental issues.
Nazarian said not enough new housing units have been built to keep pace with demand, thus contributing to the rising cost of housing. Add to that a lack of good public transportation, and it’s no wonder people are finding it a challenge to live in Los Angeles, the councilmember said.
Transportation is a big issue for Nazarian, who, as an Assembly member, advocated for the expansion of mass transit in the Valley.
He also secured $1.9 million in state money to help fund the Chandler Boulevard bike path in North Hollywood, part of a larger goal to create 20 miles of an uninterrupted bike route connecting the western and eastern portions of the San Fernando Valley with Burbank. The Chandler bike path is said to be one of Nazarian’s favorite spots in Council District 2.
His other long-term goals are to address L.A.’s water infrastructure, ensuring safe drinking water and improving air quality.
“We do not talk enough about water. In Los Angeles, we have 4 million people living in a very dense setting. Ten percent of the state’s population is in this spot in So Cal. (Our) water delivery system, some of the infrastructure rely on units placed back 120-130 years ago,” he said. “That’s why we’ve had … sinkholes, old pipelines bursting based on the water pressure needs of today.”
And as someone who suffers from asthma, and whose son also has asthma, making sure Angelenos can breathe easy is personal to Nazarian.
“It’s critical that we make sure many of our working families who may not have the opportunity to move around, (who) are living in areas that are heavy industrial, have access to clean air,” he said.
5. Nazarian has been assigned to six committees his first year on the City Council.
He will chair the Energy and Environment Committee and serve as vice chair of the Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee, according to spokesperson Hugh Esten.
In addition, Nazarian has been assigned as a member of four other committees:
- Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment;
- Economic Development and Jobs;
- Housing and Homelessness; and
- Planning and Land Use Management
In a recent interview after attending his first three council meetings as a member of the council, Nazarian said he looked forward to the work ahead.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to do what I’m doing, and I’m very eager to address the longstanding needs that we have,” he said.