Nazarian prepares to race with Democrat Laura Friedman in the new assembly district – Press Telegram

Congregation member Adrin Nazarian (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News / SCNG)

Adrin Nazarian MP, D-Van Nuys, has announced that he will run for the newly created 44th Congregation District, which includes Sunland-Tujunga, La Crescenta, Burbank and part of Glendale.

The move leads to a head-to-head race for the seat with her Democrat, Laura Friedman, D-Burbank MP, who previously announced her run for the seat.

“I’m in,” was the subject line of an email sent to supporters this week announcing Nazarian’s candidacy for next year’s elections.

Nazarian, former city council chief of staff Paul Krekoran, has represented the 46th Congregation District for nine years. The borough – in the shape it has been in for 10 years – encompasses much of the central San Fernando Valley, including Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Village, Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Toluca Lake, and some of North Hollywood. It lies between the 45th district of Jesse Gabriel in the west, the district of Luz Rivas in the north and the district of Friedman in the east.

Congregation member Laura Friedman of Glendale (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News / SCNG)

But after the newly drawn district maps, finalized last week by the state’s 14-member Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and handed over to the Secretary of State on Monday, the borders shifted east, bringing Nazarian, Friedman and Rivas all into the newly created 44.

This is because they all lived within its new boundaries. According to state law, the members must live in the district they represent. This means that if someone wanted to stay in the congregation, someone had to do an apartment hunt.

Rep. Luz Rivas (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News / SCNG)

Rivas, who represents the 39th seat of the congregation and chairs the congregation’s natural resources committee, announced on Twitter that she will be moving into and running for the newly moved 43rd seat, the Pacoima, Panorama City, Sun. Valley, San Fernando and Sylmar. includes.

“Around 70% of their current district are in the newly drawn 43rd, so they already represent the vast majority of residents,” said her campaign advisor, Roy Behr.

But that left Friedman and Nazarian – as the saying goes, there is not enough space for both – aspired to a seat.

Newly drawn maps of the state assembly show the new boundaries of District 44.

Friedman, chairman of the congregation’s budget committee, announced her candidacy for the 44th congregation district on December 21.

The new 44th extends east from 405 at Sherman Oaks through Valley Village and North Hollywood, east of the Glendale Freeway, which ends on the Pasadena border. It includes areas such as Montrose and Verdugo City on its northeast flank.

“From environmental protection and affordable housing to gun safety and patient rights, I’m proud of the issues I’ve championed in the congregation over the past five years,” Friedman said on December 21 in a tweet sent to her Announcement was linked.

Nazarian also spread the word.

“District boundaries can change, but the work continues and I am committed to ensuring that these communities are well represented in the California State Assembly,” said Nazarian.

In a region of LA County where incumbents are usually Democrats, the newly drawn counties at the state and federal levels offered more open doors to blue-versus-blue races.

Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, of the state House of Representatives, will run for Congress, she announced on Thursday, December 23rd.

The newly created 42nd district essentially combines the current 47th – minus the Orange County shares – and the 40th district. This creates a Latino-majority district anchored by Long Beach, but also includes the main cities that Cristina Garcia currently represents in the congregation, including Bell and Downey.