Assembly Select Committee on California and Armenia Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange

Okay. We will get started here. We have some special guests that I know are very busy, and so, I will be cognizant of their time and schedule. So, thank you everyone for coming. We have some dignitaries.

We have some friends, and some new friends, who are here. And I just wanna welcome all of you to the inaugural meeting of the Select Committee on California and Armenia Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange. While today is only the beginning, our objective should be clear: to form a strong relationship between California and Armenia, including new investment and business opportunities, job creation, educational exchanges, cultural preservation, and lasting partnership. Today's hearing will cover California-Armenia international relations and economic insights, and much more.

The relationship between California and Armenia obviously is very personal to me.

As many of you know, I am the only Armenian American elected to the State Legislature, for better or for worse. We do need more Armenians here, and we're working on, on that. But it is a—it is an honor and a privilege, that I don't take lightly, to serve in this great body and to represent not only my district, but every Armenian in this state and who has ever lived here and also in this country.

So, today, has a profound impact on me to be able to Chair this committee and to be joined by such great colleagues, panelists, and guests, and I just wanna thank Assemblymember Caloza for being here, who's been a champion of the Armenian community, who represents the city of Glendale, and as we know, which is incredibly important for Armenian Americans.

And she has been a great partner in this effort. Armenians have been immigrating to California as early as the 1880s, and today, California is home to the most Armenian Americans outside of Armenia. Everyone always says that. I think Russia probably has more Armenians. I'm looking around.

I, I think that in the United States, we do, but I do think that more Armenians probably live in Russia than here. That being said, in the United States, California is the capital of the Armenian diaspora. Armenians living in California have enriched the state for over a hundred years through their leadership and contribution in business, agricultural endeavors, academia, government, medicine, technology, the arts, and much more.

In a moment, you will hear from distinguished panelists who will discuss more in-depth the history opportunities and gaps that exist in California and Armenia international ties and trade relations. I'm gonna take a moment to pass it over to Assemblymember Caloza if you'd like to say any introductory words or remarks.

Thank you so much, Chair Harabedian. Jessica Caloza, Assembly member for District 52, proud to represent the city of Glendale, specifically South Glendale, Downtown Glendale area, as well as East LA and Northeast Los Angeles. First, thank you so much to our Chair for his incredible leadership. I know, the Armenian community is so proud to see you in the Assembly, your family, and just all of your friends back home. I'm really honored to be part of this first hearing.

There's so much opportunity in Armenia and the Armenian community that I'm excited to dive into today and hear from our panelists.

I just wanted to thank all the community leaders, all the organizations who traveled all the way to the Capitol to be part of today's select committee hearing. And in my district, you know, I know one of the things that we're really looking forward to is the opening of the Armenian American Museum forthcoming. And so, that will be a historic first.

And so, I look forward to the conversation and to all the panels and thank you again to our incredible Chair, as well as to all of the incredible organizations and community leaders who are here today. Thank you.

Thank you. And we have a special guest to kick us off before our first panel, and we are honored to have the Ambassador of The Republic of Armenia of the United States, H.E. Narek Mkrtchyan, who is gonna provide some brief remarks via video. Hi, Ambassador.

Can you hear us?

Hello? Okay. So, it's my pleasure. Unfortunately, I couldn't join you in person, but it's my honor so to join you, Chair Harabedian, Assemblymember Caloza, Assemblymember Schultz, distinguished members of California State Assembly, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis. Ladies and gentlemen, it's really my honor to join you today, and I want to express my appreciation to the California State Assembly for organizing this select committee on California and Armenian Mutual Trade Arts and Cultural Exchange.

So, it's, it's not secret that Armenia and California share more than economic interest. So, we are connected by people, by values, innovation, and a vibrant Armenian American community that has served as a living, like, bridge between our societies for generations. And now, that bridge is becoming an economic partnership of strategic importance. And you might know that over the past year, Armenia is building a new chapter of relations, bilateral relations, with the United States of America.

And we are really developing different kind of sector relations in the sphere of like AI, semiconductor, energy, critical mineral, infrastructures.

And, and this is really very important also for California. And California can help to make these frameworks, MOUs that we sign, a reality because the existing bilateral agreement that we have with the State of California, it really has a huge potential, and we need to open up that potential for, for the concrete, for the concrete projects. Recently, we uplifted the Armenia Strategic Partnership Charter into the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Charter.

And when you look into the content, it's really huge, and there is really huge potential for this because Armenia now is positioning itself as a reliable, democratic partner of United States of America. And for California, this presents a unique, I think, possibilities.

And California is the world's leading innovation ecosystems, and Armenia is rapidly becoming one of the world's emerging innovation ecosystems as well. And our country now has developed globally recognized capabilities in artificial intelligence, in semiconductor design, and I want to say that Armenian American community of California played key role in developing of these ecosystems during the last two decades. And the important American companies that are doing business in Armenia, so starting from Synopsys, AMD, Nvidia, ServiceTitan, and many other California based companies, they really played a key role in developing this ecosystem.

And now, we are very happy that this give us an opportunity to build on this and have even more and more strategic partnership project with United States of America. So, we're really very interested to unveil the potential of the partnership with California. I, I, I, I want—so, to engage more the Armenian American community and to invite their attention to the current opportunities that we have during the last year.

And so, as an ambassador of Republic of Armenia to The United States of America, I have a key priority, which is the corporate diplomacy, like, to bring more American interest in in in Armenia and to bring new relations. So, the frameworks that we have, the MOUs that we have currently with the US government, it's really provides a unique opportunity of the new relations.

I can say that our agenda very rich with concrete projects, and we are very, very looking forward to, to engage the state of California potential as well. So, once again, I want to thank you for the initiators of this discussion, this dialogue, and I wish success for the dialogue.

I, I, I see that in the panel, there are very valuable, like, topics and looking forward to these discussions and to, to have the results of these discussions and important added value to our partnership that we have with The United States of America. So, I'm looking forward to the discussions. And once again, thank you for the organizers of this beautiful conversation.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Ambassador. Really appreciate you taking the time and thank you for everything you're doing on behalf of the Republic of Armenia. And we look forward to seeing you in person soon.

See you soon.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

And now, we will transition to our first panel. And we have three great panelists, the first of whom needs no introduction, who, of course, is our Lieutenant Governor, Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here today. It's an honor to hear from you. We also have the Consul General of Armenia, the first woman Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles, Anna Avetisyan, who is here with us today.

And then we have Trisha Utterback, who is the International Trade Specialist, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India, for the Office of Business and Economic Development in the Governor's Office. So, Madam Lieutenant Governor, the floor is yours.

Mister Chair, thank you so much. Your Excellency, Mister Ambassador, Madam Consul General, members of the committee. I'm Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California, and I'm honored, Mister Chair, to be asked to present here and appear before you today to discuss California's relationship with our close and good friend, the Republic of Armenia. As Governor Newsom's representative for international affairs and trade development, I'm delighted to be able to provide you with an overview of California's relations with Armenia since Governor Newsom took office in 2019.

The relationship between Armenia and our state is one that is underpinned by our people. According to the National Committee of—the Armenian National Committee of America, it is estimated that more than 1,000,000 people of Armenian descent live in our state.

That makes us home to the largest diaspora community anywhere, with the exception of Russia. I'm sure that members of the committee, particularly Ms. Caloza, are aware that the largest concentration of this diaspora is in Southern California, and it has been said that Glendale is the largest so-called "Armenian city outside of Armenia." So, as you noted, research indicates that Armenians who immigrated to California came in three distinct waves.

The first, in the early twentieth century, were survivors fleeing the horrors of the Armenian genocide inflicted upon them by the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915. They settled in Southern California and in the Central Valley near Fresno, seeking to build new lives for themselves and their families.

The second wave came in the mid twentieth century when ethnic Armenians who lived in the Middle East immigrated from places like Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, again, fleeing instability and persecution. And finally, with the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the independence of Armenia, a third wave came to our golden state with hopes of realizing their California dreams. Today, this large and vibrant community contributes indelibly and in an outsized way to every aspect of our state's rich cultural, economic, and political tapestry.

Among the great examples of this, of course, Mister Chair, your own presence in the Assembly, but, of course, Governor George Deukmejian, who led our state from 1983 to 1991, capping a long and distinguished career in public service to our state and our nation. To my knowledge, he is the only governor of Armenian descent to serve as governor of any US state, and it happened here in America's most populous and economically prosperous state.

Since Governor Newsom took office in 2019, his administration has worked hard to build upon and strengthen the ties that bind California and Armenia together. In September 2019, we were honored to be visited in Los Angeles by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Several days later, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Governor Newsom and Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan signed a framework agreement between the government of the state of California and the government of the Republic of Armenia.

The purpose of this agreement was to recognize the deep connection between Armenia and California and to foster expanded ties in the areas of trade and commerce, investment promotion, information technology and innovation, alternative energy and environmental technology, agriculture and food systems, health care, tourism, higher education, and scientific research, as well as business development and entrepreneurship. Much has been accomplished since this agreement was signed.

One tangible result was the opening of a California trade and services desk in Yerevan. This trade desk is one of only three our state has established. The other two being in two of our largest and most important trading partners, Mexico and Japan. It is designed to serve as a portal for American—Armenian—companies wishing to learn more about doing business with California and in California.

And you will hear much more about this in a few moments from our GoBiz Trade Representative for Europe, Ms. Uterbach, in just a few moments.

A second area of cooperation we're extremely proud of is in the field of academia. Way back in 1991, the Armenian—sorry, the American University of Armenia—was founded with the direct assistance and support of the University of California. As a direct result of this cooperation, there are now Armenian studies programs at UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UCLA, and Cal State Fresno. And the University of Southern California is home to the Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies.

Another notable development in the field of academic exchanges is the establishment in 2021 of the Armenian Society of Fellows, which fosters high-level academic exchanges among leading Armenian and diaspora scholars from around the world. These are just a few examples of the deep and strong connections and areas of cooperation that are happening both at the state and government level, but also among private individuals and organizations.

So, as I get to the end of my remarks, I'd like to highlight California's unwavering support for Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The years since our MOU was signed have been marked by extraordinary challenges. The conflict in and around Artsakh brought profound human suffering and uncertainty to the region, and its impact was felt thousands of miles away here in California as well, where members of our Armenian American community experienced harassment, intimidation, and acts of hate that have no place in our state.

California leadership has spoken out clearly against those acts, has stood with our Armenian community, and will continue to defend the safety, dignity, and rights of all our residents. We hope that efforts to achieve a durable peace and greater regional stability in Artsakh offer the possibility of a more secure and prosperous future for Armenia and the South Caucasus, and we hope that relations between The United States and Armenia continue to deepen, creating new opportunities for cooperation. My second overseas trip as Lieutenant Governor was to Armenia.

I will never forget my visit to the American University, to the historic monasteries, and thriving wineries, and my visit was during Vardavar, so I'll also never forget being drenched with water in the streets of Yerevan.

But above all, I will never forget my visit to the Armenian Genocide Monument and Museum. It was my great honor to plant a tree there in memory of those who perished in the genocide. We, in California, will never forget them.

And as a Greek American and someone who was raised with an understanding of this terrible chapter in history, which many sought to deny, which finally has been recognized for what it was, it is also my hope that as the tree grows, so true will the relationship between Armenia and California. So, thank you again to the members of the select committee for convening this hearing, and thank you for your commitment to forwarding the deep and enduring friendship between California and Armenia.

Thank you, Madam Lieutenant Gen—Lieutenant Governor—for everything you've done, for those words, and for your continued partnership. And everything you said there was very meaningful, especially the, the personal touch there at the end, and, and we know how devoted you have been to the Armenian people and how close Armenians and Greeks are because of our shared history and shared pain, and, and I appreciate that perspective here today. So, thank you for everything you've done.

Really an honor to have you here, and we thank you for taking time, once again. And with that, we will transition to Madam Consul General.

Floor is yours.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Harabedian. First and foremost, I would like to express my deep appreciation for this wonderful opportunity to be present here at the inaugural meeting of the select committee on California, Armenia, mutual trade, art, and cultural exchange.

I believe it will provide a continuous platform, not only for addressing our bilateral agenda, but also expanding our multidimensional, multisectoral cooperation between Armenia and California. Today, my country stands at a historic turning point. After decades defined by uncertainty, Armenia is entering a new era shaped by peace, regional connectivity, and economic stability. After decades of hostilities, blockade of transport communications, economic hardships, the people in our region have the opportunity to live and prosper in peace.

Now, we are trying to create an environment of peace and prosperity that everyone could benefit, not only Armenia, but also the entire region and beyond.

The signing of the Joint Declaration in Washington DC in 2025, August 8, and initialing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan marked a historic milestone for Armenia, Azerbaijan peace process and for the long-term stability in the South Caucasus. My country's economy is thriving because we invest in people. We prioritize peace and sustainability, and we do believe in power of innovation. We have been able to convert our geography into strategic advantage.

And—can I go forward? This one is—okay. Thank you. And the rep—the government of the Republic of Armenia—adopted a balanced and balancing foreign policy. It means that we are trying to diversify the scope of our cooperation with different international partners, actors, and based not on dependence on one center, but on building meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships in many directions.

The United States, France, China, Kazakhstan, they are—these countries are present in Armenia's Strategic Partnership Portfolio, not as an alternative to one another, but as pillars of diversified and cooperative foreign policy.

This year, Armenia is at the spotlight of main international events. Eight European political community summit took place in Yerevan and as, as well first ever Armenia EU Summit, which brought together leaders around 50 countries to discuss energy, security, education, regional challenges, and Yerevan dialogue created an opportunity to reflect, to engage, to collaborate in addressing today's challenges.

And this year in October, Armenia will host COP 17, and thousands of delegates from governments, from NGOs, international organizations, as well as from California super delegation, will come to Yerevan and to address the issues related to the effective implementation of conservation strategies and take urgent action to hold biodiversity loss. The relations between The Republic of Armenia and The United States of America based not only on shared values and common interests, but also on strong, long-standing friendship aimed at strengthening peace, prosperity, and stability.

We value very much our relations with The United States as friends and as strategic partners. Since the independence of the Republic of Armenia, the United States have supported democratic reforms and economic reconstruction in our country, and we continue to strengthen democratic institutions, and it is very important that the current administration of the United States sees Armenia as a trusted and reliable partner. Geopolitical landscape has been transformed after Washington Peace Summit in 08/08/2025.

And the most—one of the most important deliverables of Washington Peace Summit is Trump Road for, for international peace and prosperity.

This is a joint Armenia-EU venture that will usher in a new era of peace, interconnectedness, and interdependences in the South Caucasus. TRIPP is intended to establish unimpeded multimodal transit connectivity based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia. And these are the agreements signed after the Washington Peace Summit, and now we are implementing the provisions of these agreements. Enhancing relationship with the state of California has always been essential for Armenia.

The ties between the Republic of Armenia and the state of California based not only on economic interest, but also on deep human connections between our peoples.

And vibrant Armenian American community plays an exceptional role in building bridges between Armenia and the United States by promoting cultural exchanges, promoting investment, encouraging partnerships in various fields, and economic cooperation between Armenia and the state of California are mostly developed in the areas such as high technology, information technology, innovation, agriculture, tourism, education, and investment promotion.

Since the signing of the framework agreement in 2019 between the government of the Republic of Armenia and the government of the state of California, we remain committed to further strengthening this scope of cooperation and further enhance in areas which are stipulated in the framework agreement. The driving force of the trade and investment opportunities is Trade and Services Desk, which was opened in Armenia in Impact Hub Yerevan in 2021 and which considers to promote two-way investment and trade between Armenian and Californian businesses and entrepreneurs.

There is a huge untapped potential, and we are ready to put all efforts for reinvigorating, reactivating the institutional capacity of this platform.

And consul aide general's—consul aide general's primary functions are particularly represent—representation—of the rights and interests of the Republic of Armenia, protecting the rights and legitimate interests of the citizen and legal entities of the Republic of Armenia, as well as promoting cultural, scientific, economic, relations between Armenia and the Western United States. One of the key directions of the consulate is promotion of trade and economic cooperation.

I would like to mention here that this is it is not a coincidence that the first summit, business summit, outside of Armenia in 1996 was organized here in Los Angeles by the under the auspices of the Consulate General of Armenia. And by organizing such, such kind of business forums, supporting trade missions, connecting business leaders, connecting cultural organizations, educational institutions, consulate general tries to create an environment where ideas become partnership and partnerships become economic success.

You are aware that the citizens of The United States of America, they are not required to hold a Visa when traveling to Armenia.

They can stay in Armenia, for a maximum period of 180 day—days—in a year. And Visa is, is not just a travel document for us. This is an opportunity—opportunity for students to gain knowledge, opportunity for researchers to exchange ideas, for entrepreneurs to create new partnerships, for families, communities, to strengthen ties. And in this regard, I would like to highlight that for Armenia, these human connections have extraordinary value.

And Consulate General of Armenia remains committed to further strengthen the cooperation between Armenia and the state of California and full and effective implementation of the framework agreement.

And this is also the developments that are happening in Armenia and AI center is building in Armenia, and this is a one of example, brilliant example, of Armenia diaspora corporation and public private corporation. And at the end, I would like to mention that Armenia is a strategic hub in the South Caucasus, linking Europe, Middle East, and Central Asia. With rich heritage and global recognition, we offer more than history. A diversified, fast-growing economy, pro-business reforms ensure stability, market access, and big potential for investors.

The relations between The Republic of Armenia and The United States of America, the state of California continue to strengthen, and we express our commitment to develop them for the benefit of our peoples. I'm very proud of the progress that have made in Armenia, and I'm confident in Armenia's potential to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. Thank you very much. I invite all of you to explore the opportunities that Armenia has to offer and join us in building a prosperous future.

Armenia is a country that you can always trust.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Consul General. Very helpful and an honor for you to be here as well. And thank you for your partnership, since you've been appointed in this position and everything you've done for the Republic. And, I mean, very meaningful to have you here today.

And, before we go to Ms. Utterback, I wanted to thank and welcome Assemblymember Schultz who is here, who, like Assemblymember Caloza, represents Glendale, also the vice chairs of the Armenian Caucus, which I forgot to mention earlier, and a great partner and an ally of the Armenian community.

So, welcome. Thank you for being here, and we will open up for questions after Ms. Utterback goes. So, please. The floor is yours.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Chair Harabedian and select committee members. Thank you for the invitation to participate in today's panel. I'd appreciate the opportunity to provide an overview of the GO-Biz International Affairs and Trade Team, as well as the work underway to strengthen the state's leadership in two-way trade and foreign direct investment. My name is Tricia Utterback.

I'm the Trade and Investment Representative covering Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India. Before I discuss the International Affairs and Trade Team and the work that we've done to advance trade relations with Armenia, I'd like to introduce GO-Biz as a whole. GO-Biz serves as the state's leader for job growth and economic development. We are focused on maintaining a robust economic climate that provides opportunity, promotes entrepreneurship, and creates good-paying jobs that anchor our communities.

Our office provides services to business owners to help them start, grow, and invest in the state, including export promotion services, site selection, permitting streamlining, and securing state incentives.

In partnership with all of you, our legislative colleagues, we spend significant time ensuring that we are building an economic...

While GoBiz offers a range of services and programs, the international affairs and trade team implements strategies to develop and grow international relationships and provide strategic oversight to strengthen and expand California's outsized role in international traded investment. Our international work is comprised of four major pillars. Our first pillar is to support California businesses in accessing global markets.

Go business export promotion program called CalExport provides targeted export assistance to eligible California businesses via hosted California pavilions at major trade shows, organized trade missions to strategic markets, reimbursements for preapproved economic export development activities, and training programs, which are tailored to specific industries, countries, or topics.

And these deliver the knowledge and strategies needed to pursue key export opportunities. Our second pillar is attracting foreign investment and creating jobs in California by providing one on one consultations and complimentary investment services. In 2025 alone, GoBiz met with over 160 international companies from 51 different countries. Our team also executed targeted programming to spotlight unique opportunities for business expansion, innovation, and investment. These efforts have been made to target a range of growing sectors, such as the clean economy, high-tech life sciences, and manufacturing.

Our third pillar is reducing barriers for California's immigrant entrepreneurs through our immigrant integration initiatives. California is home to approximately one 11 million immigrants who make up almost 32.7% of the state's labor force and 40% of our entrepreneurs. GoBiz administers grant programs to support these entrepreneurs and deploys business facing immigration preparedness resources that provide practical guidance on employers' rights and responsibilities under federal and immigration law. Our final final pillar is engaging in subnational diplomacy.

So that's working with different organizations and governments that want to collaborate with the state of California, and that includes our state's robust consular core.

For example, Governor Newsom signed the MOU with Armenia in September 2019, as I'm sure you're aware, to encourage the creation of public private partnerships between Armenian and California entities in the areas of economic development, social entrepreneurship, and academic collaboration amongst others. By leveraging our economic scale, technological leadership, and global influence, California is building strategic partnerships with the to support long term prosperity and reinforce our role as a global leader. Since signing the MOU in 2019, Gomez has made additional efforts to strengthen trade relationships with Armenia.

In June 2021, Gomez established the trade and services desk in Yerevan, Armenia in partnership with Impact Hub Yerevan. Impact Hub is a nonprofit whose mission is to support social impact projects and enterprises that facilitate the positive development of Armenia and houses over 20 different in incubation programs and upwards of 100 projects and organizations that represent every sector of Armenia.

This trade desk has sought to promote two way trade and investment between California and Armenian businesses. Californian's businesses have a direct line to the Armenian business community through the Impact Hub and vice versa. Armenian businesses have a direct line to GoBiz, where we stand ready to engage and support these businesses in their California expansion.

Impact Hub recent recently went through a leadership change, and GOBIS is actively working to reestablish a relationship with their new CEO, Ekuki Yoruchan, and align the trade desk to the organization's new priorities. Since the first MOU was signed in 2019, California's two way trade with Armenia has significantly increased.

While our two way trade, it was a little over $20 million in 2019, traded activity has increased by over a 112%, totaling 42.6 million last year. Specifically, California's exports have skyrocketed. In 2019, California's exports to Armenia increased almost 180%, from a little less than 8 million to 22.1 million last year. And for your awareness, California's top exports to Armenia are transportation equipment as well as computer and electronic products, while our top imports from Armenia are food products and beverages.

And we're also very proud to be the second largest US state exporter and importer with Armenia.

While this kind of growth can be attributed to many factors, including the important work done by our partners and the private the private sector, GoBiz has played a role. Multiple companies have used GoBiz GoBiz's export promotion services to finance and conduct field testing in the region. One great example is an LA concrete company who has a patented polymer enhanced formula that preserves asphalt and concrete services and lessens the impact climate impact of concrete.

Throughout 2021 and 2022, this company used export promotion our export promotion services to facilitate a partnership with a major industrial cement facility in Harazdin, Armenia. Furthermore, GoBiz has worked with multiple Armenian companies to help support and grow their businesses.

For example, in May 2023, Gobiz highlighted Verona Quartz in our international business success story web page. This company is a family owned supplier of cort stones with deep roots in both California and Armenia, and their products are used by commercial clients, architects, and interior designers. In addition to sharing Verona Kors' story with our in our marketing materials, Bobus shared the information with them on some of our state's incentives that could be applicable as they continue their growth here in the state.

In November 2024, GoBiz met with Bana Angels, one of Armenia's most active venture capital networks with ties here to the Silicon Valley. Bana Angels wanted to connect with GoBiz to seek assistance in establishing an Armenian start up hub in the Silicon Valley.

This hub would serve as a living and networking space for start up founders and would host various activities such as meetups, community gatherings, and thematic workshops. Gobis provided information about economic incentive incentives that we have, visa and immigration information that connected Bana angels to relevant local partners.

In addition to these brief examples, I wanted to note that our team has met with many Armenians through Armenian businesses through our flagship events, for Go business international investment portfolio and one event that we attend every year, which is the SelectUSA investment summit. SelectUSA is an event hosted by the US Department of Commerce and is the largest foreign investment attraction event in the world. In the twenty twenty five summit, GoBiz met with Kristina Kvien, the former US ambassador to Armenia.

The ambassador led the Harabedian delegation to SelectUSA and helped connect GoBiz with many Armenian businesses interested in California. This includes companies like AlphaPharma, which is a pharmaceutical company that wanted to learn more about California's life science ecosystem. Looking ahead, our team stands ready to support California companies' export activities to Armenia and Armenian companies' expansions here to the state. GoBiz's export voucher program provides companies the freedom and flexibility to be reimbursed for export promotion activities to any market where US trade is permitted, and that includes Armenia.

Given the importance of the Armenian California business community to this committee, our office would appreciate your support in spreading the word about our export voucher program to your constituents.

Furthermore, our team would love to see an increase in our meeting in California businesses signed up for our next round of export trainings. While our office is constantly promoting the agency's programs to companies state statewide, your targeted outreach would not only be an effective partnership between our two branches of government, but could also substantially benefit Armenian and California companies across the state. Thank you for your time.

And thank you. Thank you for that information, which was extremely helpful. And thank you to the governor for his support, not only in signing the partnership in 2019, but everything he's done since. And, of course, Secretary Myers for her for her work on this and and the whole office. So appreciate you being here.

I know that we have some questions and comments. I I'll start with the Assemblymember Schultz, then we'll go to Assemblymember Caloza. Thank you.

Well, thank you very much, mister chair. Good to see so many friends in attendance, not only on the panel, but in the audience. Before I get to my questions, just wanted to thank you, Mr. Chair, not just for the historic nature of your chairmanship, but also all the work that you do to really bring this caucus to unprecedented heights. It's a privilege to work with you.

And course, always good to see my my friend and my partner in representing the jewel city here on the committee today. So I had a couple quick questions for each of you, and, if it's alright, I'll start with our, lieutenant governor. Thank you so much. I'm sorry I missed the beginning of the presentation, but I I had a chance to look at the presentation in advance.

The two questions I have, I'll start with the first one is, as California continues continues to fortify and strengthen its global partnerships, Where do you see Armenia fitting into the state's broader international strategy?

And maybe more specifically, what do you think the legislature should be prioritizing over, say, the next five to ten years?

Well, thank you so much for the question. And, again, it's really an honor and a pleasure to be here before you. It's seven and a half years now that I've had the privilege of serving as the governor's representative for international affairs and trade, and we have really accomplished a great deal. In fact, most people don't know that I served in a similar role, not as an elected official, though, for Jerry Brown.

And I can attest that Governor Newsom has really significantly increased the organizational support within the administration for international trade investment and in making sure that California's voice is heard on the on the world stage.

Frankly, we have a lot to say, and people are interested in our perspective. People are interested in our priorities, and people are very interested in doing business here.

So where Armenia fits into this, I'll start by just recognizing again the presentation by Tricia Utterback and the long list of engagements and support that she recognized, but also in the context of the fact that we started this concept of having desks within countries that are of extreme levels of importance so that, as we strengthen those ties, we actually have a physical presence in the country without necessarily having a full trade office.

So the fact that the first was in Mexico, the third was in Japan, and in between, the second one that we established was in Armenia. It really shows the the incredible level of significance.

And, of course, this is truly underpinned by the person to person relationships. And I'll also say by the fact that one of our values in the state of California is, human rights, internationally, is the, promotion of peace and stability in the world. And we have a million experts in California, people of Armenian descent, who know this region very well and who are able to share with us a perspective and help to form the voice of of our elected officials here in in speaking out.

You know, we we throw this statistic around all the time that we're the fourth largest economy in the world if we were a country, but what that means is that only the United States, China, and Germany have economies larger than California. We are 40 million people, and we have an economy larger than that of India.

So our influence is significant. So I think thank you for asking me what I think the legislature could do more of on the world stage, but, frankly, I think that the leadership of Chair Harabedian, the members of this committee, you are showing what you both can and are doing to continue to elevate California's voice.

And and, again, I'll underscore that it is both in the area of trade and commerce and in the area of elevating our voice when it comes to our values on the world stage. And and I will also add to that, of course, climate and and clean energy and diversification of energy and energy security in general. Nobody is doing more than California.

We're not backing away from this. And, again, this is something that is sort of course Assemblymember Zbur is working on and and all of you are. So, yeah, I think that sums it up.

Wonderful. Thank you so much, madam lieutenant governor. And then next to our consul general, thank you so much for being here. I had a question for you as well. I should say, beyond or in addition to trade and diplomacy, what what role do you see actually, let me phrase it another way.

If you could identify one area where California and Armenia could significantly strengthen our partnership over same period, maybe the next five to ten years, what do you foresee as that opportunity?

Thank you very much, Mister Schultz. When I didn't mention about the developments regarding the Silicon Valley And we call that Armenia is a is a Silicon Valley in the South Caucasus. So the high-tech technology, information technology, there there are many, many developments in Armenia, and we are becoming a technological hub. And this is the priorities of it, the, cooperation with California, high-tech information technology and innovation.

And there are many, many nice projects that are underway, and we are cooperating with the partners with California and will strengthen in these fairs as well.

Outstanding. Thank you very much. And my final question is for our our our our third and final panelist. As you referenced in your presentation and in your remarks, California has robust trade relationships around the world. In your view, what industries present the greatest untapped opportunities for expanding trade with Armenia?

And more specifically, if I might, how do you feel the legislature can help California businesses capitalize on those opportunities?

Thank you for the question, Assembly member. I think with the, California jobs first economic strategy, it outlines key sectors that are important to the state of California. This includes sectors such as high technology, life science, or agricultural technology. I think these are sectors that will align well with your meaning economy and present significant opportunity.

In terms of how we can improve and increase trade, I believe through our Cal export program, we can significantly improve, and support companies that are interested in ex in their exports to Armenia as well as the Impact Hub.

I think the trade desk, as we continue to strengthen that relationship and build out programming through the hub, we'll increase both two way trade, foreign direct investment here to California as well as California exports to the state or to Armenia. Thank you.

Thank you all very much. Back to you, Mister Chair.

Thank you. Great questions and great answers, and I appreciate that. I wanna welcome Senator Zbur, who's here and been a incredibly strong ally to the Armenian American community and just appreciate your presence here. Thank you. Any questions from Senator Caloza or Zbur or comments?

So I can't stay very long, but I wanna thank you for being here today. Yeah. I think, you know, it's, I think a priority for all of us. I wanna thank the, our Chair and our leader in the in the, in in this effort for really, helping us understand how we build stronger ties with Armenia, how we support our communities, the the the the the diaspora here and in California, which is, you know, among the largest in the world, and strengthening those ties.

And just wanna appreciate the the work that's being done and all of you for helping us understand how we can build those relationships and and trade and economic development that comes from that.

So thank you for allowing me to be here for part of the day.

Thank you. Senator Caloza?

Thank you, Chair Harabedian. Thank you so much to, our lieutenant governor, of course, our consul general, and Miss Utterback for her presentation. I think, you know, as we heard, there's so many emerging industries, and you can really see a really intentional effort from, you know, The Republic Of Armenia to really cultivate certain industries, especially tech. And, you know, I think the question for us is, like, how do we really connect that to the industries here in California so that there's that shared trade?

And there's so many programs that I learned about for the first time from the lieutenant governor that you highlighted about the academic exchange, that's really, really critical and important.

And, you know, I personally haven't, been to Armenia yet, but look forward to hopefully going on something, led by our our chair, in the near future. And so, you know, I think for me, you know, I see that there's so many things coming up in the United States and California. Curious if there's anything that you wanted to share here with some of the major events that are happening. I think it's really exciting that Yerevan is hosting COP Seventeen.

And then, of course, in two years, Los Angeles is also hosting the Olympics.

And so I'm wondering if there's anything that you have advice for us in the assembly to really think about what are those opportunities where these major global events might be happening here in California that we should really, you know, make have have an intentional effort to to cultivate, especially because I know for the city of Glendale, we have so many small businesses, who who do, as we heard, import a lot of things from our Armenia, and so we are beneficiaries of that. Whoever wants to answer.

I I could just share one thought. And first, it's not here in California, but the opportunity to go to Yerevan, it it makes a big difference if you can put a delegation together to go. It's not easy to get there. It takes a couple of flight changes, but it's really worth it. But one thing that comes to mind is that and you must know this because it is your district.

There are quite a few media outlets in and around, your district in Southern California, TV stations in particular. I've had the opportunity to visit several of them in English, but also in, the Armenian language. And I think that, talking about some of the programs that the state offers, particularly for entrepreneurship and getting it out through those channels, it's not quite going to an event or, you know, some of the other things you are mentioning.

But in terms of really using communications tools to highlight the opportunities for Armenians in California to tap into the support of the programs that have been funded by this administration and the and the legislature, I think is a is a a a real opportunity that that exists for you.

Thank you, lieutenant governor. I was signaling to our chair that he should as our chairperson should go on those said outlets. Yeah. No. That's a great idea.

I've I've done a few of those interviews. It's been some time, but I think maybe we can follow-up and connect with GoBiz afterward to do some in language outreach is always important. I don't know if you wanted to add anything.

Yeah. Just wanted to mention that I had a working visit in Fresno last month, and we arranged a lot of initiatives to to organize in Armenia and medical mission. We are working on medical mission between Armenia and California and also development of cooperation in the agricultural sector. Because, especially Armenians, they have a very rich history in agricultural field in Fresno, so we are trying to find, a new projects in the agricultural sphere. And at the end of the year, we'll have good results in this regard.

And also, I would like to mention that this year, we are celebrating the thirty fifth anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. This is an anniversary not only for Armenia, but also for The United States Of America, two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of of the foundation. My congratulations, and, I will invite all of you to celebrate this very important event. Thank you.

Thank you for your answers.

Thank you for that, and thank you for the question. The answer is an extremely insightful. And I'll just say before concluding this panel, I I do think that the opportunity here to build upon the agreement from 2019, the trade desk, and the whole host of partnerships that we have really memorialized between, the state and the Republic Of Armenia really can be supercharged.

I mean, I think that if you think about the amount of trade that we're talking about, even in the tens of millions, we know that that should be multiplied. And and it can be, and it and it will be.

And I think that if anyone were to travel to Yerevan today, there has been a significant amount of repatriation from Californians who may have immigrated here or their parents or grandparents who are moving back to Armenia because of the economic opportunity there for, for a lot of, you know, cultural and and educational pursuits. And it has become, almost for better or for worse, you know, Glendale East.

I mean, when I was there, the amount of Southern Californians, and no no offense to the Northern Californians, I just knew who I knew that were there in the restaurants spending time during the summer. It is really, I think, invigorating. And I think it's it's telling just how much Armenia has in terms of potential and always has and how California and Californians are really hungry to invest in it.

And I know that all three of you know that, and I just appreciate your perspective. And I do think that working with the executive branch, the legislature, I think, has a huge role to play here. And I know that Senator Caloza is doing that with the California Asia investment piece, and this committee will continue to work on the Harabedian piece. So I just wanna thank you for being here, for providing the insights, and one of many conversations that, we will continue to have.

So appreciate everything that you guys did here today, and and, you know, kudos to you for making the time.

So thank you again.

Thank you. Thank you.

We will transition to our second panel. And as we do that, I just wanna introduce our esteemed panelists on the next panel. We have Ardy Kassakhian and my friend, mayor of the city of Glendale, longtime public servant, and my birthday brother happens to have my same birthday, which not many people know. And Armine Galstyan, who's the principal of SmartGateVC and managing director of Hero House Glendale is here with us today, and they will make their way up to the table.

And, Mayor Kassakhian, the floor is yours whenever you are ready.

Thank you.

Oh, and excuse me. I wasn't sure if Vahe was here. I'm glad that he made it. I know it was a it it was a it it was a touch and go. Thank you for being here, Vahe Kuzoya, who is the president and cofounder of ServiceTitan, one of the, and this is no hyperbole, one of the greatest stories of Armenian American entrepreneurship, and and we get to hear from him today. And I think every, every Armenian and every Armenian American are proud of the service titan story. It's an honor to have all three of you here, but, thank you very much. I know that this was this was hard to get here and on time.

So good to see you, and thank you for being here.

Mayor Kosakian, please.

Thank you, chairman Harabedian and members of this committee, and I appreciate you. Thank you, Assembly member Clowes. There's a slide presentation, and we can go through it if I just will I just ask someone to advance the slides then? Is it

Yeah. You get that.

Alright. Perfect. Okay. Well, I'll try to multitask here as I read through my statement. I know that time is important, so I'll just begin.

So Chairman Harabedian and members of the legislature, consul general, distinguished panelists, and guests, thank you for convening this hearing and giving the city of Glendale an opportunity to participate. I want to begin with a simple proposition, and that is following. California should not think of its relationship with Armenia as a distant foreign policy concern. It should think of Armenia as an economic, cultural, democratic, and strategic partner, and it should recognize Glendale as a natural gateway for that partnership.

When you walk anywhere in the city of Glendale, roughly one in three people you pass, probably traces their roots to some Armenian diaspora community or Armenia itself.

Glendale, as we have heard, is home to about 70,000 Armenian Americans, the largest concentration in any city in the United States, and California is home to nearly over a quarter million Armenians. The Armenian American story is one of survival and renewal. Armenians arrived after the genocide, and after various conflicts in the Middle East pushed them out of diasporan communities and, of course, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And despite hardships and discrimination, they built businesses, raised families, and strengthened their communities.

And here in this photo, you can see Armenian immigrants at the early turn of the last century, who are, were in the agricultural industry.

In Fresno, here they are harvesting grapes. Today, Armenian Americans are an integral part of California's economy and civic life, leading businesses, serving as professionals and public servants, and sustaining vibrant network of schools, churches, and cultural institutions.

It is one of California's greatest community assets to have a vibrant, diaspora community, and there's no better example of this, immigrant community successes than ServiceTitan founded by Vahe Kuzoyan, who's joining us, and Ara Mahdessian, two sons of tradesmen who built technology to serve people like their fathers and who built it in Glendale. It has become a major technological company success, and you will hear Vahja's story directly from him, so I will not tell it for him. But their experience makes my central point.

The relationship between California and Armenia is not one, a directional commitment. It is a genuine partnership. Capital, talent, and ideas move both ways. Companies that are founded by Armenian Americans here create jobs in America as well as in Armenia. Engineers in Armenia help California companies compete globally.

And this is not aid. It is trade, investment, and innovation. Armenia has one of the most significant diaspora networks of any small nation, and California holds the largest, most economical, and economically capable concentration of that diaspora in the country. And that is a strategic advantage we need to take advantage of. But an advantage is only valuable when it's intentionally developed.

So Glendale has already begun building the foundation for this growth. I want to recognize leaders who represent us in the legislature before such as state Senator Portentino, now congresswoman Laura Friedman, and, of course, many leaders of Armenian heritage like Assembly members Nazarian and Achadjian, who came before and laid the foundations for work in cooperation with individuals such as Governor Jerry Brown, Governor Newsome, and many other friends and allies who continue through your leadership to support and help the Armenian community get integrated, grow, and succeed.

Strengthening our community means investing in lasting institutions, not simply passing resolutions. And the Armenian American Museum is one such example of this in Glendale. The Armenian American Museum is rising in the heart of Glendale, the first major institution of its kind in California dedicated to the history, culture, and survival and contributions of Armenian Americans.

But this is not only an Armenian museum. It is a California museum in reality, telling the story of refugees becoming neighbors, survivors, raising generations of doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders who strengthen our great state. The museum will anchor a growing cultural district near the central library in Glendale. I know many of you have visited this site. The museum, it's next to the Museum of Neon Art.

It will educate visitors about the genocide, about genocide prevention, about immigration and civic participation, and generate tourism in our city center as well as the surrounding region. The state has already made a significant investment. We ask that the legislature and governor remain partners until the statewide institution is fully completed. Glendale's cultural role is also shows in smaller ways. From September 4 through the seventh of this year, we will again host the twenty twenty six Southern California Open Chess Grand Prix, one of California's largest chess tournaments.

Now to some chess may be a game, but for Armenians, it is more than that. It represents patience, discipline, strategy, and thinking several moves ahead. Armenia has a has produced grandmasters and champion championship teams far beyond what its size would predict, and chess holds a central place in its education. Those same traits, strategy, resilience, long term thinking have helped Armenian Americans succeed in business and public life. And this tournament is one more example of how culture, education, tourism, and economic activity come together in Glendale.

Our connection to Armenia is reinforced through sister city relationships, such as with Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city, Gapan in the South, and our friendship city partnership with the Irban Schentron District. These are not ceremonial plaques on walls. They are vehicles for student exchanges, professional visits, government collaboration, and business development. We have hosted delegations to our city from these areas, and we have also worked with entrepreneurs on infrastructure, technology, and public safety, and economic development.

We have welcomed young people from Armenia into our police stations, fire facilities, and council chambers to see how local democracy works.

Local government can practice meaningful diplomacy, and Glendale does it every day. And I should mention that Glendale also had signed a sister city relationship document with the city of Martuni in the Republic Of Artsakh, also known to some as Nagorno Karabakh. Unfortunately, after 2023, the Armenian population of that city was wiped out and ethnically cleansed. And the mayor of Martin Yasnav or Sarvyan was killed while defending the city from invading Azerbaijani military forces. Armenia is landlocked, but it must never be isolated economically, technologically, or intellectually.

Our state can help by expanding partnerships in trade, education, technology, renewable energy, and health care, building the connections that allow opportunity and prosperity to grow. California's leaders also play. You all play a diplomatic role when they you visit Armenia. The delegation demonstrates that the relationship is institutional, not merely ceremonial. It tells the Armenian people they are seen, that they are not alone, and that the largest state in the country considers their future important.

That reassurance cannot be substituted for federal policy, but it still matters. It builds confidence, encourages investment, and signals that intimidation by some neighboring aggressors will not erase Armenia from the attention of the democratic world. We cannot discuss Armenia's economic future, however, without acknowledging the realities around it. Many of you know that 100,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced from Artsakh in 2023 after a blockade and military attacks, many people lost homes, churches, cultural institutions, and land that was inhabited by Armenians for generations over a millennia.

Many of those families now are in places outside of their ancestral homes, and many have familial connections in Glendale.

For them, Artsakh is not an abstract policy issue. It is reviving century old traumas. Armenian prisoners and detainees also remain in Azerbaijani custody, and their release must remain a concern for leaders who believe in human rights and a durable peace. Notable humanitarians like the founder of the Aurora Peace Prize for human rights, Ruben Vartanian, among them. A peaceful integrated region would benefit everyone, but peace must be credible, reciprocal, and grounded in human rights, not merely imposed on the more vulnerable party.

California cannot negotiate a peace agreement. I understand that. We understand that. But it can use its voice, its economic influence, and its congressional delegations and other resources to insist that Armenians not be excluded from the protections we defend everywhere else as Americans.

We we must just as California restricted travel to public servants, to states that did not reflect the same values of our great state here, it should consider to restrict travel to countries like Azerbaijan as long as they are actively denying the Armenian genocide and holding Armenians as hostage.

Our commitment to Armenia must include a commitment to its democratic development, strong economies, and strong democracies both depend on independent institutions, transparent laws, and impartial judiciary and the freedom to criticize governments without fear. Supporting Armenia does not require silence when democratic institutions, political opposition, or religious freedom raise legitimate concerns. Honest criticism is an expression of commitment, not disloyalty. And the Armenian diaspora wants an Armenia that is secure, democratic, and a strong partner of The United States and California. Goals that ultimately reinforce one another.

There's one more issue that must become part of California's agenda. Our state has long understood that discrimination creates lasting economic barriers, which is why it has built programs to increase participation by minority owned and disadvantaged businesses. But Armenian owned businesses too often fall outside the categories these programs use, treated as part of a broad white classification despite the distinct ethnic identity and the documented history of discrimination. That is not theoretical.

You know that in 2023, and I know many of you spoke out and we appreciate it, that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that Citibank intentionally and illegally discriminated against Armenian Americans for credit applications, targeting surnames ending in I a n and y a n and treating residents in Glendale as a proxy for fraud risk.

Citibank was ordered to pay $25,900,000, one of the nation's largest banks treated in Armenian surname as a warning sign. Ethnic discrimination with direct economic consequences for who gets credit, who can grow and expand their businesses, who they can hire, and who fails. More recently, and thank you for your leadership in speaking out on this, chairman Harabedian, doctor Mehmed Oz, as administrator of the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, released a video on alleged health care fraud in Los Angeles. Fraud should be investigated.

We all agree.

But rather than name specific defendants, he invoked, quote, Russian Armenian mafia, highlighting Armenian language sign signage and filmed in front of an Armenian owned bakery never accused of anything, which then reportedly lost roughly 30% in sales. Governor Newsom filed a civil rights complaint, and I thank him for it. And there's a fundamental difference between investigating fraud and racializing it. Armenian lettering on a storefront is not evidence. A surname is not probable cause.

And California must reject that playbook, whichever community is targeted. These incidents are exactly why our supplier diversity policies in the state must be examined. Armenian Americans are recognized as distinct community. When they are targeted for discrimination, they should not become invisible when the state designs remedies. I would like to ask legislature to work with the Department of General Services, the Public Utilities Commission, GO Biz, Caltrans, everyone else, and identify the changes needed to qualify Harabedian owned businesses, and so they are not categorically excluded.

This is not a request for contracts to go to unqualified companies. It it is a request for equal access tools California has already created. The state should investigate the disparity, establish the record, and where evidence supports it act.

Chairman Harabedian and members, I respectfully ask the legislature to partner with Glendale in several specific ways to help us complete investments in places like the Armenian American Museum, continue investing in Glendale's technology and innovation economy, building on the GoBiz seed funding to expand our incubator and start up programs, and establish more formal California Armenia trade and innovation strategy, an institutional home beginning to bringing together GoBiz, our universities and educational institutions, venture capital, Armenian technology companies, and cities like ours.

And lastly, I'd like to also, direct, appropriate agencies to examine the exclusion of Armenian owned businesses from supplier diversity programs, continue legislative delegations and official visits to Armenia, expand educational and professional exchanges between our, universities and colleges and California businesses.

And seventh, continue using lastly, continue using California's moral and political voice in support of the Armenian people, advocating for the release of prisoners, supporting displaced Artsakh Armenians, opposing ethnic cleansing and cultural destruction, and promoting peace that protects Armenia sovereignty and security. In closing, I would like to once again thank everyone for hearing and reaffirming what my statement has hopefully made very clear today. That California has already benefited enormously from the Armenian American community.

Now we have the opportunity to turn that historic relationship into something much greater. Glendale is ready to help lead it.

We have the people. We have the businesses. We have the chambers of commerce and the community organizations and civic groups, the institutions, the museum hopefully soon, and the beginnings of a technology center right here where the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys meet. And we have the sister city relationship along with decades and upon decades of evidence of what immigrants help bring to the state. What we need is a sustained partnership, and we know we have that with all of your leadership.

We will hopefully finish this museum, grow this sector of technology, open procurement opportunities, and make sure that Armenia is connected to California and through California to the rest of the world. And when Armenian Americans face discrimination profiling or collective suspicion, we need our elected representatives and the state of California to say plainly that they will receive the same protection, dignity, and opportunity promised to every other community.

And for the Republic Of Armenia, it may be landlocked, but through California and through Glendale, it does not have to be isolated. The bridge already exists. It was built by survivors, immigrants, entrepreneurs, students, and families over more than a century.

Our task now is to strengthen it, to complete it, and to make sure it carries opportunity in both directions for generations to come. Thank you for your time, and I'm ready to answer any of your questions.

Thank you, Mayor Kasakhian. As always, incredibly insightful, and thank you for your decades of of service to not only the city of Glendale, but the Armenian American community. And it's very important that you're here today on this inaugural committee meeting and hearing. And I I'm glad that you brought up the discrimination point in Artsakh and what has happened there because this isn't just a celebration. We're not just talking about economic partnerships.

We're talking about the struggles both here and far of the Armenian community, and I think that those are important pieces to consider when thinking through all these issues. So I appreciate that quite a bit. And, and we will have, questions and comments following up. I wanna thank Senate member Alaniz for joining us. Thank you very much, sir.

And, I'm sure you will have questions at the end of the panel. Mister Kozoyan, the floor is yours. Thank you for being here.

Thank you, chairman Harabedian, and thank you to the committee for giving me an opportunity to share my story. My name is Vahi Kozoyan. I was born in Armenia. I came to California when I was six years old as a as an immigrant. And I went to school here.

I I believe I was one of the first kids in an inaugural program called ESL. And I went through the full education system here. I went to ended up going to USC, where I met my co founder, Ara Madesyan, who was at Stanford at the time. And we were both very similar in our backgrounds as Harabedian Americans, who happen to be the sons of contractors.

And in both of our cases, our parents were able to achieve the American dream through a career in the trades, ultimately becoming small business owners.

And when we were graduating, we had a choice to make. Our plan was initially to go to Google or something and be an engineer, and, we decided to, take a swing and chase the, the classic California dream of, you know, couple of dudes in a garage trying something. And so we did. Founding ServiceTitan in Glendale, in 2007. Since then, it's been, quite the adventure.

It hasn't been easy. But through the years, it turned out that there were more than our dads who were plumbers and HVAC technicians who needed technology, and and the company grew. Over the last eighteen years now, we have grown the team from just a couple of dudes in a garage to today we have over 3,000 employees worldwide. We ended up going public about a year and a half ago. Along the way, we opened up an office in Armenia in 2019.

I wanted to just share a little bit of the impact that we've been able to make through our team primarily. Throughout that time, most of our investors were California based. And excluding myself and Ara, we have generated in terms of equity issuances billions of dollars to our employees. In California alone, we have over nine almost 900 employees and well over a billion dollars in equity that has been earned by our team members.

And in Armenia, we now have a team of around 650 people there, and that team alone has earned over 50,000,000 in equity issuances.

Because what we've been able to do was not only the blood, sweat, and tears of our American team, but it was also our Armenia team. And they were absolutely instrumental in us being able to serve our customers, build our products, and ultimately get to where we are today. And our story at ServiceTitan is not the only one. There are many other tech companies, American, California based tech companies that have a presence there.

Of the spectrum to companies like Nvidia and AMD who have hundreds of employees and have a presence in Armenia, Synopsys as well.

And I'd like to also share one particular story of a of a of a tech company that was founded a little over a year ago. The two founders are my friends, an Harabedian American based out of California, and an Armenian Armenian based out of Armenia. And the company went from being an idea about a year ago to now an operational modern AI data center. The company's name is Firebird.

And this company was a product of California and Armenian entrepreneurs coming together to solve a very important need, that's a global need.

That the data center today that's operational has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exports from California to Armenia in the form of chips from Nvidia. Dell is also another important partner. And they've announced projects now to expand into markets like Kazakhstan and another big phase in Armenia, which will now be in the billions of dollars in terms of overall economic activity. And they, goodness doesn't just flow from American companies going to Armenia.

There are many companies that have been founded in Armenia, like Pixar, like Crisp, like SuperAnnotate, that have meaningful participation from California based investors, that have employees in California that are valued in the billions in aggregate as well.

And lastly, I'd like to share the in my opinion, the most impressive export that Armenia has, one that I'm a a big fan of as a board member, it's an organization called Tumo. And Tumo has exported a product that was created in Armenia that now serves tens of thousands of kids, teenagers I should say, across 16 countries.

And thanks to the funding that we received from the state of California, we were able to open a the first Tummo center in The United States in North Hollywood, which today is serving 650 North Hollywood based teenagers completely free of cost with a waiting list that's bursting at the seams at well over 600 kids just waiting to get in.

And so as a board member on behalf of Tummo, I'd like to sincerely thank the state of California for the for the funding that has provided, and the opportunity for us to bring Tummo to America. And so, with that, I just like to invite the committee to come to Armenia.

It's a an amazing place that I think you'll find a lot of familiarity in terms of the magic that we feel in California. A lot of that magic, I feel like, is also in Armenia. And so thank you for the opportunity to share my story. Appreciate the time.

Thank you. And, it's a story that, we are all proud of. And, I know Senator Koloz, I believe, represents Service Titan in your district. Or or is that Schultz? If it's Schultz, we can move it to you.

Is it North of the 134

seen there, I've met you.

that I've

Or it's Schultz. You know, a a proud moment nonetheless, regardless of who represents them in the Assembly. I I think it's a story that so many of us are so eager to tell and just having you here is really important and there's gonna be many questions. I'm looking forward to having a discussion after our last panelist. I wanna thank Assemblymember O'Brien for being here.

Welcome. Thank you for serving on the committee, all of your help in the Armenian caucus and your advocacy. It's great to have you. So thank you. Our last panelist, miss Gaustian, please, floor is yours, and then we can open up for questions and comments.

Thank you.

Thank you. Chair Harabedian, members of the committee, thank you for convening this hearing and for the invitation. My name is Arvina Galestian, and I'm wearing two hats today, that belong both to the same mission. I'm an investor at SmartKVBC, an early stage venture fund that invests in deep tech companies at the very beginning. And I am a cofounder and managing director at HeroHouse Glendale, innovation hub which was launched by SmartKVBC in partnership with state of California and state of Glendale.

The fund and Hero House were built together and they work together. SmartK VC writes the very first checks for investment to these companies and Hero House opens the doors for them. I'm here today to speak about the bridge we have built between California and Armenia and how it helped produce and grow tech companies. Let me tell you a bit of story and how it was built.

In 2017, SmartKVAC was launched in Yerevan, a fund focused on artificial intelligence back before AI was on everyone's lips, before it was mainstream.

The idea was simple. Take the way Silicon Valley builds companies, capital plus community under one roof and bring it to Armenia. The first fund was small. 3,200,000 modest by any California standard, invested at the riskiest at the early earliest stage in 27 companies. For most of those founders, we were the very first institutional tech.

And Hero House here, everyone, was where they worked. They started their companies. They grew their term teams. They learned and they met the community. By 2021, those companies were growing and they all needed the same thing next.

How do they enter the American market? How do they connect to The US and Silicon Valley community? They needed a bridge to California, so we decided to build one. We opened up Pure House Glendale, which is a 7,000 square feet in of innovation space. It's supported by state of California and city of Glendale.

In 2022 came our second fund, just one year after we launched the hub in Glendale, which is $11,500,000 across 30 companies. And today, we are raising our third one, which would be a $50,000,000 fund, which will be deployed in frontier of physical AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and neuroscience in the next few years. Nine years, two funds, two Eurohouses, two continents, two ends of the same bridge. Today's market we see in Johan stand behind 50 portfolio companies across two funds. Together, they are worth well over $2,000,000,000.

These companies have gone on to raise about $400,000,000 after the first checks were invested. Firms like Anderson Horowitz, Hosla Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, some of the top funds in the world have bought backed these companies. Our best early investments have multiplied about 50 times, created value about 50 times on the investment that we made, placing the small pilot fund that we launched in 2017 among top 10% of the funds in US. The logos on the slide represents some of the places where our founders come from.

Some of those include labs at Harvard, MIT, Caltech, Cambridge, JPL.

But the other side of it is Armenian tech community. They also come from Armenian tech community. Two streams of talent and the work of the fund and the house is bringing them together under one roof, one pipeline, and California capital is all behind it. Here is the thing about capital, though. Money alone doesn't build companies.

People do. And people need a room where they can actually meet. And Hero House is that room, where Smart Gate business founders and the two stream of talent come together, to meet and to talk and to build. 7,000 square feet of Glendale space mirrored by hub in Armenia, powered by accelerator programs that walk companies from labs to first commercial contracts. More than 300 founders and divestors, have come and gone through Hero House.

We have a community of about 3,000 people right now, and we have hosted around 300 events in the last five years. The photo you see is just one of the dinners we hosted over the years bringing together the buyers, the founders, the investors around the same table. And we are also a landmark location for Glendale Tech Week, one of the city's Glendale's biggest tech events. One event like this can change a young company's trajectory.

If you multiply this by 300, you get connections which become an economic corridor for these companies.

So far, I've talked a bit about the work we do in California. I wanna talk a bit about the other side of the bridge, which would be Armenia because the bridge works on two directions. As many of the previous speaker speakers mentioned, Armenia increasingly is becoming the Silicon Valley of the region. That's not flattery and the numbers support this. Over the last decade, Armenians Armenia's tech sector has grown 20 to 25% year over year, every year for a decade.

Technology is now about 7% of entire national economy. The sector employs nearly 59,000 people. 40% of them are women, well above the global average. None of this came from nowhere. In the Soviet era, year one was the computing center.

Sixty years of engineering culture and talent is behind this. And the world has noticed. If you look into Armenia right now, we have NVIDIA, Synopsys, AMD, Siemens, all brand engineering and R and D offices in Armenia. Synopsys alone employs over a thousand people in Armenia. I believe it's the second largest R and D office outside of United States.

Companies like Pixart, which are of Armenian origin, have broken out globally. And one more ingredient, you add about 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 people in diaspora, all Armenians, more than twice the population of Armenia itself, and you have a connective connective tissue which powers this tech economy. This corridor and this bridge works because the value is flowing both ways. Smart ADC Capital reaches Armenian founders at the very early, very risky stage, stage almost nobody covers.

Coming west, those same companies built their engineering teams in Armenia while the headquarters, the sales organizations, and the business side of it stays here in California.

And very often, their first Armenian their first American address is at Hero House Glendale. Many of the speakers mentioned also Firebird. I'm proud to tell that Firebird's California office is actually Hero House, and we hosted we had the pleasure to host their first public event that they did in California. And Glendale sits right at the center of this. We are one of the America's largest Armenian communities.

That makes us the nature natural first landing point for a founder entering The US markets. And Hero House becomes the nature natural location they come to. I wanna give two very specific examples, two companies. The first one is Superannotate. We met the founders through Armenian community back in Armenia.

We backed them as one of their very first investors. We put a very small check-in this company. Today, the company has raised over $67,000,000 with NVIDIA and Databricks being their some of their investors. Our first check has multiplied many, many times as you can imagine. The second is a company called Deep Origin, and it's an AI drug discovery company.

This is the opposite story. We met the founder here in US, professor, Armenian born from University of Maryland, who decided to build a company. We met the founder, supported them through company building, helped them open up their r and d office in Armenia. Recently, the company received about $40,000,000 of state funding to build computational models to reduce and ultimately re replace animal testing in drug development. The company research is run between California and Armenia.

The r n the r and d part of the r and d is in Armenia. The business development is here in California, and the company is growing in both places. Everything I've described is just as much California story as it is Armenia story, and the returns are visible right here in California. Two innovation grants that we received for state of California, $500,000 each, 1,000,000 supported by city of Glendale, have produced have helped us produce this result.

The million became Hero House Glendale, a 7,000 square feet of hub, three accelerator cohorts, 50 companies, shared and a share in these 50 companies.

The startups our accelerators bring to California and support in California, California, incorporate here, hire here, pay taxes here, and establish in Glendale. And through Glendale Tech Vic, and 300 and plus events we have hosted, we have supported number of these companies from their very early stages to raising seed series a and later rounds. The photo you see on the slide, if you look at the slide, is the ribbon cutting back in 2021, five years in, and we see the results.

In closing, members of the committee, I wanna mention that nine years ago, this bridge was just an idea. The fund was just an idea.

Five years ago, the office of Glendale Hero House was just being launched. And the new generation of founders right now today, five years in, are coming through Hero House. 50 already established, another 50 in the next few years, we are expecting. And all of it is built by a small fund, a 7,000 square feet room and $1,000,000 that was California public funding. It is hard to imagine better returns on state investment.

The next 50 companies are already on their way. Come meet them. Come to hear us. Our doors are open. We are expecting large events in September as part of Glendale Tech Week, and we'd love to have you join us and meet some of our companies.

Thank you, and I'm welcoming all the questions you might have.

Thank you. Thank you for that. And extremely impressive, and many many thoughts and questions. But before I go there, just wanna thank all the panelists again for taking the time to do this. Open up to my colleagues, Senate member Brian or Alan Eese.

Any questions, comments, or or anything that you'd like to say? Mister Brian.

Yeah. But first, I wanna thank the Chair for his leadership. I think the Armenian community here in California contributes tremendously both to Californian success and our country success, and the bridge between Armenia and California grows stronger and stronger every year and grateful to sit on this select committee. I think Hero House is amazing.

Thank you.

I spend a lot of time with some of these venture capital incubator funds. I spend a lot of time specifically with the LA CleanTech Incubator Fund because I'm to the natural resource committee and thinking about new technologies. Curious from why choosing physical AI, robotics, Cybersecurity, Neurotech? Is that just where the expertise was or is where you see the highest potential returns or areas for growth? Clearly, I mean, the economy is definitely shifting that way.

And so smart investments, but just curious Yeah. Why those three buckets?

Yeah. It's a good question. So this is typically run on ten year cycles. So when you raise a fund, you're thinking about what should you invest in in the next ten years so that ten years later, you return your money, hopefully, 50 times more to your investors. And if you think about digital domain, with what's happening in large language models right now, cloud, open AI.

Right? There isn't much that is not gonna be solved in the ten year period. So the problems and the biggest problems that are gonna build biggest companies and produce more most money are gonna be in physical domains. And Physical AI, that's why. Right?

Robotics has a lot of unsolved problems and a lot of companies are gonna be born in the next few years. So that's why physical AI. When it comes new to neuroscience, there is a lot we don't know about human brain. And whatever we know and technologies that are being implemented right now are super invasive. What we do, we usually get into human brain directly.

We we crack open a human skull, put in a chip, and then try to navigate the brain base. So what we invest in is non invasive, minimally invasive brain surgical devices. How do we do this noninvasively? How do we target brain in a minimally invasive manner so that we can cure diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, through brain computer interfaces, and later on connect human brain to, hopefully, devices to enhance human capacity down the line.

We we crack open a human skull, put in a chip, and then try to navigate the brain base. So what we invest in is non invasive, minimally invasive brain surgical devices. How do we do this noninvasively? How do we target brain in a minimally invasive manner so that we can cure diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, through brain computer interfaces, and later on connect human brain to, hopefully, devices to enhance human capacity down the line.

What we look into right now are things that have short term applications curing diseases, everything from brain aneurysms to Alzheimer and Parkinson's and depressions, etcetera, etcetera.

What we look into right now are things that have short term applications curing diseases, everything from brain aneurysms to Alzheimer and Parkinson's and depressions, etcetera, etcetera.

And then the last area that we look into is cybersecurity. If they're putting chips on human brains and in physical world, we want them to be secure. So cybersecurity is a key part of the next decade of AI evolution, so we are looking into that as well.

I think that is amazing. And just one follow-up question. The company that did 46 times the initial investment, which company was that and what do they do?

It's a it's a good question. It's a company called Superannotate. They wrote their very first check. Two brothers out of university research labs building a technology and annotation space. And as AI in 2017, AI wasn't what it is today.

As AI picks up, you can imagine that, a lot of large tech companies need annotated data. They need data pipeline. They need data labeling. And the companies that were already at the forefront of this space picked up immensely over the last few years. So that's why as a VC, you think about ten year cycles.

So you invest early on before the wave hits. And then hopefully, you ride the wave of innovation outwards as the companies go. I would say Supernity is one example of that. So we wrote their very very first check, and then the company is doing really well right now. Very impressive growth.

Incredible.

Thank you. Mister Alaniz?

Thank you. And I wanna echo my colleagues' appreciation for everything you've done as well, Mister Chair. And I I my buddy and I here, we kinda gravitate to a lot of the same things. And that that was one of the first things when you started talking about this. I was looking also at this at this, page right here with the AI and stuff.

And so I apologize for being late. I've been another select committee that started at the same time. So I've been on the 1st Floor with a lot of that. And the topic that we started talking about down there also was AI. And, actually, my lunch meeting I had today was AI.

So I I know that's something that's obviously becoming more of a thing here, but we're really getting into it now. So it's interesting that we're bringing it up in here as well, and I'm I'm glad that you guys are grasping it and working with it. And I know a lot of people when they make something scary, don't wanna do anything, then you have bad things that go with it.

But when you embrace it and you learn to work with it as a tool, then it helps us. So I appreciate that.

I I also wanna I I'm sorry I missed your presentation, sir. But I I know with yours, the first ESL student also, that's great. I I appreciate that. And, the American dream, and I I wrote down on my notes in the garage, and now went to all your employees that you have. That's amazing.

So I appreciate that. And I I think that's just a tribute to the strength of the Armenian community that you guys have, that you guys work hard, and you guys get things done. And I I appreciate that. And so I'm proud to be part of this today. And I'm I'm looking forward to learning more.

So thank you.

Thank you. Thank you to both of you for the comments and the questions. And, you know, I think that very inspired just to hear all three stories and and sets of comments.

And I I guess for us sitting here and the colleagues that were here before and are are coming back, the main question in all three of you can speak to this, and Amir Kasaki did a very good job of laying out exactly what he thinks the state can do, to help, especially the city of Glendale, but the larger Armenian American community and business community.

But I would like to hear just directly, what is the one or two things that you think the state of California could do to help in this endeavor?

Your personal endeavors, commercial endeavors, and really growing the California Armenia partnership on a number of different levels. And and what aren't we doing? Because it's clear that fourth largest economy, resources that most countries don't have, we have here in the state of California. And we have the brainpower and all the personnel to do whatever we really want to do. And if we want to grow this relationship in a real way, we can.

But what do you think we should be doing that we're not doing, to make that happen? All three of you, please, whoever would like to speak to it.

Well, I I think that, continuing to invest in in programs that help grow local economies, contribute to the statewide economy, and can strengthen California's standing as one of the global superpowers economically is important. So you've heard already from Armin Galician from Hero House and the programs that they've been able to launch. And, clearly, we're seeing a return on investment, a very small investment from the state that has produced a greater return.

I think that one of the things the state clearly has to do is create and foster that ecosystem where innovation and entrepreneurship can grow. Companies like ServiceTitan, obviously, products of public schools and the universities that we have here in California that have had tremendous success.

But I think that the part that we don't often talk about because it's sometimes something we we don't want to talk about is the issues of discrimination against Armenians. And we have clearly seen that massive financial institutions like Citibank, you know, clearly was discriminating against Armenian individuals. And we are certain that if it happened in one institution, it's probably happening in others. We see that from the administration, some clear profiling of individuals. And, you know, Armenian Americans, like any community, want to see fraud stamped out.

We pay our taxes, and we don't want to see our tax dollars go to waste, whether it's in medical fraud or any other type of fraud.

But for every person that is profiled prematurely, incorrectly, you know, through fake news by doctor Oz, there are dozens, if not upon dozens of Armenians working, whether it's in health care, working in tech, working in finance, working in insurance, working in banking, working in education, serving this great state in various capacities as public servants, that go without asking for accolades and and, the attention and, you know, something as simple as making sure that the Armenian American community that has faced discrimination as far as back as when it first settled in the Central Valley in Fresno when there were signs that said, you know, no groups of these particular backgrounds allowed and among those were were Armenians.

That Armenians also have the same opportunities that other minority owned businesses are benefiting from from the state of California.

I think from my perspective, there's been a lot of exciting MOUs and agreements signed at the federal level that I suspect there are lots of opportunities to complement and support at a state level. Many of these have to do with energy firms and technology firms. And, it's not my area of expertise, so I don't know exactly how. But I suspect there are a variety of ways in which the state of California touches these companies.

And so I suspect that there's opportunities to help push these agreements forward.

And I would also reinforce what was said earlier. I think physically visiting Armenia, funding experts to go to Armenia, and having a presence in terms of the state of California and, actions that tangibly show that Armenia matters and that this is somewhere that deserves face time and so on. And just to have people visit, I think goes a long way, and has a multiyear impact. And so those would be the places that, I would encourage you all to consider.

One thing I wanna recognize and also, I wanna mention is that this funding from state of California that was eventually allocated for Hero House to SmartKVVC was, secured by immense support from Senator Portentino. And this support has, allowed us to build what we have built today. So having non dilutive funding that comes to the to us or to organizations like us supports immensely as you start up with a small $3,500,000 fund. 3,500,000 is a very small fund.

But as you grow, non dilutive fundings like this from state agencies supports us a lot.

And city of Glendale has done amazing work supporting us through implementing different projects and incubators and accelerators to grow the fund and to help grow the companies which will allow us to raise bigger funds and support bigger companies and build a bigger ecosystem. So funding sources and support in securing this funding would be, the best, I think, support from the state that we can expect and allocation for funding for tech initiatives and innovation initiatives in the era of AI when things are evolving so so quickly.

That would be immense support from the state, I would say.

Members of the committee, I would just say again that, you know, as a state of California, we have a tremendous responsibility and role and and one we can probably call it cache. Right? As you've heard from Skalistan, partnering or receiving that kind of whatever the amount is, support from the state of California gives immediate credibility to any initiative. Right? I I don't want to single out any other state by name.

But if someone was to say, well, we've received seed funding from the state and then, you know, may cause people to scratch their heads. But the second you hear California, undoubtedly, people know that there is something there that is worth something that has potential because clearly, you know, as goes California, so goes the rest of the country.

So the continued support and relationship building is absolutely critical, not only for the city of Glendale, but as the city of Glendale, as you've seen, is a bridge to a tiny, small, landlock oftentimes surrounded by hostile neighbors, country like Armenia. It's sometimes one of the most critical lifelines, when there aren't any others. And if I may, I would highly suggest, if possible, to visit the Tummo Center in North Hollywood. I think it's important to see what that money was used for and how it's being used and the results that it's producing. We're very excited to be able to serve the North Hollywood community and would love an opportunity to show the value that's being created right now for those kids.

Before the record, we wanted Tumor and Glendale, but we'll take service titan instead for now. But but we've been told we'll maybe get one.

Right, Von?

I I I visited the Tummo in Armenia and was blown away. And that was back in 2018, and it's incredible what that organization and the individuals, who are involved with that have done. And the the North Hollywood, branch, hopefully, is one of many that that we will see. And the what what the kids I would say kids. I know we you corrected yourselves, said teenagers.

They're they they look like kids. Are doing in there, is so cutting edge that it it made me embarrassed at what we're doing here in this country to educate our kids. In every community here, having institutions like that is so critical, and we're not doing that. And I think we this is the learning and the bridge that we're building. It goes both ways.

We have a lot to learn from other countries that a lot of people oversee, and look beyond, like, Armenia where it'S, 0, well, it's just a one way street, not not even close. And I think that that TUMO and a lot of these examples are are really important for that. This is a win win. This is one plus one equals three. It's a win for California and The United States.

It's a win for Armenia, and that's what we're trying to do. Did you have a comment, this or or you okay. I would say and just on this point, and we will wrap this up. I could ask questions for hours. But I like to think about process, but then outcomes, you know, five years from now, ten years from now.

And we do this a lot in policy, whether it be on clean energy or education or health care. What do we want to see in five years? What do we wanna see in ten years? So from your perspective, everyone doing something a bit different. In five years, what would be a hallmark of success to to view whatever metric you think is important that we have actually done as a state enough to say we're making real progress.

In five years, what would you like to see? Would that be a five x in terms of the the import export, you know, volume that we have? Would it be x number more companies that have both locations in Armenia and California? What would it be? Give us give us something that we can actually strive for.

Because I think a lot of times we have these hearings, we have a lot, you know, we have a lot of select committees and a lot of committees doing a lot of work. If you don't have tangible goals, it's really hard to know what whether you're going up, down, sideways, or backwards. And so how do we go forwards, and what would those metrics be to look, let's just say, five years from now?

I would only start with having two more accessible to tens of thousands of California kids, not just a few 100 that, we have today. I'd love to see, a stronger presence, of the state of California in Armenia, both physically and in terms of funding and policies and whatnot. And I hope that there are many other service titans both started here that have a presence in Armenia and started in Armenia that have a presence here, and the strengthening of the bridge between the two states.

We always measure the results that we see through a few things. We look at jobs created and then we look at number of companies that have crossed a certain valuation. But for the purpose of today, I think free service titans in six years that would be a really good accomplishment, hopefully. And we are on the way. There are companies that are growing.

It takes time. But we are hoping for another free service guidance across Glendale and Armenia.

So as a as a public official, as a mayor representing City of Glendale, I would like to see us be in a position where we can help create or continue fostering the ecosystem that helps companies like ServiceTitan and incubators like HeroHouse continue to grow and have more of those. Because I believe that the benefit of these companies, not only in terms of job creation, but what it does for the state is incredible and for our country as a whole.

So sort of the Jerry Maguire will help us help you approach. Right? We want to be able to help our state flourish.

But it's it's an interesting question when you say five years, what do we want? Because five years can seem like a short period, can also seem like a very long period when we look at six years ago what the whole world went through with COVID and what Armenia went through in Artsakh, when it was unprovokedly attacked by its, neighboring, country in in horrific ways of which the scars many of us still carry.

And it's also strange because Armenia has an over 4,000 year old history, yet sometimes we don't know what will happen five years from now. So right now, I would say stability, peace, which can help build prosperity are critical, but that has to happen with us taking an active role in out against human rights violations against democratic institutional suppression, and all of that has to happen at once.

I know that as a member of one of our state commissions, you know, there was a directive to say we cannot travel to certain states for conferences if those states do not share our values.

I don't understand why we should be able or allow officials elected and otherwise to travel to countries that do not share our values and suppress human rights around the globe. If we speak, plainly, we need to speak. We need to talk the talk and walk the walk. So I think just leading by example is critical, but ultimately, continuing to invest in cities and the institution that those cities invest in for the next five years is a good start. Thank you.

Thank you. I think that's a very apt way to end this panel and and sobering yet realistic as well. And I appreciate that. I appreciate all three of you and for taking the time and many more conversations to come. I do think five years or ten years in my mind really sticks out because in 2019, we signed that partnership agreement, California and Armenia.

And while that was historic, I don't think we've done enough. You know, I do think, like many things we do, we can do more, and we can be more aggressive, and we can be better at delivering results. And I do think that this is something that I know my colleagues up here and I are very focused on. And, it's not enough to have a hearing. It's not enough to hear about these really good ideas, which are inspiring.

I mean, I'm so inspired just hearing the last two panels. It's really now implementing. And I think that's hard, but I think we can do it. So thank you for helping us do that. And I appreciate you guys being here.

And now we're just going to transition to public comment. And anyone in the you guys can you can take your seats back in the in the gallery if you'd like. And anyone as part of the public can come up, make a comment, and you'll have up to two minutes. And you can just state your name, affiliation, and take your time if anyone would like to.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. First of all, thank you very much. I'm Zanku Armenian, National Board member for the Armenian National Committee of America, which is the largest and oldest Armenian advocacy organization in the community. Thank you for this initiative. It's wonderful to see it come back to life, I guess, I should say, given that it was an idea that was germinated a few years ago.

I want to stress one thing, which is we all wanna see economic prosperity both here in California and in partnership in Armenia as Armenian Americans. But making sure that that economic economic prosperity is founded on something that's sustainable and just in terms of economic justice is tied to the political situation.

And we cannot brush some of the things that choose thorny issues under the rug for the sake of just economic advancement because that will not be found therefore, that economic relationship will not be founded in a sustainable manner, and it has to reflect our values as mayor Kasakhian mentioned earlier. So I just wanna make sure that we have that eye on that part of the issue as well and not pretend those issues aren't there. We have political prisoners.

We have a genocide that happened where an entire community, Armenian community, was wiped off their land, and the infractions and the injustice continues in the area for those things. So I love the idea of economic advancement. We support it 100%. We also though are gonna be the reminders that we have to do this in a principled manner, and that's the American way. Armenian government has its responsibilities in advocating around those thorny issues and not just talking about trip and and other economic partnerships.

These two things go hand in hand because we need it to be on a very sound foundation. The Army National Committee of America, several years ago, You talked about ideas as well. We had done some surveys around establishing direct flights between The United States and Armenia, and that's an important part of this as well. The while there's interest, the airline economics don't quite work yet.

But what we wanted to see as the ANCA was also to see a US carrier establish direct flights between The United States.

And that doesn't mean just California. It can mean also picking up passengers along the way to Armenia. I think air travel has a very significant impact on economic activity as we all know because it bridges communities and societies together. So that was just one example of where the NCA, while we do a lot of political advocacy around the types of issues that mayor Kasakhian and Marie mentioned, so I won't repeat it. But we also do a lot of advocacy around these sorts of economic partnerships.

We want to see this relationship between United States and Armenia grow and prosper and advance because there's no only positive things can come from that by joining these two communities, but doing it in a principled manner that reflects our values as Americans and our values in terms of the rights of the Armenian people to live in a peaceful and secure way, on their homeland to be able to advance in these other areas. So thank you very much.

Look forward to the work of the committee, and we are, as an ANCA, Army National Committee of America, here to support the efforts of this committee. Thank you. Thank you.

Any other public comment? Well, I'd just like to, again, thank my colleagues for one more public comment. Come on up. David, please. Yes.

Chairman and committee members, thank you so much. My name is David Ojak, and I'm the western region director of the Armenian Assembly of America. And I have fifty four year old organization founded in Washington, DC, the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan Harabedian advocacy organization. Just wanna thank thank the committee for for for launching this, the select committee. We look forward to also working closely with with this committee and the Armenian caucus to help further our pro Armenian advocacy organizations.

Zalman touched on many of them, but also to help further the economic and cultural, connection as well between California and, and Armenia. So just wanted to say thank you for that. Look. We look forward to working closely together, from from now on. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other comments? Okay. Bring it back. Colleagues?

Just wanna say thank you to everybody who took time to come up here today. It's not always easy to get to Sacramento and to be heard, but it's critically important that you are. I also wanna thank the last panel for setting some tangible steps and goals. Things for us to think about. I think three more service titans is no small task, but I think possible.

I'm also really proud to represent Culver City where Servicon is headquartered. There is so much innovation coming from the Armenian community here in California and around the world, and I think building these bridges is critically important. And I can't think of anybody else better equipped in the legislature than our Chair. And so whatever journey we're heading on, know that we're heading on it together and just wanna thank you all again for coming.

Thank you for allowing me to comment. And, Mister mayor, everything you said, loved it. Small invest, huge growth. It's exactly what we want and continue to invest, go after the fraud that you mentioned. I was I was like, everything he's saying, that's what I want right there.

So thank you for saying that. Thank you for being part of that. Just letting you guys know, hey, Modesto, San Asos County, Merced County, we'd love to have some of these two. I'm just putting that out there. But very proud to hear everything that everybody is work working on and and looking towards our future.

And I I appreciate that. I appreciate being part of this. And thank you, Assemblyman, Harabedian, for allowing me to be part of this. So thank you, guys.

Well, the honor's mine. And thank you to both and for the comments and the dedication and everything that you're both doing. And and I'm lucky to have you as partners in this. And, I think that you both said it extremely well, and there's not much more I can say, which would, you know, really to follow-up on it is we have a lot to think about. We've learned a lot today.

And, there's a lot to do. And I think that here in the legislature, there's a thousand a thousand things that we're trying to do, and there's more that we should be doing on probably every front. But this is something that's very important. And, I think that you will see action from all of us, and you're making it possible. Every everybody that's here, all the panelists in the discussion, we've learned a lot today, and we'll we will build on that.

So thank you. Until the next hearing, I appreciate everyone's commitment and work here today, and I look forward to the next one. So thank you very much.