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Assembly adopts resolution marking 110th anniversary of Armenian genocide
Summary
The California State Assembly unanimously adopted House Resolution 25 recognizing the 110th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, with members across the chamber offering remarks and adding 70 coauthors before a voice vote adopted the measure.
The California State Assembly on March 6 adopted House Resolution 25, commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Assemblymember Harbidian, the resolution’s author and chair of the Armenian caucus, introduced the measure and the chamber added 70 coauthors before adopting the resolution by voice vote.
Harbidian framed the measure as a statement of historical recognition and remembrance. “In 1915, there was a genocide against the Armenian people that saw 1,500,000 Armenians slaughtered,” he said on the Assembly floor, recounting the attacks, death marches and forced displacement. Members from across the political spectrum spoke in support, stressing the ongoing impact of denial and the importance of memory. Assemblymember Tangipa said the event’s “impact is still deeply felt by Armenian families worldwide,” and Assemblymember Haney called the atrocities “a campaign of extermination, systematic, state sponsored, and brutally effected.”
Speakers recounted local connections and memorials: Assemblymember Mark Gonzales noted Montebello’s Armenian genocide memorial and the large Armenian community in his district; Assemblymember Gabriel and others described instances of continued harassment of Armenian Americans in the U.S. Several members tied the resolution to current events in the region, including recent reports of violence and displaced populations in and around Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). The author thanked community leaders and dozens of Armenian Americans who traveled to Sacramento to attend the ceremony. After the roll for coauthors was closed with 70 names added, the Assembly took a voice vote; the presiding officer announced, “The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted.”
The ceremony included a moment of silence and guest introductions of community and elected leaders from Armenian organizations in California. The resolution does not create new law; it is a formal statement of commemoration and solidarity adopted by the Assembly.
Members’ remarks occurred during the Assembly’s third-reading floor time and the public ceremony portion of the session; no binding policy changes or appropriations were included in HR 25.
