Culver City Mayor Christopher Armenta officially announced his candidacy for the state Assembly seat currently held by democrat Holly Mitchell.
Mitchell has stated she will be running for the seat left vacant by 26th District Senator Curren Price following his successful bid for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council.
“It would be worthwhile to have a Culver City resident representing us in the state Legislature. Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell has done a great job in being interested in and available to Culver City but having one of our own would be even better,” said Councilman Jim Clarke.
A special election for the 26th Senate seat will be held Nov. 19 with the primary being held on Sept. 17.
“I support and admire our current Assemblymember Holly Mitchell. She has been a tremendous advocate for the 54th Assembly District and I am thrilled she is running for the state Senate,” said Culver City councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells.
If her bid is successful, the 54th Assembly District Seat, which includes Culver City, the Crenshaw District, UCLA, Cheviot Hills, Mar Vista, the Fairfax District and parts of South Los Angeles, will be open.
“Chris was on the council before I was elected, so unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to work together as colleagues,” said Sahli-Wells.
“I am supporting Chris in his bid for the 54th Assembly District because I appreciate his strong advocacy for the community while he was on the council. He worked for greater government transparency and used his considerable fiscal experience to help keep the city on track during a time of economic challenges.”
Armenta has been a Culver City resident for more than 35 years and has served the city of Culver City as the elected city clerk, mayor and as a council member for 10 consecutive years through 2012.
“I believe Chris will serve the district well and will have a special understanding of Culver City’s needs if elected. I have worked with him on the city council and he always exhibited the leadership skills necessary for the job by listening to his constituents and putting the needs of the community first,” said Culver City Mayor Jeffrey Cooper.
Additionally, Armenta has worked for state and federal government agencies in the fields of accounting and auditing for more than 28 years.
He has held highly technical leadership positions as a Senior Auditor, Business Taxes Specialist, and in 2010 was appointed to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee by then Speaker of the Assembly, Karen Bass.
“When it comes to important issues like hydraulic fracturing, affordable housing and economic development, I know he will listen to and fight for his Culver City constituents,” said Sahli-Wells.
For the past three years, Armenta has also worked on legislation and policy initiatives as the Deputy Advisor to the Elected State Board of Equalization Chairman, Jerome E. Horton who is responsible for overseeing the annual collection of approximately $53 Billion in taxes and fees for the State of California.
“I have lived most of my life in the 54th Assembly District and care about this community deeply,” Armenta said.
If Armenta wins the election he will become the second Culver City councilmember to move on to a higher elected position.
Ed Little served on the city council in the 1960s and went on to serve on the West Basin Municipal Water District.
“While on (Culver City’s) City Council we weathered the storm of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and continued to maintain quality services. I intend on using my 10 years of elective office experience combined with my more than 25 years of government accounting and auditing experience to improve jobs, the economy, education, the environment, health care, and public safety for the 54th District and the State of California,” said Armenta.
For more information visit www.ChristopherArmenta.com
