Newly elected LA City Council member Adrin Nazarian shares his priorities

As the two newest Los Angeles City council members get settled in City Hall, Adrin Nazarian told LAist about some of the issues he's looking to address in his first term.

Nazarian, who took over Paul Krekorian’s seat to represent North Hollywood, Van Nuys, and Toluca Lake in Council District 2, said he'll be keeping a close eye on homelessness, housing, and public safety, to name a few.

“L.A. has always been an amazing place to me, it's been my home for the past 42, 43 years,” he said. “So it’s bittersweet, sentimental, as well as a great opportunity to try to fix a lot of things and address a lot of the challenges that we're facing right now.”

Their early priorities

Nazarian and Ysabel Jurado, who beat incumbent Kevin de León to represent Boyle Heights and downtown L.A. in Council District 14, took their oath in a ceremonial swearing-in during Tuesday's council meeting.

Nazarian's immediate priorities also include addressing the cost of living.

“Everything has just gone up, and a lot of middle class folks are suffering,” he said. “It's hard enough to raise a young family, let alone to then constantly be dealing with ever changing and increasing costs associated with items that are necessities that you need.”

Public safety is another priority that Nazarian says he’s concerned about, as well as the number of businesses closing in District 2, specifically in North Hollywood.

Jurado’s office did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for an interview, but she previously told LAist she’s ready to go to work.

At her Election Night event, Jurado said she’s going to hold town halls in the first 100 days to hear what voters really care about.

"And sometimes, a lot of the times we find, even on this campaign trail, they have their own solutions to the problems that they're facing,” she said. “And at the end of the day, they're the ones that are being the most affected by the policies I pass. So, working together and making co-governance a reality for them."

Nazarian added that he’s looking forward to gaining the confidence and trust of those who may not have voted for him, as well as making sure he’s earned the support of those who did.

“And for those who did not participate at all, I would love to figure out how I can work with you to make you get better engaged, because voting and participating is the lifeblood of making our democracy great,” he said.