Zareh Sinanyan

Early life and education Zareh Sinanyan was born in Yerevan, Soviet Union, in 1973 and attended the local school No. 172. His father was born in Istanbul, Turkey and settled in Armenia in 1946.

He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1988 and settled in Burbank, California. He then attended law school at the University of Southern California, where he obtained his Juris Doctor. He is the first Armenian-born politician to hold a seat on the Glendale City Council. At his second City Council meeting, he publicly apologized for "racial and homophobic slurs" he had posted online for several years before the election.

In July 2013, Sinanyan supported the establishment of a memorial to Korean comfort women in the Glendale Central Park, over the objections of the government of Japan and dozens of Japanese-Americans. Sinanyan spoke at the unveiling of the memorial in late July, citing his own background as the grandson of an Armenian genocide survivor and asserting: "The best way to resolve conflicts... the best way to heal wounds... is to acknowledge them. My people, my grandfather, were subjected to a horrible, horrible crime... To this day, because no apology has come, no proper acknowledgement has come... the wound is deep, it's festering, and there can be no moving forward without it."

In March 2018, Sinanyan was honored by Equality Armenia for his support of both LGBT and Armenian causes.

Mayor In April 2014, Sinanyan was appointed mayor of Glendale, California replacing former mayor Dave Weaver.

In November 2014 Sinanyan and Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti were among the California politicians invited to attend the opening of a BBCN representative office in Seoul, South Korea. Sinanyan also met with Lee Koon-hyon, Secretary General of the Saenuri Party.

Controversy In 2013, Zareh Sinanyan made several racist and homophobic remarks online, using slurs to describe gays, threatening rape, and insulting Mexican-Americans, Muslims and women.

Personal life Zareh Sinanyan and his wife, Lori Sinanyan, have four children, 1 daughter and 3 sons, named Areg Sinanyan (Youngest), Aram Sinanyan, Mher Sinanyan, and Anahid Sinanyan (Oldest)