Greg Martayan said he doesn’t think he’s done enough
for Los Angeles, even though at 21, he’s already put in
several years of public service on commissions and boards that
focus on issues ranging from crime prevention to education.
But a desire to do more prompted Martayan, a businessman, to run
for councilman in Los Angeles’ 5th City District.
“Through my commissioner experience, I have been able to
effect a lot of change,” he said.
But he added, “as a commissioner, you can only advise and
do so much.”
Martayan said he is strongly attached to Los Angeles’ 5th
District, which includes UCLA and Westwood. The district also
encompasses Encino, Sherman Oaks, Valley Village, Palms, Century
City, Beverlywood, the Fairfax District, Cheviot Hills and the area
between the 405 freeway and Laurel Canyon.
“This district is where I have everything,” he
said.
Martayan is running against David Vahedi, an attorney, and Jack
Weiss, the incumbent city councilman.
Vahedi said he thought his age afforded him an advantage over
Martayan.
“Experience comes with age,” Vahedi said.
“He’s 21, I’m 38,” he said. “I
have had much more of a chance to be active in real public
policy.”
But despite his youth, Martayan has earned the respect of
Vahedi, who said the young man is “bright, articulate,”
and “a genuinely nice guy.”
Martayan, who grew up in Hancock Park but later moved to Encino
where he currently lives, recalled fond memories of time spent with
his family in Los Angeles.
“I want to bring that family idea back to the
district,” he said.
To do that, Martayan said, he will take a strong stance against
crime in the 5th District if elected city councilman.
He cited home-invasion robberies as a major problem the district
faces. One way to combat these types of crimes, he said, is to
install more street lamps. This is especially necessary in
Westwood’s apartment areas, just west of the UCLA campus.
“Those streets aren’t well-lit,” a factor that
Martayan claims makes the area susceptible to petty crimes.
Furthermore, Martayan admits to having close ties with UCLA
““ ties which he hopes will grow even stronger if he is
elected to serve on city council.
“I’m going to work very closely with UCLA, with
student groups,” he said.
Martayan also acknowledges being able to relate to the
district’s college-age voters.
“I’m the kind of person who connects with and
understands young people, I’m the kind of guy that is in the
trenches,” Martayan emphasized, on discussing his commitment
to taking an active role in public service.
Martayan works to connect with people even younger than the
voting age as well.
He has volunteered at Hillsides, a home in Pasadena for children
who have been abused and neglected or who have mental and emotional
illnesses. At Hillsides, Martayan is on the advisory board for
“˜Children Stand for Children,’ an advocacy program that
serves to facilitate alliances between at-risk youth and other
children who want to help.
“He’s really played an active role in Children Stand
for Children,” said Marisol Barrios-Jordan, director of
communications and advocacy at Hillsides.
Barrios-Jordan bestowed praise on Martayan. “He’s an
amazing young man,” she said.
Barrios-Jordan said she didn’t view Martayan’s youth
as a disadvantage, but rather as a source of his passion for public
service.
“He’s a perfect example of what youth leadership is
all about,” she advocated.
He has also served on the Los Angeles Commission for Children,
Youth and their Families, which advises the mayor and city council
on policy, budget and administrative issues relating to children
and families.
Martayan said he doesn’t want to reach out only to people
of voting age ““ instead, he wants to do everything he can for
all people in need, regardless of age.
Another change Martayan plans to put into effect, if elected, is
to bring the members of neighborhood councils into the
decision-making process in the city council. There are currently 83
certified neighborhood councils in Los Angeles.
“In the past, no one has really listened to what they have
to say,” he said of the neighborhood council members. But
that needs to change, he added.
“They are experts on what they need in their
community,” Martayan said, noting that city council members
would be more in tune with the needs of their district if they were
to take the neighborhood councilmembers’ concerns into
consideration.
With reports from Adam Foxman, Bruin staff.