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 Frank Vram Zerunyan, currently serving his second term as
Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Armenian Bar
Association was recently elected Mayor of Rolling Hills Estates
by his fellow City Council members. In a ceremony on December
11, 2007 at the council chambers of city hall, Zerunyan took the
oath of office, and gave a heartwarming acceptance speech
acknowledging his Armenian heritage, parents and family, vying
to continue to serve his constituents to the best of his
ability, pointing out the injustice to minorities that still
exist in Turkey, the country of his birth, while praising the
United States, the country whose laws have given him the chance
to pursue public office. The ceremony was held in front of a
packed city council chambers and a television audience.
On
hand to honor Zerunyan on the special occasion were Janice Hahn,
member of the Los Angeles City Council, and Michael Amerian, a
city attorney who appeared on behalf of Los Angeles City Council
President Eric Garcetti. Amerian’s father, the late Richard
Amerian, a former California appellate justice, was a mentor of
Zerunyan. Both Hahn and Amerian presented Zerunyan with
congratulatory plaques. The Honorable Mike Gin, Mayor of Redondo
Beach, represented County Supervisor Don Knabe and Captain
Ronene Anda of the Lomita Sheriff’s station represented Sheriff
Lee Baca.
 Former Mayor Susan Seamans offered words of praise for her
successor. Judy Mitchell was elected Mayor Pro Tem, to serve
along side Zerunyan for the coming year. As a special treat, the
audience witnessed the local Armenian Arakatz Chapter of the
Homenetmen Scouts present the colors and the pledge of allegence.
Several members of the Armenian Bar, including Executive
Director Betty Jamgotchian were on hand to celebrate the happy
occasion.
Zerunyan’s election as Mayor is the latest in a long list of
accomplishments for the principal and general counsel to
Public-Private Community Development, LLC, a policy driven,
re-development company building California communities for the
next generation. Zerunyan has had an exemplary legal career and
is a former partner in the prestigious law firm of Sulmeyer,
Kupetz in Los Angeles.
 A
rising star in California politics, Zerunyan was appointed to
the Division of Medical Quality ( Medical Board of California)
by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 and was unanimously
confirmed by the California Senate in 2007. He was first elected
to the City Council of Rolling Hills Estates in 2003. He is on
the Board of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority and
chaired several committees. He served on policy committees at
the League of California Cities and Southern California
Association of Governments. As Mayor, he will now serve on the
Boards of the Regional Law Enforcement and Sanitation District.
He will be a member of the National Conference of Mayors and is
a member of the executive board of the California Contract
Cities Association. He will soon serve as President of that
organization which serves 78 cities with more than eight million
residents.
"I
am honored that my fellow council members have the faith in me
to lead our great city," said Zerunyan. "As Mayor, my commitment
to the City of Rolling Hills Estates and our Palos Verdes
Peninsula Community are unwavering. I am dedicated to the future
of our city and the residents who live within its boundaries,"
he said.
Zerunyan is the first person of Armenian heritage to be elected
Mayor of Rolling Hills Estates. When he is installed as
President of the California Contract Cities Association, he will
be the first Armenian to lead that organization.
He
received his Juris Doctorate degree from Western State
University in Fullerton, California and his advanced law
certificate in corporate taxation from the University of
Southern California. He has published and lectured extensively.
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