“As a single father and community advocate, I care deeply about the well-being of every family, every young person seeking opportunity, every senior who built our foundation, every veteran who defended our freedoms, and every worker who keeps our city running.
Public service is not a position to me — it is a duty.”
Davit Mnatsakanyan
My Path So Far — Service, Law, Leadership, and Real Experience
I would like to briefly present the foundations that shape my approach to leadership — not as a résumé list, but as a context of responsibility, judgment, and service.
My academic education is in the fields of law and psychology at the master’s level. I chose these fields because leadership requires understanding not only systems and rules, but also people, their behavior, and the consequences of every decision.
Law teaches accountability.
Psychology teaches empathy.
Public service requires both together.
Before coming to the United States, I served in the Armed Forces of Armenia and was honorably discharged. That experience gave me discipline, a sense of duty, and a deep respect for service — values that accompany a person throughout life.
Since coming to America, I have consistently been on the front line of public and civic advocacy, personally presenting and advancing policy and legislative initiatives in areas such as:
• protection of students’ rights and child safety
• prevention of human trafficking
• policies and oversight concerning sex offenders
• protection of cancer patients and healthcare regulations
• initiatives to reduce gun violence
• construction safety and regulatory matters
• as well as fair and responsible immigration policy
I am also a businessman. I founded and lead a construction company, which has given me firsthand experience in job creation, safety requirements, permits and inspections, budgeting, and the real challenges that local businesses and workers face every day.
In addition, I have founded and led several nonprofit organizations, including the International Rehabilitation and Sustainability Foundation, which operates as a policy and legislative advocacy (lobbying) organization. Within this work, I have personally presented and advanced several legislative initiatives in the United States Congress, including five federal policy proposals aimed at protecting police officers, veterans, active-duty service members, firefighters, and first responders.
Currently, I am also working on new federal legislative initiatives that I personally present and advance, focusing on the following areas:
• child safety
• responsible regulation of artificial intelligence
• standards for multilingual construction and trade training programs
• construction workforce safety and certification systems
• modern and humane immigration reform
Within this work, I spent two weeks in the war zone in Ukraine, documenting the situation and speaking in the U.S. Congress regarding accountability for war crimes, reconstruction, and humanitarian response. I have also been deeply involved in human rights advocacy, including efforts related to recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the issue of Artsakh, and organizing humanitarian assistance during wartime — sending food, clothing, medical equipment, and medications.
For me, service also means mentorship and education. I have mentored students and young professionals around the world, led an executive consulting firm that provided strategic and operational consulting at both local and international levels, served as Secretary-Parliamentarian of the Toluca Lake School Board, and volunteered in nursing homes and orphanages.
Beyond political and legal work, I believe leadership begins with listening — not behind closed doors, but within the community itself.
This belief is what led me to create a community-centered television program called Glendale Pulse. The purpose of Glendale Pulse is simple:
• to identify the everyday real issues affecting Glendale residents
• to give community members a voice
• to openly and honestly discuss challenges
• and to work together toward solutions
It is a platform that brings together residents, business representatives, professionals, and community leaders so that problems are solved together with the community, not independently from it.
I am also the founder of Hyem TV, a civic and community-centered media platform. Through this work, I have become convinced that when people are informed, heard, and engaged, trust grows — and solutions come faster.
These platforms were not created for self-promotion.
They were created for transparency, accountability, and participation.
They reflect how I envision municipal leadership — open, accessible, and grounded in the real experiences of the people it serves.
Everything I do is rooted in family and responsibility. One of my daughters is an honor student who received the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence from the President of the United States — a daily reminder to me of what education, opportunity, and support can achieve.
I do not say this to impress, but to explain one important thing:
I have spent my entire life balancing law and empathy, discipline and service, policy advocacy and real-life experience — because leadership means presence, taking responsibility, and defending human dignity wherever it is at risk.
It is with that same responsibility that I approach Glendale.
Why I Am Running — Because Glendale Needs Results, Not Excuses
I am running because too many residents share the same painful feelings:
• “My street no longer feels as safe as it used to.”
• “Traffic is getting worse, and walking has become dangerous.”
• “Housing costs are rising, and families are under pressure.”
• “We see the number of homeless individuals increasing, but we do not see sufficiently effective solutions.”
• “City decisions seem complicated, slow, or unclear.”
• “We want Glendale to be a world-class city, but for that we need a smarter and clearer plan.”
I am running because I believe leadership must serve the people — not power.
• Too often, residents feel unheard.
• Too often, decisions seem distant and impersonal.
• Too often, City Hall feels like something done to people, rather than with people.
• This must change.
Leadership begins with:
• listening before speaking,
• understanding before making decisions,
• showing up — not disappearing after elections.
I am running:
• to be present,
• to be accessible,
• and to be accountable.
These are not political slogans.
These are real-life experiences — with real people, in real neighborhoods.
Leadership is not when you say, “Someone should do something.”
Leadership is when you step forward and say:
“I will do that work.”
A Personal Reason Why I Deeply Care About Children’s Safety and the Future
There is something I want to share with you today — something very personal — because it is the very foundation of why I care so deeply about our children, our families, and the future of Glendale.
In 2018, my life changed forever.
I lost my wife after a difficult and devastating battle with cancer.
In one moment, I became not only a grieving husband, but also a single father to two young daughters.
Today, my older daughter is 13 years old.
My younger one is 12.
Every day, when I look at them, I am reminded of my responsibility — not only as a father, but as a member of this community.
I know what it means to worry about your children’s safety.
I know what it means to think about their future when the world feels uncertain.
I know what it means to ask yourself:
“Am I doing everything I can to protect them, guide them, and create a better tomorrow for them?”
This is not a political issue.
This is a human issue.
And that is exactly why I care so deeply about making Glendale one of the safest possible cities for families, children, and young people.
Safety is not just crime statistics.
It is safe streets where children can walk without fear.
Safe schools.
Safe parks.
Safe neighborhoods where parents can breathe a little easier at night.
When I speak about the future of Glendale, I do not do so in abstract terms.
I think about my daughters — and about your children and grandchildren.
That personal responsibility shapes my approach to leadership, to safety, and to the future of our city.
I believe every child, in every family, deserves to grow up in a city that protects them, supports them, and believes in their potential.
This belief is personal to me.
It is constant.
And it is one of the strongest reasons I am running — to serve with compassion, responsibility, and unwavering determination to protect what matters most.