Armenian Genocide Commemoration 2024 at Memorial Park in Pasadena (File Photo – Staff)
State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) on Tuesday issued a statement supporting Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services against Dr. Mehmet Oz, citing discrimination against California’s Armenian American community.
By News Desk
Pérez, a member of the California Armenian Legislative Caucus who represents what she described as the state’s largest Armenian diaspora, praised the governor for taking action. “I appreciate Governor Newsom standing up for California’s Armenian American community,” she said.
In her statement, Pérez condemned remarks attributed to Dr. Oz, calling them “clearly racist” and harmful for promoting discrimination and deepening divisions. She said the comments “cast a false and negative image of the Armenian American community.”
Pérez emphasized the longstanding contributions of Armenian Americans to California, noting their leadership across fields including the arts, science and medicine, law, government, and agriculture. She also underscored the state’s approach to accountability, stating that healthcare fraud is “wrong and inexcusable” and that California has taken proactive steps to investigate and prosecute wrongdoing.
Concluding her remarks, Pérez criticized what she described as Dr. Oz’s “ignorant and performative comments,” saying they are disrespectful and “in no way reflect the Armenian American community I know, represent and work with every day.”
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