Khatchik Hratchia Achadjian (June 2, 1951 – March 5, 2020) was an Armenian-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
businessman, and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who formerly served in the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
. He was a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
who represented the
35th district, encompassing
San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo.
Junípero Serra founded the Mission ...
and part of
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Santa Barba ...
. He previously represented the
33rd district, and prior to being elected to the State Assembly, was also a member of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. In 2016, he ran for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from the
24th district, but he was defeated in the primary election.
Early life, education, and Board of Supervisors
Achadjian was born in Jalala, near
Chtaura
Chtaura ( ar, شتورا) is a town in Lebanon in the fertile Beqaa Valley, Beqaa valley located between the Mount Lebanon and Syria. It is located halfway on the Beirut - Damascus highway. It is located from Beirut.
Chtaura is the valley's hub ...
in Lebanon, to Armenian parents, immigrating to the United States in 1971 and becoming a
United States citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
in 1982. He first attended the Armenian Evangelical Elementary School in Jalala and, later, secondary school in Anjar. Afterwards, he studied in
Cuesta College
Cuesta College is a public community college in San Luis Obispo County, California.
History
The first community college in the San Luis Obispo area was founded in 1916 as a San Luis Obispo High School division. It lasted until 1919 with the Uni ...
before graduating from
Cal Poly with a Business Administration degree. He and his wife Araxie were married in 1984. In 1978, he purchased a small business that expanded into multiple stores and gas stations throughout
San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo.
Junípero Serra founded the Mission ...
.
Achadjian was first elected to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors in 1998, serving until his election to the assembly in 2010. He served as chairman of the board in 2001 and 2006.
California Assembly
In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Achadjian first ran as the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee for the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
, in the
33rd district. He won 58% of the popular vote against
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Hilda Zacarias.
By
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, the district was redrawn into the
35th district. In the primary, Achadjian won 65% of the vote against Democrat Gerald Manata's 35%. In the general election, Achadjian won 61% to Manata's 39%.
Achadjian ran for a third term in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, winning 65% of the vote yet again in the primary, against the 35% of Democrat Heidi Harmon. In the general, Achadjian increased his performance slightly over his 2012 result, with 63% of the vote to Harman's 37%.
Throughout his time in the Assembly, Achadjian's voting record received perfect scores from such groups as the
California Chamber of Commerce
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, the
California Taxpayers Association
The California Taxpayers Association is an advocacy organization in the U.S. state of California founded in 1926 to promote lower taxes in the state. The association, also known simply as CalTax, serves its members through research and advocacy on ...
, the
National Federation of Independent Business
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The goal of NFIB is to ad ...
, and the California Small Business Association.
Committee assignments
*Assembly Committee on Banking and Finance
*Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy
*Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs
*Assembly Joint Committee on Fairs, Allocations, and Classification
*Assembly Joint Committee on Fisheries and Antiquities
*Assembly Joint Legislative Audit
2016 congressional bid
In 2015, Achadjian announced his intention to run for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, from
California's 24th congressional district
California's 24th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by Salud Carbajal. It contains all of Santa Barbara County, most of San Luis Obispo County, and part of ...
, in the
2016 elections.
The district's longtime incumbent,
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Lois Capps
Lois Ragnhild Capps (née Grimsrud; January 10, 1938) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 22nd District from 1998 to 2003 a ...
, had previously announced that she would not seek reelection. As a result, the field was significantly larger than in the past; Achadjian's competition included two other Republicans (both of whom, Justin Fareed and Matt Kokkonen, are former candidates for the same district in previous years), two independent candidates (including another former candidate, Steve Isakson), and four Democrats (including Santa Barbara Mayor
Helene Schneider
Helene Schneider (born November 18, 1970) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. She was the mayor of Santa Barbara, California from 2010 to 2018, and a 2016 candidate for California's 24th congressional district. She was first electe ...
and Santa Barbara County Supervisor
Salud Carbajal
Salud Ortiz Carbajal (; born November 18, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 24th congressional district since 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and his district covers Santa Maria, ...
). Achadjian received endorsements from many prominent Republicans in the region, including Santa Barbara City Councilmen Frank Hotchkiss and
Dale Francisco (the latter of whom was also Santa Barbara County Republican chair, and had previously run for the same district in 2014), and former actor
Christopher Mitchum
Christopher Mitchum (born October 16, 1943) is an American film actor, screenwriter, and businessman. He was born in Los Angeles, California, the second son of film star Robert Mitchum and Dorothy Mitchum. He is the younger brother of actor Jame ...
, the previous Republican nominee for the seat who lost to Capps in 2014.
In the lead-up to the primary on June 7, Achadjian raised roughly $750,000 in the congressional race. Although he was only the fourth-highest fundraiser in the race, he was generally considered to be the primary frontrunner due to arguably having more name recognition among voters than any other candidate, from either party. Polls released both by his own campaign and the Schneider campaign predicted that Achadjian would come in first in the open primary. However, despite this, he came in a narrow third with 27,545 (18.9%) total votes, only 1.6% behind Justin Fareed, who finished a distant second to Carbajal. Fareed went on to lose the general election to Carbajal.
Later life and death
Katcho Achadjian died peacefully on March 5, 2020, at the age of 68, due to unspecified health complications.
Electoral history
References
External links
Katcho for Congressofficial Congressional bid website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achadjian, Katcho
County supervisors in California
California Polytechnic State University alumni
Cuesta College alumni
Lebanese emigrants to the United States
2020 deaths
American people of Armenian descent
Lebanese people of Armenian descent
American politicians of Lebanese descent
Naturalized citizens of the United States
Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
People from Arroyo Grande, California
Businesspeople from California
1951 births
Ethnic Armenian politicians
21st-century American politicians