Paparian has also been an outspoken critic of the People 's Republic of China . In July 1996 , Mayor Paparian welcomed the Dalai Lama to City Hall and presented him with a key to the city , ignoring concerns expressed by the State Department and the government of the People 's Republic of China , that there could be dire consequences for the relationship between the United States and China . In December 2007 , when Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard referred to China 's human rights abuses in China " allegations , " and invited China to enter a float in Pasadena 's annual Rose Parade , Paparian wrote an article in the '' Pasadena Weekly '' urging parade observers to " Turn your backs on Bogaard 's Beijing Float of Shame ! " As an Armenian-American , Paparian has also spoken out about the Armenian Genocide . In April 1996 , he was the keynote speaker at a ceremony attended by Elizabeth Dole and 7,000 others , remembering the genocide ; the ceremony was held at the Armenian Martyrs Monument in Montebello , California . In his keynote address , Paparian noted : " Every year , we come to this hallowed site to honor the memory of our 1.5 million martyrs . Armenians the world over do the same on this day , each and every Armenian honoring our collective loss . But , we also know that the Genocide is not over . It continues silently , relentlessly , insidiously . The scars are not healed . The wounds are still festering , and the suffering is real . " In 1989 , Paparian led the effort to declare Vanadzor , Pasadena 's fourth Sister City . When a Genocide Resolution was defeated in the U.S. Congress in 2007 , Paparian called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi under the Freedom of Information Act to release all records regarding the Genocide Resolution including records of meetings with representatives of the Turkish government . Paparian noted , " For too long , the leadership of the Democratic Party has played the Armenian-American community on recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 . " In what the '' Los Angeles Times '' called " one of his best-known moments , " Paparian led Pasadena 's opposition to the state 's use of helicopters to spray pesticides to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly . Paparian received national media attention when he passed an ordiance outlawing formation-flying at low altitudes , and dispatched a Pasadena police helicopter to issue a citation to the state 's pesticide-spraying aircraft
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Bill Paparian