Who Says What in the LA City Controller November Race
The heat is on for the LA City Controller’s race on the November ballot. The LA Times endorsed Kenneth Mejia for the June primary but has not endorsed anyone for the general election in November. A former LA City Controller wrote against Mejia while other past Controllers have supported Paul Kortez. Below is information from endorsements for both candidates. By the way, what are the controller’s responsibilities? General supervision over the accounts of all officers and departments of the City, including the independent departments of Airports, Water and Power, and Harbor. Under the Charter all City payments must be approved by the City Controller.
LA Times Editorial Primary Endorsement of Mejia:
· “Mejia has filed an array of California Public Records Act requests for city data, including all Los Angeles Police Department traffic stops in 2021, locations where multiple parking tickets have been issued, and a list of affordable units in mixed-income housing developments. With the help of a tech-savvy campaign aide, he used the giant data sets to create maps that give Angelenos easy-to-understand, relevant information.”
· “Mejia has a CPA’s zeal for numbers and data. He’s dug into the city budget, presenting spending in clear graphs with a tutorial on how the budget is developed and approved.”
· “The controller is within city government — and beholden to the mayor and City Council, which approve the office’s budget — but a good controller is willing to challenge the status quo and strive for a more efficient, transparent, and just government. And because he’s not part of the established power structure, we think Mejia is most likely to have the political courage to call out other city elected officials.”
· “Time for an outsider and a newcomer.”
Kenneth Mejia’s endorsements on his website –
https://mejiaforcontroller.com/endorsements and other sources
· “Abundant Housing LA is pleased to endorse Kenneth Mejia for Los Angeles City Controller. We are impressed by his innovative efforts to make the city’s finances more transparent and accessible to everyone, and … his calling attention to how little Los Angeles spends on housing and services for the unhoused compared to policing.”
· Ground Game LA – “Kenneth Mejia is the only Certified Public Accountant in the race. Kenneth’s work with the LA Tenants Union and as a community organizer … Mejia’s commitment to transparent and accessible city finances.”
· LA Forward Action – “Kenneth is a CPA, a community organizer, and the best choice for holding powerful forces accountable at City Hall and beyond.” “With his campaign's record of creating brilliant visualizations and interactive tools based on government data, Kenneth has already shown how he could be the most publicly-engaging controller in LA’s history.”
Endorsement of Paul Koretz by Laura Chick Former Los Angeles City Controller, who served as controller from 2001 to 2009 and built a reputation as a fierce critic of the City Hall establishment as reported in the LA Times:
· Chick pointed to tweets posted by Mejia in 2020 that called President Biden a rapist and a racist. 2016 by tweeting a photo of himself holding a poster of Hillary Clinton photoshopped to appear behind jail bars in an orange prison jumpsuit.
· “The controller has to be all about finding ways to make the city serve the public better ... not tear it apart and blow it up!” Chick said. “Mr. Mejia must not be the next city controller.”
· Chick’s letter makes her the fourth L.A. city controller, both current and former, to endorse Councilman Paul Koretz. Chick said her endorsement of Koretz is because Mejia, “He’s a career candidate. Definitely not a career CPA, but a career candidate.”
Paul Koretz’s endorsements from his website - https://www.koretzforla.com/endorsementsincluding the following 3.
Rob Bonta, California Attorney General
Paul has a “long history of uplifting and fighting for all communities including our Asian American brothers and sisters. He has a proved record of fighting for efficiencies…has stood up to special interest groups…championed initiative improving the quality of life for all Angelenos.”
Wendy Greuel, LA City Controller (ret.)
“As a former LA City Controller, I trust Paul Koretz … I’ve known him for his strong but pragmatic approach on many issues … Paul has deep knowledge of how our city’s finances operate and does not shy away from keeping his colleagues accountable.”
George Takei, Actor, Community Activist
“Paul has been a leading progressive voice for decades on every major issue … protecting our environment … fighting for the LGBTQIA+ community … a true lifelong public servant that deeply cares for all communities.”
Compiled by Debra Shrout