KENNETH Mejia made history with his victory in the Los Angeles City Controller race in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 mid-term elections, becoming the first Filipino American elected in the city and the first Asian American in a citywide position.
Mejia, a 32-year-old accountant and progressive leader, captured 60.92% of the vote (290,736), beating three-term councilmember Paul Koretz, who only received 39.08% (186,483).
WE DID IT!
WE WON BY 23 POINTS!
• FIRST CPA as City Controller
• FIRST Filipino elected official in LA
• FIRST AAPI citywide elected official
• FIRST POC as City Controller in over 100 yearsmore to come! pic.twitter.com/f867sAvSPn
— Kenneth Mejia, CPA (@kennethmejiaLA) November 9, 2022
“We did it!” Mejia tweeted on Tuesday night.
His post followed with a list of his firsts.
“FIRST CPA as City Controller; FIRST Filipino elected official in LA; FIRST AAPI citywide elected official; FIRST POC as City Controller in over 100 years,” the post said.
The controller operates as the chief accounting officer of LA, handling audits, financial reporting and other accounting duties pertaining to the city’s public departments.
A political outsider who likewise came out on top during the June primary, Mejia caught attention for his large billboards around LA, highlighting the LA Police Department’s budget and challenging residents to question where their taxes are going.
On his campaign website, he vowed to use his accounting and auditing background to address the housing crisis, job scarcity and climate change, among other issues.
“People say a grassroots, city-wide campaign can’t win…we just proved them all wrong,” Mejia said following his win. n
