Mejia becomes first Filipino elected to LA city office
FILIPINO American Kenneth Mejia was sworn into office as the Los Angeles City Controller, officially becoming the first Filipino to be elected to the LA City government.
Along with the new Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, Mejia was sworn into office in front of LA City Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, following a landslide victory in November.
As previously reported in the Asian Journal, Mejia’s campaign promised increased transparency regarding city spending, anchored by a successful billboard campaign that illuminated the whopping police budget compared to that of social services.
Today we had our Team Mejia swear in with the people who have been with us since we officially launched 2 years ago exactly on December 10, 2020! Years of hard work brought us to this moment! Thank you all!
Thank you Councilmembers @EunissesH & @mikebonin for speaking too! 💚 pic.twitter.com/M7mN0UbFY5
— Kenneth Mejia, CPA (@kennethmejiaLA) December 11, 2022
“Our first day in office. We’re here to hold power accountable in order to make it a better city for all Angelenos,” Mejia’s team tweeted on Monday, Dec. 12.
As the city’s controller, Mejia will oversee the city’s spending and consult the Office of the Mayor over the city’s budget — however, the controller does not have power over how finances are allocated throughout the city.
But Mejia promised to hold City Hall accountable and probe the city’s spending on homeless initiatives and law enforcement, among other top issues.
This is Mejia’s first time serving in public office. With a background in finance, Mejia also ran for U.S. Congress in 2018 campaigning on progressive policies and ideals inspired by Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein, as previously reported in the Asian Journal.
