Last week, the Asian Journal reported which Filipino candidates in races across Southern California would win their races in the 2022 midterm election.
With nearly all the results accounted for, several races across SoCal have been called with many Filipino incumbents, community leaders, and first-time candidates winning their races.
As of Friday, Nov. 18, several Filipino candidates across Southern California were successful in their races. Because of delays in the final counts — due to the high volume of mail-in votes — the final counts weren’t made until several days after Election Day.
First-time elected officials Ollie Cantos of West Covina and Ditas Yamane of National City each won their respective city council races. Yamane made history by being the second Filipino ever to win a city-wide seat in National City.
Artesia Mayor Melissa Ramoso — who was first elected as a city council member in 2018 and appointed to the mayor’s seat in 2021 — was re-elected to her post as mayor. Similarly, Phil Bacera of Santa Ana City Council, Mayor Jed Leano of Claremont City Council, and Arleen Rojas of Carson City Council all retained their respective seats.
In Culver City, community advocate Stephanie Loredo received 5,388 votes, earning her one of the three open seats on the board of Culver City Unified School District.
As previously reported in the Asian Journal, Kenneth Mejia, the two-time congressional candidate, won the LA controller seat to become the first elected Filipino in the city of LA.
Mejia ran an effective campaign earmarked by the viral billboards posted all over the city showcasing what he describes as the city’s historic overinflation of the police budget. As a proponent of the People’s Budget of LA, Mejia has said he’d fight for communities of color and the disenfranchised communities of the city.
