John McKinney (California)
John McKinney is running for election for Los Angeles City Attorney in California. He is on the ballot in the primary on June 2, 2026.[source]
Biography
John McKinney was born in Passaic, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in 1994 and a law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1997. His career experience includes working as a deputy district attorney.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: City elections in Los Angeles, California (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Los Angeles City Attorney
Incumbent Hydee Feldstein Soto (Nonpartisan), Aida Ashouri (Nonpartisan), John McKinney (Nonpartisan), and Marissa Roy (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Los Angeles City Attorney on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Hydee Feldstein Soto (Nonpartisan) | |
| Aida Ashouri (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | John McKinney (Nonpartisan) | |
| Marissa Roy (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2024)
General election
General election for Los Angeles County District Attorney
Nathan Hochman defeated incumbent George Gascón in the general election for Los Angeles County District Attorney on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nathan Hochman (Nonpartisan) | 59.9 | 1,983,802 |
 | George Gascón (Nonpartisan) | 40.1 | 1,328,710 | |
| Total votes: 3,312,512 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles County District Attorney
The following candidates ran in the primary for Los Angeles County District Attorney on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | George Gascón (Nonpartisan) | 25.2 | 370,654 |
| ✔ | | Nathan Hochman (Nonpartisan) | 15.9 | 234,509 |
 | Jonathan Hatami (Nonpartisan) | 13.2 | 194,755 | |
 | Debra Archuleta (Nonpartisan) | 8.5 | 125,306 | |
 | Jeff Chemerinsky (Nonpartisan) | 7.9 | 116,064 | |
| Maria Ramirez (Nonpartisan) | 7.1 | 105,088 | ||
| John McKinney (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 87,903 | |
 | Eric Siddall (Nonpartisan) | 5.6 | 82,993 | |
 | David Sherman Milton (Nonpartisan) | 4.3 | 63,044 | |
| Craig Mitchell (Nonpartisan) | 3.0 | 44,326 | ||
 | Lloyd Masson (Nonpartisan) | 2.0 | 29,306 | |
 | Daniel Kapelovitz (Nonpartisan) | 1.2 | 17,622 | |
| Total votes: 1,471,570 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view McKinney's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McKinney in this election.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John McKinney has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to John McKinney asking him to fill out the survey. If you are John McKinney, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
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You can ask John McKinney to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing john@mckinney4la.com.
Campaign website
McKinney's campaign website stated the following:
On the Issues
Public Safety and Neighborhood Protection
Safe neighborhoods are the foundation of a thriving city. For more than two decades as a prosecutor, I have worked to protect victims and hold offenders accountable. As City Attorney, I will bring that same commitment to enforcing the laws that keep our communities safe.
That means focusing on repeat offenders who drive quality-of-life crime, addressing retail theft and organized shoplifting, prosecuting illegal firearms possession, and working closely with law enforcement to address dangerous activity like street racing and open-air drug markets.
Public safety is not an abstract concept. It is whether families feel safe walking their streets, whether small businesses can stay open, and whether our parks and public spaces remain welcoming for everyone.
Reducing Lawsuits and Protecting Taxpayer Dollars
Over the past several years, Los Angeles has seen a dramatic rise in lawsuits, settlements, and verdicts against the city, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
The City Attorney’s Office should not simply react to lawsuits after they are filed. It should work proactively with city departments to identify legal risks before they turn into costly litigation.
As City Attorney, I will emphasize prevention, improving legal oversight within city departments, strengthening training for city employees, and identifying patterns that lead to liability. Protecting taxpayer dollars starts with better legal management and accountability.
Fiscal Responsibility and Modernizing the City Attorney’s Office
The City Attorney’s Office must be a responsible steward of public funds. That means running an efficient office that delivers excellent legal representation while minimizing unnecessary costs.
I will review outside counsel spending, modernize case management systems, and ensure that city attorneys are deployed strategically to handle the city’s most important legal matters.
Every dollar spent unnecessarily on legal costs is a dollar that cannot be invested in parks, infrastructure, libraries, or public safety. Fiscal responsibility and operational excellence must be core priorities of the City Attorney’s Office.
Compassionate Accountability on Homelessness
Homelessness is one of the most difficult challenges facing Los Angeles. The solution requires compassion, services, and accountability.
The City Attorney’s Office must help ensure that our laws are applied in ways that protect public safety while respecting the dignity of individuals experiencing homelessness.
We must keep sidewalks passable, protect parks and schools, and address dangerous encampments that threaten community safety. At the same time, we must work closely with service providers and diversion programs to help people access housing, treatment, and support.
This is not about punishment. It is about restoring order to our public spaces while helping people move toward stability.
Fighting Corruption and Protecting the Public Trust
Government works only when the public trusts it.
The City Attorney plays an important role in ensuring that city officials and departments operate with transparency, integrity, and accountability. That includes defending ethical governance, promoting transparency in city contracting, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly.
My career as a prosecutor has been built on enforcing the law fairly and without fear or favor. As City Attorney, I will bring that same commitment to protecting the integrity of city government.
Protecting Workers and Combating Exploitation
Los Angeles must be a city where people who work hard are treated fairly and with dignity. The City Attorney’s Office plays an important role in protecting workers from exploitation.
I will prioritize enforcement against wage theft and other illegal labor practices that deprive workers of the pay they have earned. Employers who follow the law should not be undercut by those who exploit workers.
The office must also work closely with law enforcement and community organizations to combat human trafficking, including both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. These crimes exploit some of the most vulnerable members of our communities and require strong enforcement combined with victim-centered support.
Protecting workers and victims of exploitation strengthens our economy and reinforces the values of fairness and opportunity.
Protecting the Environment and Public Health
Los Angeles is home to extraordinary natural resources, from our coastline to our neighborhoods and parks. Protecting our environment is essential to preserving the quality of life for current residents and future generations.
The City Attorney’s Office has an important role in enforcing environmental laws, addressing illegal dumping, protecting air and water quality, and holding bad actors accountable when they violate environmental regulations.
Environmental protection is also about protecting public health, particularly in communities that have historically borne the greatest environmental burdens.
Protecting Renters While Respecting Property Rights
Housing is one of the most pressing challenges facing Los Angeles. The City Attorney’s Office plays an important role in ensuring that housing laws are enforced fairly and responsibly.
Renters deserve protection from unlawful evictions, harassment, and unsafe housing conditions. At the same time, property owners who follow the law have legitimate rights that must also be respected.
As City Attorney, I will ensure that housing laws are enforced fairly and consistently, protecting tenants from abuse while recognizing the important role responsible property owners play in providing and maintaining housing across our city.
A balanced approach helps promote stable housing while maintaining respect for the rule of law.
Connecting the City Attorney’s Office to the Community
The City Attorney’s Office should not operate behind closed doors at City Hall. It should be connected to the neighborhoods and communities it serves.
Across Los Angeles, residents and small businesses often feel that City Hall is distant from the problems they face every day. The City Attorney’s Office can help bridge that gap by listening to community concerns, working closely with neighborhood leaders, and responding to quality-of-life issues that affect daily life.
As City Attorney, I will prioritize stronger relationships between the office and the communities we serve by engaging with neighborhood councils, business organizations, and community groups throughout Los Angeles.
Good government begins with listening and accountability. The City Attorney’s Office should be a visible and engaged partner in the life of our city.
— John McKinney's campaign website (March 19, 2026)
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released January 27, 2024 |
John McKinney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McKinney's responses.
| Collapse all
As a teenager, I lived through the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and saw many friends die from drug use or went to jail for selling.
I credit the values and discipline instilled in me by my sister for enabling me to avoid falling victim to the easy money from drug dealing, and instead, I enrolled in college. But, after only one year, I dropped out and entered the working world, doing everything from fast-food prep to hammering steel into truck springs as a blacksmith.
Eventually, I realized that the road to his success would be through education. I graduated from Rutgers University and ultimately from UCLA Law School, which landed me in Los Angeles. In 1998, I was hired by the LA County DA’s Office.
I was eventually assigned to the elite Major Crimes Unit, where I served for 10 years, handling jury trials involving a broad array of violent crimes, including child and adult sex crimes, child and elder abuse, and gang murders - many with national media attention.
In all, I have tried nearly 40 murder cases. “I gave a small piece of myself to each one. Every killer I prosecuted was convicted. Every victim’s humanity was affirmed in the courtroom.”- Secure LA's Future: Restore Public Safety
- Prioritize Victims' Rights
- Ensure Accountability and Promote Proportional Justice
I believe integrity at the top and transparency throughout the organization are the keys to restoring public confidence in the justice system. I have a life history of overcoming significant adversity while playing by the rules, demonstrating that I am a person of high character and integrity. I have been tested by life in ways that being the District Attorney cannot even approach.
I also believe that as District Attorney I need to do more to educate the public about the realities of our system to dispel many of the myths that people currently believe.
Before joining the DA’s Office and law school, I worked for two years as a substitute teacher for the East Orange School District in East Orange, NJ. Prior to working as a substitute teacher, I worked three years in the building trades as a carpenter and house painter. Before working in the trades, I worked various temporary jobs, including but not limited to auto parts driver, picker packer, blacksmith, building cleaner, and fast food worker.
-Claudia M. Frometa, Councilmember, City of Downey
-Lynda P. Johnson, Councilmember, City of Cerritos
-Juanita Martin, Mayor, City of Santa Fe Springs
-Warren Furutani, former California State Assemblyman and LAUSD Board Member
-Katrina Manning, Councilmember, City of Hawthorne
-Mark Pulido, Former Mayor, City of Cerritos
and many more...
Organizations
- AFSCME Local 3090 \n LA City Employees/911 Dispatchers
- Citizens for Accountable Leadership (CAL)
- Democrats for Israel – Los Angeles
- I Chinese American Political Action Committee (IAPAC)
- Covina Police Officers’ Association
- Santa Monica Police Officers’ Association
- West Covina Covina Police Officers’ Association
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 27, 2024
