Kenneth Mejia

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Kenneth Mejia

Nonpartisan

Los Angeles City Controller

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Ron Galperin

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Woodbury University

Personal

Profession

Accountant

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Kenneth Mejia is the Los Angeles City Controller in California. He assumed office on December 12, 2022. His current term ends on December 14, 2026.

Mejia ran for election for Los Angeles City Controller in California. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Mejia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kenneth Mejia was born in Los Angeles, California. Mejia is a first generation Filipino-American. He received his B.S. in accounting from Woodbury University in 2010. Mejia's career experience includes working as a certified public accountant, an auditor for Ernst & Young, a community organizer for the LA Tenants Union, and a board member of the Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council.

Elections

2022

See also: City elections in Los Angeles, California (2022)

General election

General election for Los Angeles City Controller

Kenneth Mejia defeated Paul Koretz in the general election for Los Angeles City Controller on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kenneth Mejia (Nonpartisan)	63.3	513,288
		Paul Koretz (Nonpartisan)	36.7	297,190

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 810,478
= 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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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles City Controller

The following candidates ran in the primary for Los Angeles City Controller on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kenneth Mejia (Nonpartisan)	43.1	240,374
✔		Paul Koretz (Nonpartisan)	23.7	131,921
		Stephanie Clements (Nonpartisan)	15.9	88,678
		David T. Vahedi (Nonpartisan)	7.0	39,240
	Submit photo	J. Carolan O'Gabhann (Nonpartisan)	3.9	21,984
	Submit photo	Reid Lidow (Nonpartisan)	3.9	21,769
	Submit photo	Rob Wilcox (Nonpartisan)	2.4	13,460

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 557,426
= 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 Meija's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2018

See also: California's 34th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 34

Incumbent Jimmy Gomez defeated Kenneth Mejia in the general election for U.S. House California District 34 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jimmy Gomez (D)	72.5	110,195
		Kenneth Mejia (G)	27.5	41,711

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 151,906
= 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 U.S. House California District 34

Incumbent Jimmy Gomez and Kenneth Mejia defeated Angela McArdle in the primary for U.S. House California District 34 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jimmy Gomez (D)	78.7	54,661
✔		Kenneth Mejia (G)	12.9	8,987
		Angela McArdle (L)	8.4	5,804

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 69,452
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Simon Alvarez (R)

2017

See also: California's 34th Congressional District special election, 2017

U.S. House, California District 34, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jimmy Gomez	59.2%	25,569
	Democratic	Robert Lee Ahn	40.8%	17,610
Total Votes				43,179
Source: California Secretary of State

The election replaced Xavier Becerra (D), who was appointed as California's attorney general. Democrats Jimmy Gomez and Robert Lee Ahn were the top two vote-getters in a primary field of 23 candidates and advanced to the general election. Gomez and Ahn competed in the runoff election on June 6, 2017, when Gomez defeated Ahn by more than 20 percent, 60.1 percent to 30.9 percent. The previous two elections in the district have also featured a general election contest between two Democrats.

Ahn and Gomez participated in a candidate forum on May 25, 2017, where they discussed the Trump administration, infrastructure, job creation, healthcare, and local issues. During the forum, Ahn emphasized his legal and business background and knowledge of Korean relations, while Gomez highlighted his legislative experience in the California State Assembly and endorsements from progressive organizations like the Bernie Sanders-backed Our Revolution. For an overview of the forum and the candidates' responses, click here.

In the fundraising race, Ahn outpaced Gomez, raising $353,000 between April 1 and May 17. His campaign capital was boosted by an additional $195,000 personal loan. In the same time period, Gomez raised $327,000.

U.S. House, California District 34 Primary, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jimmy Gomez	25.4%	10,728
	Democratic	Robert Lee Ahn	22.3%	9,415
	Democratic	Maria Cabildo	10.1%	4,259
	Democratic	Sara Hernandez	5.6%	2,358
	Democratic	Arturo Carmona	5.2%	2,205
	Democratic	Wendy Carrillo	5.2%	2,195
	Green	Kenneth Mejia	4.6%	1,964
	Republican	William Morrison	3.2%	1,360
	Democratic	Yolie Flores	3.2%	1,368
	Democratic	Alejandra Campoverdi	2.4%	1,001
	Democratic	Tracy Van Houten	2.5%	1,042
	Democratic	Vanessa Aramayo	2%	853
	Democratic	Sandra Mendoza	1.6%	674
	Democratic	Steven Mac	1.6%	663
	Democratic	Raymond Meza	1.2%	509
	Independent	Mark Edward Padilla	1%	427
	Libertarian	Angela McArdle	0.8%	319
	Democratic	Ricardo De La Fuente	0.8%	331
	Democratic	Adrienne Nicole Edwards	0.4%	182
	Democratic	Richard Joseph Sullivan	0.4%	155
	Democratic	Armando Sotomayor	0.3%	118
	Democratic	Tenaya Wallace	0.2%	103
	Democratic	Melissa "Sharkie" Garza	0.2%	79
Total Votes				42,308
Source: California Secretary of State

2016

See also: California's 34th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Xavier Becerra (D) defeated Adrienne Nicole Edwards (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Both candidates advanced past the top-two primary on June 7, 2016, by default.

U.S. House, California District 34 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Xavier Becerra Incumbent	77.2%	122,842
	Democratic	Adrienne Nicole Edwards	22.8%	36,314
Total Votes				159,156
Source: California Secretary of State

U.S. House, California District 34 Primary, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Xavier Becerra Incumbent	78.6%	71,982
	Democratic	Adrienne Nicole Edwards	21.4%	19,624
Total Votes				91,606
Source: California Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kenneth Mejia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mejia's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in an immigrant home, raised by a single mother in the San Fernando Valley who supported our family by working as a registered nurse. I’m also a Certified Public Accountant, a housing justice advocate, and a community organizer. I’m running for Los Angeles City Controller, our city’s accountant, because it is the citywide elected position whose job it is to hold power accountable in City Hall. I want to use my unique perspective and expertise to root out waste, financial mismanagement, and corruption at all levels of city government and to uplift the needs of everyday Angelenos.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am the only Certified Public Accountant in the race, with over 10 years of experience auditing large corporations and government organizations, and I want to apply those skills to holding our City government accountable in LA. In fact, our campaign is already doing the work of city controller. We’ve exposed improper timekeeping by City employees who made over $500,000 a year, mostly in overtime, and we’re providing groundbreaking resources, such as an interactive map for low-income renters to locate affordable housing units. You can check out our affordable housing map and other resources such as a heatmap of parking tickets in LA and a visualization of LAPD traffic and pedestrian stops here: mejiaforcontroller.com/resources.
• The City Controller needs to be an independent watchdog holding power accountable, and we’re proud to be running a grassroots campaign with the most volunteers and donors in the race, while our main opponent is a career politician who has bounced between jobs in municipal and state government for the last 30 years. We do not accept donations from executives, decision-making personnel, and PACs/associations in the following industries: Oil & gas, real estate development, Wall Street, aerospace & defense, media & entertainment, pharmaceuticals, insurance, telecommunications, and law enforcement. As Controller, we won’t be beholden to these special interests, allowing us to focus on the needs of Angelenos, not our big donors.
• You don’t have to take our word for it. We’ve been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, and dozens of other community leaders and organizations such as the Sunrise Movement LA, Dr. Melina Abdullah (co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA), California State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, City Councilmember Mike Bonin, and actor/activist Kendrick Sampson.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m passionate about homelessness / housing, climate change, and public safety. Los Angeles spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to solve homelessness, but the lack of oversight and transparency leads to mismanaged resources. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has a responsibility to lead on climate, and a progressive City Controller committed to climate justice will have a transformative impact on climate policy in Los Angeles and beyond by advocating for a city that runs on 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, a just transition to clean renewable energy that ensures good, green jobs for workers, and justice for and investment in impacted frontline communities who are disproportionately people of color. Finally, LAPD receives the most money of all city departments ($3.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2021-22). As City Controller, we will audit the LAPD to identify wasteful and inefficient spending and make recommendations for better use of those funds.

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.

2018

In an email to Ballotpedia, Mejia said the following were his top platform points:

“	Universal rent control Lowering federal taxes Increasing social security Medicare for all - single payer Full legal status for all immigrants Cancellation of student debt No corporate money in politics 100% clean renewable energy 16-wks paid family & medical leave Workers’, women’s & LGBTQ rights	”
—Kenneth Mejia

2017

The following issues were listed on Mejia's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	A Fair & Just Economy for ALL: WE are running on a visionary platform. Kenneth, with the help of the people of CA34, will work in Congress to push for a 21st Century Economy where we lift those out of poverty, grow the middle class, make the wealthy billionaire class pay their fair share, protect our environment, and keep in mind the quality of life for workers and their families when it comes to economic policy. Quality Public Education as a Right: We believe that it is time to transform our educational system all the way from early childhood care through college and beyond. The time for Quality Public Education as a RIGHT is LONG OVERDUE. The time for change is now, the question is, are we going to fight for the change we NEED? If other major developed countries can provide education as a RIGHT, so can we. A Welcoming Pathway to Citizenship: WE recognizes that it is very difficult for immigrants, documented and undocumented, under our outdated immigration system to become a U.S. Citizen and to come out of the shadows. We recognize that change can happen only from the bottom-up, and not from the top-down. With our election into Congress, we will mobilize millions of Americans of all races, especially the Latinx and Immigrant community to fight for the change they need one election at a time. These people will elect officials who recognize the importance of comprehensive immigration reform and will seek a welcoming path to citizenship. Universal Healthcare as a RIGHT: As Trump and the GOP race to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that will leave 20+ million people uninsured, we must rally together to use this time to organize and fight back for healthcare and affordable prescription drugs as HUMAN RIGHTS. We are the only major country in the world to not provide healthcare as a RIGHT. 60% of Americans across Party Lines support a Single Payer system. The U.S. also spends around $9,000 per person on healthcare. That’s on average 2.5 times more than other major industrialized nations who actually provide universal healthcare for ALL, whereas we don’t. Most uninsured people are low-income families and felt even worse in communities of color. Housing is a Human Right: We believe that housing is a human RIGHT. No one should ever be priced out of their homes or not be able to afford to have a roof over their head. According to the Housing and Urban Development, an estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households now pay more than 50 percent of their annual incomes for housing. A family with one full-time worker earning the minimum wage cannot afford the local fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States.	”
—Kenneth Mejia's campaign website

2016

The following issues were listed on Mejia's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Voter Suppression: Almost half the population of registered voters are Independent Voters. Yet, they cannot vote because some states still have CLOSED PRIMARIES. Closed Primaries are set up to favor establishment politicians and party liners, and to ultimately SUPPRESS the votes of Progressives and Independents! Immigration: We are a nation of immigrants, and some of our most valued possessions came from the minds of immigrants. As Americans, we must be welcoming to those just like our parents, those that come from a past we will never fully understand, and those that just want to provide the best for themselves and their children. We must provide an opportunity to those that want to seek a better life. How Hard it is to Live in Los Angeles: Our middle class is disappearing, the working class will work themselves to death, the poor will become poorer, and homelessness will continue to grow.	”
—Kenneth Mejia's campaign website, http://kennethmejiaforcongress.nationbuilder.com/

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Kenneth Mejia campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2018	U.S. House California District 34	Lost general	$145,435	$120,226
Grand total			$145,435	$120,226
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

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