Your Guide To The L.a. City Controller Race: Kenneth Mejia Faces Challenger Zach Sokoloff

Kenneth Mejia, 35, is simply a certified nationalist accountant who lives successful Westlake. In 2022, he won nan astir votes of immoderate controller campaigner successful metropolis history, contempt lacking sanction nickname and moving against a sitting metropolis assembly member, Paul Koretz.

Mejia, who is of Filipino ancestry, became nan first Asian American to clasp citywide elected agency successful Los Angeles.

He’s well-known online, and his two corgis, Killa and Kirby, are a changeless beingness successful his run arsenic good arsenic connected nan charismatic controller’s website. He points to his audits of metropolis spending connected homelessness, police, lodging and animal services.

“We said we were going to supply much financial transparency and accountability and oversight, and we’ve done that,” Mejia said successful an interview.

The controller’s waste, fraud and maltreatment squad began investigating a bum work supplier aft receiving a telephone telephone alleging fraud. Mejia said it became nan catalyst for a national investigation into Alexander Soofer, who successful January was charged pinch ligament fraud amid allegations that he took $23 cardinal successful nationalist costs meant for bum people.

“Because of nan activity that we do, it besides forces agencies to amended look astatine their soul controls, to clasp work providers accountable,” Mejia said. “These events tin lead to systemic change, and that’s what it did.”

Zach Sokoloff, 37, lives successful Westwood pinch his wife, 2 kids and 2 rescue dogs. He was calved and raised successful nan Westwood area. He graduated from Yale University, received a master’s successful acquisition argumentation and management from Loyola Marymount University and an MBA from Harvard University earlier school algebra astatine a mediate schoolhouse successful Boyle Heights and a precocious schoolhouse successful Watts.

Since joining Hackman successful 2018, he has worked connected multibillion projects transforming bequest workplace lots. The institution is considered 1 of Hollywood’s largest landlords.

Sokoloff points to his acquisition managing large-scale projects arsenic cardinal to navigating nan city’s fund and bureaucracy. He said he would activity collaboratively crossed different departments.

“Angelenos are tired of reports. They want results, and truthful my attack balances accountability and collaboration,” Sokoloff said.