Los Angeles Controller Kenneth Mejia (left) and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (right)
Kenneth Mejia, 32, announced his victory on his social media accounts.
“We did it! We won by 23 points!
FIRST CPA as City Controller
First Filipino elected official in Los Angeles
First AAPI Citywide Elected Official
Over the next 100 years, the first POC becomes a city manager! ’ he wrote.
Mejia had a 21-point lead over Councilman Paul Koretz when Koretz conceded last week.
“Coming from a minority background gives you more empathy for the people you’re fighting for,” Mejia told NBC.
A former organizer of the Los Angeles Tenants Union, Mejia runs on a progressive platform centered on legalizing homelessness and holding police and other city departments accountable. He promised to audit the cost of cleaning up homeless encampments and make recommendations for alternative responses that prioritize housing and services.
“We want to change the system that community organizers are fighting against and make it better for working people,” he said.
Filipino-Americans are also celebrating the election of Attorney General Rob Bonta. He won by a wide margin over Republican defense attorney Nathan Hodgman.
The Associated Press announced the match, but official results took longer to be finalized. Bonta leads with more than 64% of the vote.
Bonta, a former San Francisco Bay Area state legislator known for his progressive views on criminal justice, campaigned on a pledge to defend California’s strong abortion laws and continue his work to end gun violence and illegal possession of firearms.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Bonta last year after Xavier Becerra resigned as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is Bonta’s first run for statewide office.
During his tenure, Bonta has prioritized ending the “epidemic of hate” against people of color and other vulnerable groups, and has deployed a new “housing strike force” within the California Department of Justice to force local governments to comply with state law.
