Endorsement: Kenneth Mejia for Los Angeles City Controller

Four years ago, this editorial board was wary of Kenneth Mejia, concerned that the young progressive's radical rhetoric-including labeling police as enforcers of “white supremacy”-rendered him unfit for the City Controller’s office.

Voters disagreed with us and elected Mejia over Councilman Paul Koretz.

Four years later, Mejia has demonstrated he’s not only up to the task but has excelled despite the constraints on his office.

“Leveraging my 15 years of experience in accounting and auditing, I have transformed the Controller's Office into an indispensable resource for policymakers and the public,” he explained. “Through our transparency efforts, maps, dashboards, and tech tools, we've made the city's data and finances more accessible than ever before. For the first time, you can go on our website and see exactly where your tax dollars are going.”

Indeed, interested Angelenos can visit the controller’s website and find data in an accessible manner on everything from homelessness to the city’s liability payouts. On the liability front, Mejia explained his office “is currently auditing City Hall on their risk management practices to reduce liability and harm. The city has spent over $1.1 billion on liability payouts since 2020. Liability claims are a big reason why the city is in a budget deficit and why many departments have lost funding to cover the liability payouts.”

Naturally, audits upset many in Los Angeles City Hall. Mejia previously clashed with Mayor Karen Bass after he tried to audit her Inside Safe homelessness program. The mayor, backed by the city attorney, argued the city charter prohibited him from conducting performance audits on programs initiated by fellow elected officials. The mayor and city attorney may lean on the charter to shield programs from scrutiny, but such legal maneuvering only underscores the need for an independent watchdog.

Indeed, U.S. District Judge David Carter tapped Mejia, who he called “the most knowledgeable person regarding the myriad and complex funding streams involved with the homelessness system,” to help oversee the city’s compliance in its settlement with the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights.

The arrest earlier this year of Alexander Soofer, the CEO of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings, who allegedly defrauded homelessness programs (including Inside Safe) of millions of dollars underscores the importance of the work Mejia and his team is doing.

An affidavit in that case noted the controller’s office received a tip “alleging Abundant Blessings was not appropriately housing and feeding participants being housed at the Antonio hotel and Starlite motel, which were sites being used to house homeless participants as part of the city's ‘Inside Safe’ program.’” The controller investigated along with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and ultimately handed over its findings to the district attorney.

That’s good work and the sort of work the controller needs ongoing support from the public and the council to build on with more robust staffing. In a city government like Los Angeles has, the more auditors the better.

We are sure Sokoloff would be a fine city controller, but Mejia has shown he can do the job and do it as it should be done. Los Angeles needs a city controller who is willing to tell the truth and willing to take the heat for it. Accordingly, we endorse Kenneth Mejia, who has proven himself a capable champion of transparency.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 2:26 PM.