Interview with Kenneth Mejia CPA, CANDIDATE FOR LA CITY Controller

Kenneth Mejia, CPA is running for LA City Controller to provide transparency, educate people about the city's finances and hold those in power accountable. He will be on the ballot for this upcoming Nov. 8 2022's General Election.

We chat with Kenneth about his roots, inspiration for running, and his advice for young people and young Filipino Americans who want to run for office and make an impact through government.

Did you know that as of 2019, Filipinos are the 3rd largest Asian-origin group in the United States and the 2nd largest Asian-origin group in California, according to the Pew Research Center. Despite this large population, Filipinos had the lowest voter turnout in the 2020 presidential elections. With Mejia running for LA City Controller, this is an important opportunity for fellow Filipino Americans to come together and vote, as a start to gain much needed political representation.

Kenneth is a first-generation Filipino American, born and raised in LA. His compassion and work ethic were strongly shaped by his upbringing in a working class neighborhood and single-mother household including his three siblings. A few years after becoming a Certified Public Accountant, Mejia founded a community service group called “We Can Make a Difference - LA,” serving unhoused and low-income families and communities. During this same year, he joined the LA Tenants Union to fight against rent increases, and the following year became a Neighborhood Council Board Member to advocate for working class families regarding affordable housing and tenant protections. These accomplishments display Kenneth’s values of transparency and accessibility that he has actively worked toward and will continue to bring to the city.

The general elections are coming up on November 8th, 2022! Kenneth Mejia’s candidacy is only the start of an increase in Filipino political representation, and hopefully an inspiration for others to become more active in sharing their voice. We highly encourage our fellow Filipino-Americans to get out there and vote, and make your voice heard.

A reminder registered voters:

-Election Day is Nov. 8, when polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

- All registered voters in California should receive a vote-by-mail ballot a few weeks ahead of Election Day.

-There are several ways to cast ballots, including mail, dropboxes, vote center dropoff and voting in-person on Nov. 8.

For more info on Kenneth, please visit: mejiaforcontroller.com.