LOS ANGELES - In a joint campaign announcement on Thursday, Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia threw his support behind City Councilmember Nithya Raman's bid for Mayor of Los Angeles.
What we know:
Both politicians have aligned against what they describe as a broken City Hall establishment, with Mejia highlighting his 2023 warnings that a $1 billion contract for the Los Angeles Police Department would plunge the city into a fiscal crisis.
Raman, who voted against that controversial police contract, pledged that if she is elected mayor, she will protect, fully fund, and empower the City Controller's Office.
This promise comes in response to what both leaders call efforts by powerful interest groups to systematically neuter Mejia's oversight authority.
Mejia also praised Raman's legislative record, pointing directly to her work as the primary force behind the city's largest increase in rental protections in forty years, her advocacy for building new housing, and her role in co-writing the Century City Law to protect immigrant communities.
What they're saying:
"Los Angeles is not just broke, it's broken. Streets are busted, animal shelters underfunded, childcare centers closed... I warned that the LAPD's $1 billion contract would put us into a fiscal crisis. And guess what? It did," Mejia said.
"For too long, powerful interest groups have influenced City Hall, forcing us into impossible spending decisions. As mayor, I'll break from the pay-to-play system that has broken the city," Raman said.
"Kenneth has been one of the clearest, most powerful voices for fiscal transparency LA has ever had, and the politically powerful have worked to defang his office and cut into his oversight authority as a result. When I'm mayor, I'll empower and fully fund the Comptroller's Office to make sure that he has the resources to do his job," Raman added.
The Source: This report is based on the transcript of a joint campaign announcement released by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia and Councilmember Nithya Raman.