City Controller Kenneth Mejia Thursday endorsed Councilwoman Nithya Raman in her bid for mayor of Los Angeles.
Mejia joined Raman for a news conference Thursday morning in downtown where he announced his support her campaign. Mejia — who was elected in 2022 and reelected in the June election after receiving more than 60% of the votes — described Raman as “politically courageous” and an “independent leader.”
“Together, we can do something that should not feel radical to show Angelenos what it looks like when their leaders tell the truth, protect their money, and answer to the people who elected them,” Mejia said.
Mejia emphasized that when he ran for controller four years ago he didn’t have a lot of establishment support.
“But it goes to show that we ran on a platform of speaking to people’s needs, to addressing people’s fears about city government, trying to change that around by letting them trust us, and showing that there are few people in City Hall, who are actually trying to make life better for them on a systemic level,” Mejia said.
Raman thanked Mejia for his endorsement, noting his victory came because Angelenos want more accountability, more transparency and fiscal responsibility.
“Today, we’re here to show Angelenos a different kind of City Hall, one where the mayor and controller are partners, not adversaries,” Raman said.
Both Mejia and Raman have taken a stance against what they describe as a broken City Hall.
Mejia highlighted his 2023 warnings that a $1 billion contract for the Los Angeles Police Department would result in a fiscal crisis for the city. Raman, who voted against the contract, made a commitment to protect, fund and empower the City Controller’s Office, if elected mayor.
The City Council and Mayor Karen Bass approved that contract, citing a need to provide police officers with a competitive compensation package and drive recruitment up.
While Mejia has worked with Mayor Karen Bass, but the two have had a strained relationship at times — in particular over the controller’s attempt to audit Inside Safe and homelessness spending. The program was eventually examined as part of a larger review of the city’s homelessness spending under a federal case, known as the L.A. Alliance Settlement.
Mejia’s office has conducted several audits, which uncovered $23 million of fraud in one case. In another, his office helped increase shelter bed utilization from 75% to 95%, according to Raman.
“This is information that saves the public money. It improves city services, including for the most vulnerable, and helps people get the support that they need,” Raman said.
“We will not always agree, and we shouldn’t. But independence shouldn’t mean that the controller has to fight the mayor for information, resources, or even a response,” Raman added.
Raman is a DSA member.