Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, seeking a second term Tuesday, snagged an early lead over challenger Zach Sokoloff in the race to serve as the city’s chief financial watchdog.
As of 8:15 p.m., Mejia held 57.25% of the vote, compared with 42.75% for Sokoloff, according to results released by the Los Angeles County registrar’s office.
• Also see: June 2 Primary Election Results
The controller’s office conducts audits, tracks city spending and issues financial reports intended to provide oversight of government operations. The race centered on transparency, accountability, homelessness spending, city services and the role of the office in evaluating whether public programs are delivering results.
Because only two candidates are running, the race will be decided in the June 2 primary election, with no runoff.
Mejia, 35, who first won office in 2022, built a high-profile reputation around government transparency, public data dashboards and audits examining city spending and operations.
During his first term, his office launched dashboards tracking homelessness spending, city liabilities and other government data while conducting audits of homelessness programs, affordable housing oversight, LAPD operations and other city functions. Mejia argued those efforts increased transparency and accountability while helping identify fraud and inefficiencies across city governments.
Challenger Zach Sokoloff, 37, an asset management executive and former public school teacher, focused his campaign on fiscal stability, economic growth and improving city services while arguing for a more collaborative relationship between the controller’s office and other parts of City Hall.
Sokoloff called for audits and evaluations of major spending programs, including homelessness initiatives and housing measures, while emphasizing the need to evaluate whether taxpayer-funded programs are producing measurable results. He also advocated for economic development and revenue growth as part of a broader effort to strengthen the city’s finances.