WESTSIDE - The race for City Attorney remains an electoral wild card of sorts as limited polling suggests no clear frontrunner between the Progressive Marissa Roy and veteran prosecutor, John McKinney.
McKinney is a longtime Los Angeles County deputy district attorney with nearly 30 years of prosecutorial experience. According to his campaign and the Los Angeles Times, he has handled approximately 100 jury trials, including some 40 murder cases. His high-profile prosecutions include the murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle and the killing of USC graduate student Xinran Ji.
The campaign emphasizes public safety, stronger prosecution of quality-of-life crimes, and reducing the city's costly legal settlements through better training of city employees.
Marissa Roy, who finished first in the June Primary with 43% is leading in current fundraising, but McKinney has had a strong infusion of Independent Expenditure dollars from key supporters such as Rick Caruso and Ron Burkle that keeps him more than competitive headed into the final stretch.
Most political observers do not view the Primary and General elections as two halves of the same contest, but more like a double-header in baseball with one game having little effect on the other.
What confirms this is a September 27th report that described 70% of voters as undecided, and the current incumbent, Hydee Feldstein-Soto playing virtually no role or endorsement in this open seat contest. Soto failed to make the runoff garnering just a paltry 19%.
In direct mail messaging, McKinney has positioned himself as "the People's Lawyer, with a plan for all of us." He also picked up the endorsement of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park (CD-11), whose positions on homeless encampments, illegal RV parking and the enforcement of Municipal Code 41.18 fall in line with McKinney's approach and platform when it comes to reducing homelessness in Los Angeles.
In contrast, Roy's direct mail generated from independent expenditures pushed endorsements from US Senators Adam Schiff & Alex Padilla, the Los Angeles Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood. The mailings accuse McKinney, a registered Democrat as "MAGA'S pick for City Attorney." In essence the Roy effort accuses McKinney of seemingly guilt by association as "MAGA Donors + MAGA Backers = MAGA's Candidate."
Marissa Roy, 34, is a lifelong Angeleno and a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice. Her legal background centers on civil litigation, consumer protection, workers' rights, and tenant protections. Roy has positioned herself as a progressive candidate who wants to make the City Attorney's Office a stronger public-interest law office, focusing on workers, renters, consumer protection and challenges to federal actions she considers unlawful.
McKinney has criticized Roy for having “never tried a jury case.” A key contrast he has been making on the campaign trail. That distinction matters because the City Attorney must oversee both civil litigation and criminal prosecution. A candidate's experience developing lawsuits is not necessarily the same as experience examining witnesses, presenting evidence and arguing a case before a jury.
This is at the center of the McKinney candidacy.
Both candidates were sent questions to consider for this piece with only McKinney responding.
Below are the questions and his responses:
- With nearly three decades of prosecutorial experience, you have emphasized public safety and accountability for repeat offenders. If elected City Attorney, which crimes would be your highest priorities, and how would you measure whether your office is making Los Angeles neighborhoods safer?
My top priorities will be domestic violence, repeat theft, vandalism, street racing, and criminal activity tied to open-air drug markets—crimes that threaten public safety and disrupt neighborhood life. Within the City Attorney’s misdemeanor jurisdiction, I will target repeat offenders and persistent problems.
I will restore specialized domestic violence prosecution and restart the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program, giving residents direct access to attorneys who know their communities and address their concerns.
I will measure success by results, not prosecution totals. I will establish baselines and publicly track repeat offending, recurring complaints at problem locations, case-resolution times, and completion of treatment or diversion without new offenses. Residents and businesses will help assess whether those efforts improve neighborhood conditions.
My approach is compassionate accountability: use treatment or diversion when it can safely address the underlying behavior and pursue meaningful consequences when someone repeatedly harms others. The bottom line is whether our work makes Los Angeles neighborhoods safer.
- You have described homelessness as a solvable crisis and advocated for a combination of services, shelter, and accountability. Would you investigate not-for-profit service providers who are wasting tax dollars? How will you enforce 41.18?
Yes. Credible evidence that a nonprofit receiving public money is wasting funds, misrepresenting its work, or violating its contract demands accountability. I will investigate within the City Attorney’s authority, work with auditors and enforcement agencies, seek recovery of misspent funds where warranted, and refer suspected crimes to the appropriate prosecutor. Nonprofit status does not put anyone above scrutiny.
I will support consistent, lawful enforcement of 41.18, the city’s encampment ban, paired with outreach and meaningful offers of shelter and services. Marissa Roy’s reluctance to enforce 41.18 is not compassion—it is a failure to confront unsafe conditions around our parks, schools and hospitals. I will not confuse inaction with compassion. We must help people experiencing homelessness while keeping public spaces safe and accessible. Those responsibilities reinforce each other; they do not conflict.
The City Attorney provides legal guidance and handles appropriate enforcement cases—not street operations. I will insist that enforcement meets applicable notice, designation, procedural, and constitutional requirements, and reserve the court system as a last resort—not the first response to someone in need.
We can address dangerous conditions and keep sidewalks accessible without criminalizing poverty. I will judge success by whether we connect people with help and restore safe public spaces—not simply move an encampment to the next block.
- What does "law and order" mean to you? How does your personal story shape that narrative?
Law and order means everyone deserves to live safely, laws are enforced fairly, and no one is above them—including those responsible for enforcement. It means protecting people while respecting due process and demanding integrity from government.
That belief is personal. I grew up in a working-class community in Passaic, New Jersey. Both parents died when I was very young, and my eldest sister raised me while working full-time and caring for five children. I saw the damage crime and instability could inflict during the crack epidemic.
My own path included leaving college and working a series of jobs to make ends meet. I rented until I was 43, so I know what it’s like to write that check every month and pay living expenses. I returned to school while working full-time before attending UCLA Law School. Those experiences taught me to respect people facing hardship and the opportunities that can change their lives.
Nearly three decades as a prosecutor have reinforced that compassion and accountability are not opposing values. We can help people rebuild their lives while protecting victims and holding those who cause harm responsible.
- One year after taking office, what three measurable accomplishments would you want Los Angeles residents to be able to point to as evidence that your leadership has made a difference?
- A restored Neighborhood Prosecutor Program with documented results. Residents should know whom to contact about recurring problems. We would report response times, problems resolved, and changes in repeat complaints and offenses at targeted locations.
- Transparent accountability for homelessness-related city contracts and enforcement. Working with responsible departments, we would report credible allegations reviewed, corrective actions taken, and funds recovered where warranted. Enforcement reporting would track service connections, compliance, and repeat violations—not just citations.
- A functioning legal-risk strategy with documented taxpayer savings. We would address recurring sources of liability and report outside-counsel spending and the financial results of better litigation decisions. Stronger risk management and less unnecessary reliance on outside lawyers are existing campaign commitments.
I would also establish baselines early and publish progress. I would not promise arbitrary reductions before reviewing the data. Residents deserve to know what we accomplished, what it cost, and where improvement remains necessary.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-three-year resident of the Westside and is covering the numerous city, legislative and judicial races on the General Election ballot come November 3rd. A regular contributor to City Watch LA, he can be reached via e-mail at [email protected])
