CommentsLA WATCHDOG - Controller Ron Galperin and former Controllers Wendy Greuel and Laura Chick are unanimous in their belief that Kenneth Mejia does not have the experience, character, and temperament to be our next City Controller.
Instead, they are supporting Paul Koretz to be our next City Controller.
In an Open Letter To The People of Los Angeles that was published in CityWatch, Laura Chick outlined the truth about Mejia. He has let his accounting license lapse. He is an “extremist,” calling Joe Biden a rapist and a racist. He joined Donald Trump in trashing Hillary Clinton by chanting “Lock Her Up.! Lock Her Up!” And he and his staff have disrupted numerous forums and debates, including one at Temple Beth Hillel in the Valley where vulgar language forced the rabbi to clear the room.
Councilman Paul Krekorian was also horrified at Mejia’s undemocratic behavior. At a recent meeting of the City Council, Mejia encouraged a “small mob of extremists” to breach security, attack police officers, and threaten members of the City Council. Several protesters were arrested and are being charged with misdemeanors.
One of the functions of the Controller is to conduct financial and performance audits on all City departments. But will Mejia be objective? Most likely not as he would let his radical political positions taint his judgement. For example, he is “no fan of the police” and is endorsed by groups calling for defunding the police. But the police department is more than 50% of the City’s General Fund budget and requires oversight.
A major part of the Controller’s job is managing the department, its 158 positions, and $54 million budget. Tasks include accounting for the City’s spending, paying bills, financial reporting, including the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, managing payroll and the accompanying system, and other important everyday tasks that allow the City to function.
Mejia has no relevant experience. He claims to be an accountant, but in reality, he is just a glorified bookkeeper without any management experience. He also has no clue how the city works and has already alienated numerous elected officials and City employees with his incendiary language.
While Paul Koretz has his own baggage, he is endorsed by Controller Ron Galperin, our most trusted elected official. He also has the blessing of Laura Chick and Wendy Greuel, both of whom are trustworthy. Their endorsements are good enough for you and me.
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From the Mayor’s Proposed Budget: The City Controller, an independently elected Citywide official, is the taxpayers' watchdog and the City's chief auditor and accountant. The Controller's job is to investigate and publicly report problems with City departments, increase governmental efficiency and save taxpayer money by improving operations, conduct financial and performance audits of all city departments, offices, and programs, monitor and report on all matters relating to the City's fiscal health, keep the City's official financial records, and supervise all expenditures of the City.
(Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch. He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee, the Budget and DWP representative for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. He can be reached at: [email protected].)
