Voter guide to the L.A. city controller election: Paul Koretz vs. Kenneth Mejia
Paul Koretz:
The last time we checked, we found the Los Angeles City Controller position open for grabs in a Republican-leaning year for mayoral election races. Then it became known that the top Democrat, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, was going to seek reelection. This was going to be a rematch of their race three years ago, when Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa beat Republican Eric Garcetti. Villaraigosa won this race, as did Garcetti in a rematch of their mayoral election in 2009. Now, with Villaraigosa facing his toughest reelection campaign ever, a GOP candidate is stepping up with a well-funded and well-organized campaign to challenge him. This is also a major test for the Republican Party. Will it hold together in a liberal bastion, or will it make the party more inclusive and tolerant of minorities, including African Americans, who make up the vast majority of the population of California? We’ll find out if the GOP can hold together under a new political environment. The biggest question on the minds of Republicans is “Who will be the Republican candidate for controller?” It wasn’t always known that the Los Angeles City Controller race would be an open race that could produce between two very different candidates. What this election is really about is who will represent the conservative point of view in what will be an open and competitive race.
Los Angeles County has a long and complex history with the Republican Party. I’m pretty old school and I think that as the GOP moves farther and farther left through the years, we’ll become increasingly estranged from our party. And that’s how we’ve got to get to the point where we can have a Democratic and independent candidate for governor. There’s not a Republican candidate who would be acceptable to me as far as being conservative. I’m a libertarian. I would like to see the Republican Party move
