Los Angeles city attorney trails challengers early; incumbent city controller holds lead
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Los Angeles City Atty.Hydee Feldstein Soto lagged behind her two well-funded challengers based on early returns Tuesday night, but her incumbent colleague, City Controller Kenneth Mejia, appeared to be faring better in his bid to stay in office, holding a double-digit lead over finance executive Zach Sokoloff.Progressive Marissa Roy led the field vying to serve as Los Angeles’ top lawyer when the first batch of returns surfaced around 8:20 p.m.
L.A.County Deputy Dist.
Atty.John McKinney sat in second, while Feldstein Soto was positioned third.
The top two finishers in the race will advance to November’s general election.With only two candidates running, the controller’s race will be decided this month and will not go to a runoff in November.But ballots will continue to be counted for days.The city attorney’s race transformed suddenly this spring after the Los Angeles Police Department’s largest union broke with Feldstein Soto and backed McKinney.
Independent expenditures have thrown $3 million behind McKinney in recent weeks, with much of that money coming from a political action committee controlled by Airbnb.Feldstein Soto sued the rental giant for violating price gouging laws in the wake of the Palisades fire last year, and has openly questioned if McKinney would shy from aggressive litigation against Airbnb if elected.
“Special interests have gotten really accustomed to special treatment at City Hall.They get special treatment all the time,” Feldstein Soto said in a recent interview, suggesting both McKinney and Roy had been compromised by outside spending in the race.
Independent expenditures supporting Roy also received roughly $725,000.In a recent interview, McKinney told The Times he would “absolutely” sue Airbnb if necessary in office.The three leading candidates often sounded like they were campaigning for different jobs.
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