Categories
Political Power

Lessons from the Midterms

A conversation with the victorious Kenneth Mejia campaign and Kelsey Iino! Video recording is available on the PANA YouTube Channel!

Two Asian American progressive friends of PANA won big in Los Angeles. Both campaigns received more votes than either Karen Bass or Rick Caruso! How did they do it? Watch the replay HERE: https://youtu.be/y9nrZIODbgo

PANA is hosting another Zoom event on Sunday, December 11 at 4PM with progressive candidates and activists to hear lessons from their campaigns. To join this conversation, register HERE: https://bit.ly/panaelectionreport11dec2022

As of December 2, 2022, via lavote.net, Kelsey Iino received 601,084 votes. Kenneth Mejia received 512,963 votes. Both ASIAN AMERICAN candidates received more votes than either mayoral candidate.

Furthermore, consider the significance of the Mejia Campaign, which ran on advocating “transparency and accountability in city government,” with exposure of critical city budget spending disparities as shown across the city on bold billboards such as this one, highlighting top concerns of Gen-Z:

More significantly than the tactic of a billboard, or rather the context for them, was the Mejia campaign’s empowerment of Gen-Z into the campaign, allowing them to take ownership of it and giving it the capacity to run a grassroots effort that swept the vote in every single Los Angeles Council District despite being 2nd to last in campaign fundraising. Nationally, the Gen-Z vote was a difference maker in the midterms, and it was nowhere better exemplified than by the Mejia campaign:

The Gen-Z-powered Mejia campaign swept every City Council District in Los Angeles!

A couple of more articles about Gen-Z’s impact on the midterms and the conditions that they are facing:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kenneth-mejia-gen-z-campaign-q-a
https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-outlook-gen-z-finances-debt-sidehustles-jobs-rent-2022-12

Asian American Political Power Rising

Language justice + Corgi Power = Victory!
Kelsey helping with Bernie Sanders outreach in Little Tokyo!

While both campaigns were running to represent the city and community districts at large, neither candidate hid from who there were as Asian Americans and stood proudly with their respective communities and culture not just during the campaign but have done so all their lives.


The Mejia campaign included language justice work in translating much of their campaign material and Kelsey has a long history with deep ties in the Japanese American community.


Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as a whole represent the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. and have been an integral part of the Los Angeles social fabric for more than 170 years. Increasingly, our voters are playing critical roles in many important elections. As the majority of our interests align with other communities fighting for full equality and justice, we will be asserting our voice in the new coalition coming into being that chooses the path in service of the people and not the self-serving machinery of the Democratic and Republican Party establishments which has been prioritizing the interests of corporate greed.


Kenneth Mejia and Kelsey Iino will help lead this trend in Los Angeles. PANA is proud of both of them and wish them full success in their new elected positions!



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Categories
Political Power

PANA Endorsements and Recommendations for the November 2022 Midterm Elections

With far-right-extremists still threatening to destroy what remains of democratic society, this may be the most important midterm election of our lifetimes and for the planet. Mail in ballots have been sent. Check your voter registration status HERE. Please urge your family and friends to vote.


U.S. House of Representatives

CD 34: David Kim


CA Assembly

AD 40: Pilar Schiavo

AD 65: Fatima Iqbal-Zubair


Los Angeles City Mayor

Recommended: Karen Bass


Los Angeles City Council

District 11: Erin Darling

District 13: Hugo Soto-Martinez


Los Angeles City Controller

Kenneth Mejia


Los Angeles City Attorney

Faisal Gill


LA County Sheriff

Recommended: Robert Luna


Los Angeles Unified School District Board

District 2: Rocio Rivas


Los Angeles Community College District Board

Kelsey Iino


Los Angeles Measures

Measure ULA: YES

Measure SP: NO

Measure LH: YES


CA State Propositions/Ballot Measures

PROP 1: YES

PROP 30: RECOMMEND YES

PROP 31: YES


Los Angeles County Judicial

Office 118: Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park

Office 70: Holly Hancock

Office 67: Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes

Office 60: Anna Slotky Reitano


Los Angeles County Measures

Measure A: YES


City of Pasadena

Measure H: YES

Measure PCC: YES


Montebello Unified School Board

Aaron Reveles


Burbank City Council

Nikki Perez


Three Valleys Municipal Water District

Jeff Hanlon


PANA MIdTerm Endorsements
https://progressiveasians.org


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