Endorsement: Vote twice for Tina McKinnor to put her in the Assembly and keep her there

May 12, 2022 5 AM PT

Let’s get the confusing part of this race out of the way first: Voters in parts of the Westside of Los Angeles and portions of the South Bay must vote twice on June 7 to choose a new Assembly member.

Why? Because there are two elections: One is a run-off to fill the remainder of the term of Autumn Burke, who abruptly resigned from the Assembly earlier this year. The other is a primary to pick an Assembly member for the next two-year term that begins in December.

Adding to the confusion, the once-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries has rejiggered the map. The special election for the remainder of Burke’s term is in Assembly District 62, while the election for the full term is in Assembly District 61. Both districts include the communities of Venice, Marina del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, LAX, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Westmont and part of Gardena.

Here’s the easy part: The Times urges a vote for Tina McKinnor on both ballots.

McKinnor, a Democrat, is a longtime political activist and campaign manager with deep roots in Los Angeles. As a civic engagement director with the L.A. Voice advocacy group, McKinnor pushed for important legislation creating a system to decertify police officers for misconduct and attempting to change the Proposition 13 property tax law to increase funding for schools and other public services. She wants to address homelessness by helping California get more aggressive about building affordable housing. Her experience working for two members of the Legislature, including Burke, has prepared her to be effective in Sacramento.

McKinnor says she is more liberal than Burke, who often voted with moderate Democrats to block progressive environmental bills. McKinnor has been endorsed by Supervisor Holly Mitchell, state Sen. Steve Bradford, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters and City Councilmember Mike Bonin, as well as the California Legislative Black Caucus and Equality California, an LGBTQ civil rights group.

Burke has endorsed Democrat Robert Pullen-Miles, who has worked in her district office for several years and is also the mayor of Lawndale. He won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party, but we believe McKinnor’s support of bold housing action and breadth of experience make her the better choice.

Read more endorsements at: latimes.com/endorsements.