Zach Sokoloff, a prominent executive overseeing Los Angeles’s iconic Television City and Radford studio lots, has entered the race for City Controller, backed by a substantial $4 million from his family. This financial infusion positions him as a formidable challenger to the incumbent, progressive Controller Kenneth Mejia, signaling a significant battle for one of the city’s key fiscal oversight roles.
The Candidate and His Background
Sokoloff, currently on leave from his role as an executive at Hackman Capital, where he manages the firm’s extensive studio real estate portfolio, is campaigning for the position of Los Angeles Controller. This office serves as the city’s chief fiscal watchdog, independent auditor, and accountant. A registered Democrat who has secured numerous endorsements from within the party, Sokoloff aims to unseat Mejia, who was elected in 2022.
Sokoloff articulated his decision to run by stating, “I decided to run because the city is broken.” He criticized Mejia’s tenure, characterizing it as overly passive in addressing civic crises and lacking in collaborative efforts with other city officials. “I bring an outsider’s perspective and an outsider’s experience,” Sokoloff asserted, adding, “I think I embody the independent spirit of the Office of Controller — I’m not beholden to anybody.”
However, the definition of “outsider” is debatable. Sokoloff, who has previously worked as a registered lobbyist for his real estate endeavors, comes from a background of significant financial influence. His father, Jonathan Sokoloff, a former associate of Michael Milken, is a prominent figure in private equity. Sokoloff remarked, “My dad is a great question-asker who always taught us that God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.”
The 37-year-old candidate grew up in a privileged environment, attending prestigious institutions like Harvard-Westlake and Yale. His campaign’s donor list reveals a network deeply connected to finance and entertainment, featuring contributions from figures such as Bobby Kotick, Steve Roth, Howard Schultz, Stewart Resnick, and Eli Bronfman, among others in the finance and legal sectors, including entertainment industry leaders like Sir Lucian Grainge of Universal Music Group.
The most significant financial backing for Sokoloff’s campaign comes from his mother, Sheryl Sokoloff, who has contributed $4 million through an independent expenditure committee. This single contribution dwarfs the total fundraising of any prior L.A. Controller candidate, raising questions about the influence of substantial personal wealth in local politics.
Incumbent Controller Mejia has publicly criticized this large donation, framing it as an attempt by “my opponent, his rich mom and his billionaire elite friends” to “buy elections.” Sokoloff, in response, has characterized such inquiries as personal attacks and pointed to other political figures who have benefited from familial financial support, including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.
Industry and Political Support
Despite his deep ties to the financial world, Sokoloff has also garnered support from various sectors. He has secured endorsements from local Democratic clubs and politicians, as well as several union chapters. Notably, major Hollywood unions such as SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, which had previously clashed with Sokoloff’s company over picket line conditions at the Radford lot during the 2023 strikes, have not endorsed him.
However, Sokoloff has received backing from influential former Controllers, including Wendy Greuel, Rick Tuttle, and Laura Chick. He highlighted the importance of a collaborative relationship between the Controller and the Mayor, citing Laura Chick’s perspective: “The most important relationship that a Controller can build is with the Mayor, because it’s the Mayor’s team which executes the recommendations and the findings that the Controller produces.”
Sokoloff argues that the current Controller’s office is hampered by political friction between Mejia, an independent, and the Democratic leadership at City Hall. He cited Mejia’s own admitted 25 percent budget reduction in his first year, which he contends limited the office’s auditing capacity and was a consequence of political retaliation.
“When you have your budget being set by the Mayor and the City Council, it is not in the interest of the people of Los Angeles to go around pissing them off,” Sokoloff stated. “You have to balance accountability with collaboration. You can speak truth to partners and have hard conversations about the efficacy of a program or a department. But there does need to be an understanding that you’re trying to find common ground and you’re working in the same direction.”
Mejia defended his office’s work, stating, “We’re working collaboratively with the Mayor and City Council on issues like stabilizing the City’s affordable housing portfolio and updating our antiquated $1 billion procurement process. When we disagree with what’s happening in City Hall, like in 2023 when they signed an LAPD contract the City can’t afford, we’re not going to stay silent. We have been advocating for a Charter change to protect the independence of the Controller’s Office by ensuring a fixed budget for the Controller, insulated from political retaliation.”
Mejia, who secured a decisive victory in 2022, highlighted his office’s investigations into homelessness services fraud, its push for LAPD transparency regarding use of force, and its efforts to ensure refunds for incorrectly issued parking tickets.
Sokoloff, however, views Mejia’s record as underutilizing the Controller’s potential, stating, “I believe that the office is much more capacious. There’s a lot more you can do within the chartered authority of Controller.” He specifically criticized Mejia’s response to the decline in local film production, a significant economic issue for Los Angeles.
The debate over the health of the local film industry has become a point of contention. Mejia has criticized Sokoloff for his role at Hackman Capital during a period of valuation loss at the Radford lot amid the streaming slowdown and increased competition from other regions. Mejia stated, “It’s clear big banks don’t trust Sokoloff with their money, and neither should the people of L.A. While Zach was raising rents on his stages, we’ve been working with City Council, labor, and industry groups to make it easier to film in L.A.”
Sokoloff countered Mejia’s criticism by questioning the incumbent’s own effectiveness: “I would ask him to look in the mirror and question whether during his time in office, when he had the power to help an industry that was so clearly struggling, did he do anything to make a difference? Did he even have the judgment to identify that this was an issue that his office should be looking into? The answer clearly is ‘no.’ So, I think he bears responsibility himself.”
Sokoloff concluded, “The fact that we have had incumbents who did not clearly see this issue early enough and act swiftly and aggressively enough was for me part of the calculus in feeling like we need new blood. We need folks who will change the way that business is done in L.A.”
UPDATED May 13 at 12:55 p.m.: Mejia’s party affiliation.
Business Style Takeaway: The influx of significant personal wealth into local political races, exemplified by Zach Sokoloff’s campaign, underscores a growing trend where deep pockets can dramatically shape electoral dynamics, potentially overshadowing traditional grassroots support. This raises critical questions about campaign finance reform and the equitable representation of diverse economic interests in municipal governance.
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