Mejia had secured another term outright, no runoff required.
In California's June primary, Filipino American candidates moved through the ballot not as tokens of representation but as tested contenders — some claiming outright victory, others advancing into November's harder terrain. Kenneth Mejia's decisive reelection as Los Angeles City Controller, secured without a runoff, anchored a broader pattern: across statewide, legislative, and congressional races, Filipino American figures are no longer entering California politics to be seen, but to govern. The results invite a longer reflection on how communities once defined by their absence from power are now shaping its architecture.
- Kenneth Mejia cleared 59 percent in a nonpartisan race, locking in a second term as LA City Controller without waiting for November — the sharpest Filipino American result of the night.
- Attorney General Rob Bonta led statewide with over 53 percent, but California's top-two primary system means his race against Republican Michael Gates continues into the general election regardless.
- Assemblymember Jessica Caloza dominated her district with 82.6 percent, while Mark Pulido held a narrower second-place position in a competitive three-way Assembly race still subject to final ballot counts.
- Congressional challenger Baltazar Fedalizo advanced to November despite trailing incumbent Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove by a wide margin, kept in the race by the mechanics of the top-two system.
- With official results not certified until July 10, some outcomes remain in flux — but the primary's signal is already clear: Filipino American candidates are competing at every level of California's political structure.
Kenneth Mejia entered the June primary as Los Angeles City Controller and left it with a second term already secured. A certified public accountant who built his office around public audits and spending transparency, Mejia cleared 59 percent of the vote — 291,734 to challenger Zach Sokoloff's 199,550. Because the controller's race is a local nonpartisan contest, crossing the majority threshold meant no runoff, no November rematch. His win was the most definitive Filipino American outcome of the night.
The four other Filipino American candidates who advanced did so under different rules. California's top-two primary system sends the leading two vote-getters to November regardless of whether either won a majority, shaping a different kind of forward motion for each of them.
Attorney General Rob Bonta led statewide with 53.3 percent — nearly three million votes — ahead of Republican Michael Gates at 41.8 percent. Born in Quezon City and raised in California, Bonta became the first person of Filipino descent to serve as the state's attorney general when appointed in 2021. His majority in June did not end the race; as a statewide voter-nominated office, it proceeds to November regardless.
In Assembly District 52, incumbent Jessica Caloza won 82.6 percent of the vote, a margin that reflected both her incumbency and her deep roots in Los Angeles government and the Obama-era federal bureaucracy. In Assembly District 67, Democrat Mark Pulido — mayor pro tem of Cerritos and a long-serving local official — held second place with 25.7 percent behind Republican Paulo Morales, keeping him viable as ballot counting continued toward the July 2 canvass deadline.
In the 37th Congressional District, Republican Baltazar Fedalizo trailed Democratic incumbent Sydney Kamlager-Dove by a wide margin — 12.9 percent to her 52.7 — but advanced to November under the top-two system. He described himself as an entrepreneur and lobbyist with Filipino and Native American heritage, and cited work connected to reintegration for formerly incarcerated people.
Taken together, the results traced Filipino American candidates across every tier of California politics — city, legislature, Congress, and statewide office. What the primary suggested was not merely visibility, but staying power: incumbents leading from strength, challengers holding competitive ground, and at least one candidate who needed no second chance at all.
Kenneth Mejia walked into the June primary with a clear path forward. The Los Angeles City Controller, a certified public accountant first elected in 2022, had built his office on audits, financial reports, and public-facing data about city spending. When the votes came in on June 2, he had cleared 59 percent—291,734 votes to his challenger Zach Sokoloff's 199,550. Because the controller's race is a local nonpartisan contest, crossing the 50 percent threshold meant Mejia could claim victory without waiting for November. No runoff. No second round. He had secured another term outright, making him the most decisive Filipino American candidate outcome in California that primary night.
Mejia's win stood apart from the other Filipino American candidates who advanced through California's ballot. The state's top-two primary system—which sends the two leading candidates to November regardless of party affiliation or whether either received a majority—shaped different outcomes for four others. Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, Assembly candidate Mark Pulido, and congressional candidate Baltazar Fedalizo all remained positioned to continue their races into the general election, but none had clinched their seats outright.
Bonta, California's Democratic attorney general, led statewide with 2,897,430 votes, or 53.3 percent, ahead of Republican Michael E. Gates at 41.8 percent. Born in Quezon City and brought to California as an infant, Bonta became the first person of Filipino descent to serve as California attorney general when appointed in 2021. He came to the primary as an incumbent with statewide name recognition and institutional backing—a former state assemblymember, deputy city attorney in San Francisco, and Yale Law School graduate. His majority did not end the race in June because attorney general is a statewide voter-nominated office subject to the top-two system. He would face Gates again in November.
In Assembly District 52, Jessica Caloza dominated her field. The Democratic incumbent overwhelmed Republican Andrea Lee Anderson with 82.6 percent of the vote—57,201 votes to Anderson's 12,040. Caloza had entered the race with deep roots in local and federal government: service on the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, work in the Los Angeles mayor's office, and a stint in the Obama administration's Department of Education. Her primary margin reflected the advantage of incumbency in a district where she was already positioned as the dominant November candidate.
Mark Pulido's path proved narrower. The Democrat and mayor pro tem of Cerritos found himself in second place in Assembly District 67, with 25.7 percent of the vote—16,051 votes—behind Republican Paulo Morales at 34.3 percent. Democrat Ada Briceño was third at 20.4 percent. Pulido's standing depended on remaining among the two leading candidates after all eligible ballots were counted. He brought a long local-government résumé to the race: first elected to the Cerritos City Council in 2011, returned to the council in 2025 after sitting out because of term limits, and previously served on the ABC Unified School District Board of Education. His second-place position kept him viable in one of the more competitive fields involving a Filipino American candidate.
In California's 37th Congressional District, Republican Baltazar Fedalizo positioned himself as a challenger to Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove. Fedalizo, whose ballot designation listed him as entrepreneur and lobbyist, described himself as having Native American and Filipino heritage and cited work connected to employment and reintegration for formerly incarcerated people. Unofficial results showed Kamlager-Dove leading with 52.7 percent of the vote, while Fedalizo had 12.9 percent. Under California's top-two system, the race would proceed to November with both candidates.
The primary results placed Filipino American candidates across several levels of California politics: statewide office, the Legislature, Congress, and Los Angeles city government. They also underscored the different election rules operating on the same ballot. Mejia's local race could be decided in June because he crossed the majority threshold. Bonta, Caloza, Pulido, and Fedalizo, by contrast, remained in races that would continue to November under the state's top-two system. Vote-by-mail, provisional, and other ballots continued to be processed during the canvass period, with results potentially subject to change. County elections officials were required to complete final official results by July 2, and the Secretary of State was scheduled to certify results on July 10.
For Filipino American candidates, the primary results suggested a shift from visibility to staying power. Bonta and Caloza led from positions of incumbency and institutional strength. Pulido and Fedalizo remained in contention through competitive fields. Mejia had secured an outright citywide win in Los Angeles. Taken together, the results showed Filipino American candidates not as symbolic entrants, but as consequential contenders in races that would help shape California's political map in November and beyond.
Notable Quotes
Mejia has built his office around audits, financial reports, budget tools and public-facing data on city spending and services.— reporting on Mejia's tenure as City Controller
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made Mejia's win different from the others who advanced?
The local race worked under different rules. He crossed 50 percent, which meant he won outright. The others are in state and federal races where California's top-two system sends the top two candidates to November no matter what. Mejia doesn't have to go back.
So Bonta, despite getting 53 percent statewide, still has to run again?
Exactly. The top-two system was designed to increase competition and reduce partisan gatekeeping, but it means even a clear majority doesn't end the race. Bonta will face Gates again in November.
What does Mejia's win mean for Filipino American representation in Los Angeles?
He's the city controller—the elected financial watchdog. That's a citywide position with real authority over audits and budget oversight. It's not symbolic. It anchors Filipino American representation in city government in a concrete way.
Caloza's margin was enormous. Why?
Incumbency in a district where she was already known and trusted. She had worked in local government, the mayor's office, even the Obama administration. She came in with institutional backing and name recognition. That advantage compounds in a primary.
Pulido seems to be in the tightest spot.
He's in second place in a three-way race, and the count is still unofficial. He has to hold that position through the final canvass. His local government experience—mayor pro tem, city council, school board—is solid, but he's competing in a more crowded field than Caloza faced.
What's the larger story here?
These candidates aren't novelties anymore. They're winning on incumbency, institutional strength, and competitive positioning. They're not just present in California politics—they're shaping it.