Indian-origin Marissa Roy wins LA city attorney race

Roy said relatives in India had followed the election closely and sent her WhatsApp messages after her victory.

Washington: Indian-origin lawyer Marissa Roy has been elected Los Angeles city attorney, joining India-born Mayor-elect Nithya Raman in a result that will put women of Indian heritage in two of the city’s three citywide elected offices.

Roy, a California deputy attorney general, defeated Deputy District Attorney John McKinney in last week’s runoff. Her mother emigrated from India, and Roy highlighted her family’s immigrant experience during the campaign.

Together with Filipino American City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who won re-election in June, Roy and Raman will put Asian Americans in all three citywide elected posts for the first time in Los Angeles history, The Los Angeles Times reported

“I think this is really a significant moment, not just for the Asian American community, but for the immigrant community to have an immigrant mayor, to have a city attorney who is the daughter of an immigrant,” Roy told the Times. “This is Los Angeles sending a message about who it is.”

Roy said relatives in India had followed the election closely and sent her WhatsApp messages after her victory.

A founding board member of Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County, Roy received support from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu.

The group also backed Raman, who moved from India to the United States at age six. In her first address as mayor-elect, Raman spoke about the significance of voters choosing an immigrant to lead Los Angeles.

Manjusha P. Kulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, attributed the milestone to decades of community organising. Mejia said the outcome reflected support for the candidates’ progressive policies as well as their backgrounds.

Los Angeles elects its mayor, city attorney and controller citywide. The mayor leads the executive branch, while the city attorney represents the city in legal matters, advises officials and enforces applicable laws. Raman and Roy will hold separate offices with distinct responsibilities.