Wave Wire Services
INGLEWOOD — Nonprofit director Tina McKinnor was sworn in to the Assembly June 20 following her victory in a special election in the South Bay district formerly represented by Autumn R. Burke.
“I am honored by the trust voters have placed in me,” McKinnor said after being sworn in by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon at the state Capitol in Sacramento. “California is a place where the possible becomes reality. By harnessing our progressive spirit and strong work ethic, I am confident that we can address the biggest challenges that face us and build an equitable future for all Californians.”
McKinnor defeated Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles, 52.35%-47.65%, in the June 7 runoff to represent the 62nd Assembly District, finishing 2,713 votes ahead of her fellow Democrat, according to results released June 17 by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
McKinnor will serve the remainder of Burke’s term, which ends Dec. 4.
She will face Pullen-Miles again in the Nov. 8 general election for a full two-year term representing the 61st Assembly District. Pullen-Miles was the leading vote-getter in the five-candidate field in that race with 38.6% of the vote to McKinnor’s 32.3%.
The special election in the district stretching from Venice on the north, Lawndale on the south, the unincorporated Westmont and West Athens areas on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west was triggered by Burke’s resignation Feb. 1 citing family priorities.
She later joined the Sacramento-based integrated government affairs, strategic consulting and crisis communication firm Axiom Advisors as a principal.
McKinnor topped the field of four Democrats in the April 5 special election with 39% of the vote with Pullen-Miles finishing second with 34.6%. Because no candidate received a majority, a runoff was required.
McKinnor has pledged to support the extension of COVID-19 sick days and support for businesses “that are struggling to recover,” and an “all hands on deck” approach to dealing with homelessness, including addressing rising rents, short-term rentals and the lack of affordable housing.
McKinnor also said she supports efforts to reduce the number of people who are incarcerated; “efforts to close illegal marijuana shops and to increase social equity and minority ownership of licensed cannabis businesses”; “funding that invests in new infrastructure that ensures equitable and sustainable development, housing near transit, public green spaces, broadband access, and EV charging stations”; single-payer health care and “state funding for career and technical education opportunities in state schools.”
McKinnor most recently was the director of civic engagement for LA Voice, which describes itself as “a multi-racial, multi-faith organization with a mission to transform Los Angeles into a county that reflects the human dignity of all communities, with racial and economic equity and abundant life for all.”
McKinnor is a former operational director for the California Democratic Party and chief of staff to several Assembly members.
The district also includes El Segundo, Hawthorne and Inglewood; the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista and Del Rey; and the unincorporated communities of Del Aire, Lennox and Marina del Rey.
