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TOWN HALL - Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, a two-term, lower house Sacramento legislator recently held a virtual town hall with area community leaders to discuss the state of California and life under President Donald Trump as a progressive Democrat.
Blunt and sharp-spoken, the unabashed liberal Democrat makes no apologies for her political agenda of fighting for the unhoused and underrepresented as she announced her path legislatively moving forward.
She started the call by talking about the funding that was secured quickly to evacuate some 150,000 residents after the January 7th wildfires that decimated the Pacific Palisades and neighboring Altadena. She mentioned some $50 million dollars was secured thanks to LA Mayor Karen Bass before the Biden presidency lefy office on January 20th with President Donald Trump becoming the 47th chief executive.
McKinnor also thanked LA Councilwoman Traci Park (CD-11) for her efforts during the wildfires and current recovery actions to move these effected neighborhoods back to health.
McKinnor offered her concern for the immigrant community as she believed they are struggling under the actions of a new Trump Administration in Washington.
"We have been here before," offered the legislator referencing past budget woes at the city and state level that occurred under former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).
Because of the questions around the amount of federal funding, she believed it is hard to gage the impact on both the state and city budgets moving forward.
But despite the impending financial challenges, McKinnor declared "our values are right," and promised to defend those principles in these uncertain economic times.
Regarding housing, she will continue to fight for modular housing reforms and end the red tape that comes with construction in LA County while ensuring prevailing wages continue. McKinnor also wants to ensure a level playing field when it comes to political contributions and that those currently elected can compete at the ballot box with billionaires.
It was a lively call as many in attendance were strong supporters of the incumbent Democrat as many were concerned if California would become a victim of partisan politics as the country's bluest state.
McKinnor is the delegation leader for the County of Los Angeles which has a caucus of over 30 and it is bipartisan in makeup. She represents the 61st Assembly District, which encompasses parts of Los Angeles County, including Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Venice and Marina del Rey. She was elected in a special election in June 2022, succeeding Autumn Burke. McKinnor has a long background in public service and civic engagement.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and began her career with the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Before her election to the Assembly, McKinnor served as Chief of Staff to several Assemblymembers, Civic Engagement Director for the nonprofit LA Voice, and Operations Director for the California Democratic Party . She also founded and led The McKinnor Group, a political and policy strategy firm .
In the Assembly, McKinnor chairs the Public Employment and Retirement Committee and serves on the Business and Professions and Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committees . Her legislative priorities include expanding healthcare access, increasing public education funding, addressing housing and homelessness, and reforming the criminal justice system . She is also an advocate for environmental justice and equity for communities of color, particularly in the cannabis industry . McKinnor is also a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus and the California Legislative Black Caucus .
A mother of two adult sons, McKinnor is a favorite in progressive Democratic circles due to her past background as an activist, party operative and strategist.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-two-year resident of Venice and covers the political scene on LA's Westside. Have a take or a tip, contact him at [email protected])
