Ex-L.A. Housing Director Enters Controller Race

Kathleen Connell, a Westside financial consultant and former Los Angeles city housing director, declared her candidacy Tuesday for the Democratic nomination for state controller.

Connell, 47, portrayed herself in her announcement as an outsider who would challenge the spending of every state dollar to make sure nothing was wasted.

“I’m tired of reading about government officials abusing the system and wasting our money and of contractors cheating the system and collecting more than they’re due,” she said in a speech at Glendale Community College.

She chose for the announcement the college’s computer training program that helps students prepare for jobs in high-technology industries.

“Our community college curriculum must be strengthened to reflect the needs of our industries who are, and will be, in a position to hire,” she said.

Connell then went to Sacramento and San Francisco to repeat her announcement declaration.

Connell is the fourth Democrat to enter the race to succeed Democrat Gray Davis, who is running for lieutenant governor. Others are Assemblyman Rusty Arieas of San Jose, Alameda County Supervisor Don Peralta and Brad Sherman, chairman of the State Board of Equalization.

Republican candidates are former Assemblyman Tom McClintock and John Morris, heir to a department store fortune.

Connell holds a master’s degree in urban planning and a Ph.D. in finance from UCLA. She is a former bank vice president and has taught at UCLA and UC Berkeley. She was Los Angeles city director of housing under Mayor Tom Bradley from 1977 to 1983.

After that, Connell founded her consulting company. Her firm provides financial and investment advice to local governments including the cities of Santa Monica, Los Angeles and San Diego, some California counties and special districts.

This is Connell’s first campaign for elected office. By the end of last year, she had nearly $600,000 on hand to finance her campaign and raised more in a mid-February reception at the Century Plaza Hotel.