I was born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Fernando Valley with my three siblings in a Catholic household. Like many other immigrant families, my parents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in search of better opportunities. Unfortunately when I was 7, my parents got divorced and I was raised by my mother. She worked from morning until night as a registered nurse to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. She even beat cancer twice and to this day, she cares for her elder siblings and grandchildren. My upbringing in a working class neighborhood in an immigrant single-mother household would eventually shape most of my life to work just as hard as her and to care for others.

I graduated from Woodbury University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting, and soon after, I received my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in the state of California working as an auditor for one of the big 4 accounting firms. I worked 60 hours a week auditing multi-million and billion-dollar private and public companies to ensure that their financial statements were in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). My audit experience taught me how to dig into the details, know where everything is, and ensure that every financial transaction had support behind it.

I am care deeply about human rights and I want to use my expertise as an Auditor and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA):

• to audit the city's finances
• to determine departmental effectiveness
• identify wasteful spending that should be reallocated to other critical parts for the city.

I want to provide financial data to the public in a way that is accessible; all too often, financial data can be confusing and overwhelming. I want the people of L.A. to know what the city is spending its money on so they can reach out to their City Council members and fight for the needs of their community.

I also want to educate the public on basic accounting and reading financial data so that they are armed with the knowledge they need not only to fight for a better city, but to make more informed financial decisions in their personal lives as well.

The more transparent and accessible the City’s finances are, the easier it is to determine where our city’s priorities lie and where they should.

Proud of her roots, Stephanie Clements is a third-generation Angeleno. Her grandmother grew up in South Los Angeles and her mother in the Valley. Stephanie attended LAUSD schools and graduated from University High School. Adopted as a baby through Vista del Mar in Palms, she was honored to connect with her birth mother and family as a young adult.

Wanting to stay true to her Southern California roots, Stephanie earned a bachelor's degree in business-economics and political science from UC Santa Barbara and a master's degree in public administration from USC.

Attending college during the Tiananmen Square protests, the beginning of the fall of communism in Europe, the first Persian Gulf War, and the Los Angeles riots, Stephanie credits exposure to these history-changing events with shaping her political views and her inspiration to serve.

Upon graduating from college, Stephanie was offered an intern position for then-City Controller Rick Tuttle. Ironically, her early experience and love for her work in that office have brought her full circle as she’s now running for the same office.

After her internship, she became the speechwriter for the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles, where she worked for two years. Her proudest accomplishment during her time with the consulate was helping to establish an LAUSD student trip to South Korea.

As a native Angeleno, Stephanie has wanted to serve the city she loves. She’s been in the Los Angeles city government for over 25 years, serving five departments, including the Community Development Department, providing Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to non-profit organizations, the City Administrative (Budget) Office overseeing budgets and Bond Programs,  the Department of General Services where she served as Finance Director over capital projects, the Los Angeles Fire and Pensions Department as Chief Financial Officer, and the Public Works - Bureau of Street Services, where she currently works serves as the Assistant Director/Chief Financial Officer.

Her abilities in the office include her analytical sharpness and comprehensive grasp of city governance.

Stephanie prides herself on being a problem solver who builds relationships and knows how to get things done. She has a reputation for being responsive, fair, and transparent in dealing with City employees and communities across the city.

Her inside public finance expertise makes her uniquely aware of what needs improvement in LA. Better fiscal management, more jobs for Angelenos, and more efficient public services. Her capacities include cooperating enthusiastically with everyone to accomplish things in a vast bureaucracy under trying and ever-changing circumstances.

She is known as someone who pushes the envelope and speaks out when others may be too inhibited. Stephanie is proud of her numerous achievements, but she is incredibly proud of her efforts to increase the hiring in LA's disadvantaged neighborhoods through the City’s Targeted Local Hire Program. She never hesitates to speak up when she believes something better can be done. (She learned this skill from her mom!) Stephanie is known for her work ethic, enthusiasm, and commitment.

As a white woman, Stephanie recognizes that many of her accomplishments have resulted from her privileged background. She wants to serve as an example for all women and doesn't want to leave anyone behind, regardless of heritage, skin color, religion, or sexual identity. She believes that all Angelenos, irrespective of the color of their skin, should have the same opportunity to generate passive income and financial security as she and her parents had.

She has decided to run for Los Angeles City Controller because she believes the City is headed in the wrong direction. She believes that Los Angeles can do much better, and she is committed to serving as a watchdog over the City's finances and advocating for transparency in taxation and spending. She believes taxpayer money should go where it is most needed: back to Angelenos.

Stephanie spent much of her childhood at University Synagogue and was delighted when her current temple, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, merged together. Stephanie is married and has two young adult children, ages 21 and 19, also LAUSD graduates. Side note: Stephanie and her husband were happily wed at an LA reclamation plant back in 2000 – (Tillman Reclamation Plant/Japanese Garden)!

In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys Iyengar Yoga, laughing with life-long friends, walking around Los Angeles listening to podcasts or City Council meetings (government nerd!), roller-skating, going to the movies alone, live concerts and theater (art is everything!), travel and being in nature, and hanging out with her family.

Politicallly independent, outside of the existing Los Angeles power structure. It's critical that we have an Independent City Contorller not controlled by the political establishment.  

http://clements4controller.com/why-im-running

I am a lifelong resident of the City of Los Angeles. I reside today with my wife, Karli, and two boys, Connor, 15 (Hamilton High School) and Ronan, 10 (Clover Elementary) and two dogs, Dakota and Sedona, in West Los Angeles.

I attended public schools from kindergarten to high school and graduated from college with a BS in Accounting and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Marymount Law School. I am an active member of the State Bar since 1998.

I was put to the test early in my career as a government auditor. As organized crime infiltrated the nation’s fuel supply chain resulting in California losing over $148,000,000 in 1994 to tax theft, the state was caught flat footed and unprepared. In response, the State Board of Equalization (SBOE) asked me and several other auditors to be the founding members of its first dedicated criminal investigation unit. After three years of hard work and dozens of prosecutions and targeted legislation, the team and I essentially eliminated tax theft in the fuel industry and re-leveled the playing field for honest businesses. Based on the unit’s early success, the legislature and the SBOE created a permanent criminal investigations unit with limited peace officer status to protect California’s taxpayers.

After graduating law school and developing a successful law practice, I was drawn back to government service in 2010. This time I was asked to be part of a team to decentralize the SBOE’s Appeal Program and be its first Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) based in Southern California. Our work saved millions in travel costs while speeding up the appeals process and settlement program. 

I am currently the CFO (Cheif Financial Officer ) of Retail Print Media, a media buying company.  

I cannot win this campaign without your support and vote. I will never forget that I work for you. Thank you!

I believe in people. While I know we have a lot of problems at all level of government, we cannot give up. My number one goal is to re-instill peoples faith in government and all of the good it can do. For this reason, I actully provide my cell number on literature so voters can always reach me and share their concerns and ideas. I also do not accept special interest donations. Special interests funding campaigns only ends up with special interests having their agenda heard and encated over what is good for the people. I am a strong supporter of public financing of campaigns to root out the special interest influence.