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Wendy Greuel's mayoral campaign reeled in a couple of good endorsements on Friday. She got the Los Angeles News Group editorial board, which makes the endorsement decisions for the Daily News and the rest of the chain. Greuel also got the endorsement of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, one of the more influential Valley business organizations.
This is from the Daily News editorial:
Before Los Angeles goes to the polls next month to choose a new mayor, voters must ask themselves: Which candidate has the strongest combination of qualifications, political skill and personal character? Which of the eight people on the ballot can best represent city residents' diverse interests? Which man or woman has the best chance to lead L.A. back from the fiscal brink?
This newspaper's editorial board has weighed those questions and found a clear answer. It's Wendy Greuel.Greuel, the city controller and former city councilwoman who worked in the Clinton administration, is the only candidate who has held citywide office and served in government outside the flawed culture of L.A. City Hall. She is the only candidate who has valuable experience in private business along with a government resume, having been an executive in the entertainment industry for five years before her City Council stint. She has received not only much-scrutinized endorsements from labor unions but also support from important business leaders, perhaps reflecting the sensibility of her power base in the San Fernando Valley.
And Greuel shows the potential to take on stubborn interests - namely public-employee unions - that stand in the way of cutting the city workers' generous retirement benefits and salaries.
The next line in the editorial? "Eric Garcetti, Greuel's chief rival in the election, inspires no such confidence." Ouch. Here's the whole editorial. The Greuel campaign announced the VICA endorsement. "The Valley needs a Mayor who understands how businesses work and what businesses need to grow and flourish,” said Stuart Waldman, president of VICA PAC. “Wendy Greuel is the only candidate for Mayor with small and big business experience. As a small business owner, she has a deep knowledge of the struggles businesses go through to stay afloat. And her experience as an executive in the entertainment industry at DreamWorks has provided her with a keen insight for what Hollywood needs to stay in L.A., instead of running away. As Mayor, we are confident that Wendy Greuel will strengthen our economy by making Los Angeles more business friendly. We are proud to give Wendy our strong endorsement.”
The National Women's Political Caucus of Los Angeles County also announced its endorsement of Greuel on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Daily News' Dakota Smith had a funny item on Sausage Factory Friday about Greuel and rival candidates Jan Perry and Kevin James. A DN staffer noticed that James and Perry speak privately to each other at the debates. Turns out they have a running bet on how many times the name of the late mayor Tom Bradley will be mentioned at each debate. Usually his name is invoked by Greuel, who used to work on Bradley's staff at City Hall.
Team Greuel was not amused. “Jan Perry and Kevin James should be ashamed of themselves for disrespecting one of Los Angeles’ most beloved and legendary Mayors,” said Dave Jacobson, spokesman for Greuel. “Tom Bradley, LA’s first African American Mayor, inspired Wendy to dedicate her career to public service. Wendy is proud of the nearly ten years she worked in Mayor Bradley’s administration, and she’ll never be intimidated by Jan or Kevin’s disrespectful attempts to discredit such an important part of her life.”
Fixed: Dakota Smith not Rick Orlov on the Perry-James item from Sausage Factory
