Greuel blasts city leadership, Garcetti included

This might be a funny strategy to use right after you hire a top aide to Mayor Villaraigosa as your campaign manager, but Wendy Greuel included Villaraigosa and her rival Eric Garcetti in a new attack Wednesday on City Hall leadership. The topic was job growth and Greuel contended that the current officer holders haven't done enough to improve the Los Angeles economy. From the Daily News story by Dakota Smith:

The City Controller evoked the struggling city of Detroit, saying Los Angeles could see "streets of vacant buildings" if voters don't put her in office.

"If Los Angeles is happy where we are today and likes the paralysis they're seeing at City Hall, vote for my opponent (Eric Garcetti)," Greuel said.

Suddenly sounding like an outsider candidate, Greuel said the city's "entire leadership" could have done more to encourage job growth....

Greuel's swipes at the mayor come as key Villaraigosa allies, including City Councilman Jose Huizar and former Assemblyman Richard Katz, campaign for her. Also, a Los Angeles Times study earlier this year of city donations and endorsements found that a significant number of Villaraigosa appointees are backing Greuel over rival Garcetti.

Additionally, Greuel hired a longtime Villaraigosa deputy, Janette Erickson, as her new campaign manager over the weekend.

Asked Wednesday why she hired Villaraigosa's former deputy chief of staff if she was disappointed in the mayor, the controller defended Erickson, who has previously worked for Greuel. "She's done a variety of jobs," Greuel said.

Garcetti spokesman Jeff Millman dismissed the attacks as "Greuel 2.0" and said, "Eric's district is number 1 in job growth, and Hollywood's turnaround is undoubtedly a success story. [Her] attacks are strange considering she twice voted for Eric to be Council President, which was an expression of confidence in Eric's leadership."

Also in Campaign 2013: Controller candidate Ron Galperin complained that rival Dennis Zine and a supposedly independent committee backing Zine sent out nearly identical mailers. Zine's consultant, Rick Taylor, said he hadn't seen the mailer and couldn't comment on it.

And also: Councilman Bernard Parks endorsed Ana Cubas in the runoff race for the 9th council district.

LA Observed file photo of Wendy Greuel