Second in a series
Re “Feuer – One Miracle Down, One Win to Go”
[img]1610|left|Mr. Mike Feuer||no_popup[/img]Thirteen days before the March 5 primary election that may determine the next Los Angeles City Attorney, the challenger Mike Feuer, perhaps uniquely for a contender, has piled up so many more endorsements – including, significantly, the Los Angeles Times – and has such an evident fundraising lead that he scarcely can see the incumbent from where he stands.
That is a good feeling, but is it meaningful?
Is Mr. Feuer running against Carmen Trutanich and his record or does he train his main attention on his own qualifications for the office?
“I think it’s important, since (Mr. Trutanich) is the incumbent, to distinguish myself from his record.
“But it is most important for people to believe in me, to believe in the vision I have for the office, to be aware of accomplishments I have had throughout my career,” in the private sector as the longtime leader of the Jewish legal aid organization Bet Tzedek, on the Los Angeles City Council and most recently in the state Assembly.
“It is vital for voters to have confidence in my capacity to be a key leader in the city for many years to come,” said the 54-year-old father of two Ivy League college-age children who is married to a judge.
“Comparisons are important to draw.
“Politics also is about inspiring people, and I hope to be able to do that.”
How have Mr. Feuer’s years on the City Council and in the state Legislature prepared him to be City Attorney?
“As the L.A. Times said when they endorsed me, I have been able to draw on my experience leading Bet Tzedek as a public-interest lawyer, litigating in private practice, teaching law with the work I have been able to do as a member of the City Council and the state Legislature. Every legal issue in Los Angeles has a policy dimension to it. And every policy issue of any consequence has a legal dimension to it.
“I think it is important to be able to bring the threads of my career together and weave them into the appropriate background for this job,” Mr. Feuer said.
He makes the case for being one of today’s rarest types of politicians – a mediator, a peacemaker, a harmonizer, a dealmaker in the best sense.
“One more thing,” Mr. Feuer said. “A key aspect of being an effective legislator, whether at the city level or the state level, is being able to solve big problems, being able to pull together people of disparate views people who often vehemently disagree with each other and synthesize the best of what they have in mind into a solution.
“That skill is extremely important to bring to bear to the role of city attorney where we have so many fractious issues that have been viewed as intractable. I don’t think they are.”
(To be continued)
