[img]1697|left|Mr. Carmen Trutanich||no_popup[/img]A new bonfire has broken out this afternoon in the loud and bitterly contested City Attorney’s race, the most incendiary in Tuesday’s Los Angeles primary election.
Incumbent Carmen Trutanich’s campaign is turning up the knob on the volume button while in an evident flatfooted tie with challenger Mike Feuer with only hours remaining.
Charging blatant cheating, the Trutanich camp this morning filed a complaint with the city’s Ethics Commission over in-kind campaign contributions by consultant John Shallman to Mr. Feuer.
The filing, signed by campaign aides John Schwada and Rick Taylor, accuses the well-known Mr. Shallman of deferring more than 90 percent of his fees during the past year – between $150,000 and $250,000 – thereby enriching Mr. Feuer’s coffers.
Mr. Schwada said that when Mr. Shallman was a consultant to Mr. Trutanich, he was paid almost twice as much per month as the modest total he says Mr. Shallman has collected from his Feuer deal.
A decision by the Ethics Commission is not expected for a month, well after the primary that probably will not decide the outcome.
Mr. Feuer, who has fended off several accusations by Mr. Trutanich, wheeled around and promptly fired back with a familiar retort with triple-barreled charges his own:
That Mr. Trutanich and truth-telling are not necessarily on a first-name basis, that he has a penchant for marginal lawsuits and that this is still another sign of the incumbent’s desperation.
Mr. Feuer’s campaign issued a 141-word statement:
[img]1610|left|Mr. Mike Feuer||no_popup[/img]“It's a stunning admission that our City Attorney doesn't understand the law. He obviously failed to consult the Ethics Commission before filing this frivolous complaint.
“Throughout this campaign – and as recently as this week – Mr. Trutanich has repeatedly demonstrated he does not tell the truth.
“And in his career, he has shown he's prepared to file frivolous lawsuits, like when he sued a youth soccer league for failing to reschedule a game or when he sued for ‘emotional distress and neurological damage’ when his minivan was repossessed.
“As with Mr. Trutanich's many desperate attempts to distract attention from his failed record, this claim is absolutely false. The campaign's contract with Shallman Communications includes a provision for a victory bonus when Mike Feuer wins the election for City Attorney.
“The City Ethics Commission confirmed that this agreement complies with applicable rules.”
[img]1738|exact|||no_popup[/img]
Mr. Shallman. Photo, mayorsam.blogspot.com.
Here is Mr. Schwada’s explanation to the Ethics Commission of what sparked this morning’s filing:
“Candidate Mike Feuer is now in receipt of $150,000 to $250,000 in illegal in-kind campaign contributions from his chief consultant, John Shallman.
“The illegal contributions consist of the value of the consulting advice and services Shallman has provided to the Feuer campaign.
“Although it is widely known that Shallman is Feuer's chief consultant, Shallman has been paid only $11,771.43 as of his latest campaign statement, filed with your office. When he ran Carmen Trutanich's campaign, for example, Shallman was paid $20,000 a month for his consulting services alone.
“Bottom-line: Shallman's deferral of his consulting fees over the last 10 to 12 months that he has been openly working for Feuer consists of an illegal in-kind contribution to Feuer.
“That contribution gives Feuer an unfair advantage in his run for City Attorney. It is simple: By deferring payments to Shallman, Feuer has an additional $150,000 to $250,000 to spend on his political ad campaign. This is unethical. This is cheating the voters. This is a violation of the city's laws that say contributions from a single individual may not exceed $1,300 per election cycle.
“Mike Feuer is an attorney. He's running for city attorney. He should know the law. He signed his campaign statements under oath, attesting to their accuracy. What's accurate about these statements when they fail to acknowledge the giant in-kind contribution his campaign has received from Shallman?
“Shallman's deferral of his fees to his client enables Feuer in a 100-yard race to start the race on the 50-yard line. This is cheating the other candidates and cheating the voters.
“I strongly urge the City Ethics Commission to immediately investigate this blatant violation of the letter and spirit of the city's ethics laws.”
