City Council candidate Mehaul O’Leary was served the optimal breakfast when he dropped by Tito’s Tacos this morning.
Blair C. Salisbury, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the California Restaurant Assn., greeted him across the table at Tito’s Tacos. He announced that the state group will support one of its own, and will endorse the Irish-born Mr. O’Leary for the April 8 election.
Tito’s Joins in
[img]64|left|From left, California Restaurant Assn. executive Blair C. Salisbury, Mehaul O’Leary and Lynne Davidson||no_popup[/img]Lynne Davidson, proprietor of Tito’s Tacos is a longtime member of the Association board, and she seconded the endorsement.
The association also endorsed Mr. O’Leary two years ago.
“This is fitting,” said Ms. Davidson, “especially since Tito’s and Mehaul’s (nearby Irish pub, Joxer Daly) both were just voted No. 1 in their categories by Fox News.”
Mr. Salisbury said the decision was made in consultation with the association’s government affairs expert, Andrew Casana.
“Mehaul understands the industry and its needs,” Mr. Salisbury said. “Andrew and I both felt this was a good fit for us.”
Instead of a quick thank-you as breakfast was being delivered, Mr. O’Leary capitalized on the occasion to make an unusually candid statement to his supporters.
He Recalls ‘Bumbling’
In his second run for office, he is going to be a more pragmatic candidate.
After erring in his first campaign, he is confident enough this time to even acknowledge them by name.
“Let me say that for this election, I am more prepared,” Mr. O’Leary said.
“I am definitely cued in this time about the issues this city is most concerned about.
“I had some very flighty ideas in the last election. People would say, ‘That’s a curious idea. But it be tuned really doesn’t work.’ Specifically, I talked about a lane that would be for residents only on Sepulveda Boulevard.
“I bumbled through the last time, and I realized that’s not feasible.
“After a couple of mistakes like that, I realized I need to be tuned in. I need to know exactly what residents want for this city.
“The biggest issue is redevelopment. It seems like that has touched everyone in every neighborhood. There is a groundswell of that the city does not seem to be listening to the residents. They have arrived at City Hall, en masse, and been rejected on more than one occasion.
“You get the impression that needs to be switched around.
“The notification process needs to be fixed. It appears, from the residents’ perspective, that the city is not telling them about projects, or is trying to tell as few as possible.
“That is the perception,” Mr. O’Leary said, with resoluteness. “There needs to be more transparency in government.”
