(See fallout below from alleged Wendy Greuel exposé)
[img]1646|left|Kevin James||no_popup[/img]On a bundled-up morning along wind-whipped Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile, a scene rich with irony, Los Angeles mayoralty candidate Kevin James was endorsed today by the Bring Hollywood Home Foundation.
Ringing with symbolism, the setting was in front of the SAG/AFTRA building, adjacent to Museum Row and the historic LaBreaTarpits.
Mr. James – who has a plan (published in the Huffington Post) for returning film production to, you will forgive the expression, the Heart of Screenland – (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-james/los-angeles-production-benefit_b_2417193.html) – is enjoying perhaps the sunniest week of his underdog-but-gaining campaign.
On the same day he was rejected for a Cathedral Plaza mayoralty forum sponsored by a subsidized-housing agency, Mr. James created his own waves.
Trailing in publicity as Republicans traditionally do in this Democrat-drenched community, the former U.S. prosecutor won a splashing gush of favorable television and newspaper attention three days ago for exposing and spotlighting alleged “egregious” ethical violations by rival mayoralty candidate Wendy Greuel, the City Controll (See outtakes below).
This was a sweet morning for the 49-year-old Mr, James, who deftly blends boyishness, faultless articulation and smarts to earn widening attention and support from sources not normally associated with Republicans, like Hollywood.
Presenting himself as the pragmatic answer man in his tightening race against three elected City Hall officials, Mr. James prolifically has been turning out position papers and essays on correcting the city’s bucketload of wrenching problems, not least runaway productions.
Unworried about a need to fret over offending labor unions that never back conservatives anyway, Mr. James says he has union support for his scheme to right the wrong of what he calls “outsourcing,” a sore term for his three union-minded rivals.
In his HuffPo essay, headlined “Outsourcing Hollywood, Billions Leave Local Economy, Families Separated,” Mr. James explains:
At a Glance
“As an expansion on my initial platform, I am now introducing a new plan to bring entertainment jobs back to Los Angeles. My plan is called the Los Angeles Production Benefit, and it brings together independent film production and union crews. This is a simple,workable way to keep entertainment jobs here and to bring independent film production here. My plan allows independent productions to be union films in a way that the independent production can afford to pay union wages.”
You may not have heard about this because Mr. James was rejected when he sought to debate it, and here is what happened.
Those Who Said No
Sharon Hardee Jimenez, founding president of Bring Hollywood Home, surrounded by industry members of her board when she began speaking on the blustery patio of the SAG building at a 10:15 news conference, talked about why Mr. James’s plan has not been fully aired yet.
“Kevin has demonstrated the courage to take on special interests by agreeing to publicly debate runaway productions. But the other candidates declined Bring Hollywood Home’s invitation to finally open up this controversial topic in the mayor’s race.”
As his clout expanded during the past month, Mr. James has walked into what threatens to be an ongoing headline in the battle to succeed Mayor Villaraigosa.
Mr. James talks about it in the next installment.
Meanwhile, here is a taste of what he has been doing lately:
What They Are Saying… About the Wendy Greuel Calendar Scandal
“You’ve got the controller’s office doing the campaign work, the campaign office doing the controller work. Who’s doing the people’s work?”- Kevin James, CBS2
Mayor’s Race Intensifies as March 5 Approaches
ABC7: “James is asking for an investigation into whether Greuel has violated the law. ‘Ms. Greuel, who has obviously through her calendar, has demonstrated that she's using her controller's office as a front for her mayoral campaign,’ James said. James was citing reporting by the Los Cerritos Community News…’These meetings after meetings after meetings don't appear to be related to anything that the chief accounting officer of the city of Los Angeles would be doing,’ ” James said.” (Los Angeles Mayor Race Intensifies as March Approaches, 1/8/13, ABC7)
L.A. City Controller Denies Campaigning for Mayor on City's Dime
CBS2: “ ‘They actually called us and told us that Wendy was spending an inordinate amount of time on her mayoral campaign. Instead of civic duties (as controller),’ said publisher, Brian Hews… ‘That’s what they do in their after-hours to help me. Not being paid. That’s in their personal time,’ Greuel said. Mayoral candidate Kevin James, …sarcastically said it’s “amazing” how many volunteers Greuel has. “Yesterday, at 3 p.m., the Chief Deputy Controller appeared on behalf of the campaign in a campaign staff meeting that I was in,” he said. James continued, “You’ve got the controller’s office doing the campaign work, the campaign office doing the controller work. Who’s doing the people’s work?” (LA City Controller Denies Campaigning for Mayor on City’s Dime, 1/8/13, CBS2)
L.A. Mayoral Candidate Accused of Campaigning on the City's Clock
NBC4: “ ‘What shocked us when we saw the Controller's calendar was the fact that there were so many campaign events on it,’ said Kevin James, a former federal prosecutor and talk radio host who is running for mayor as a City Hall outsider. James called a news conference Tuesday in the plaza below the controller's third floor office in City Hall East. James spoke directly to City Attorney Carmen Trutanich. He will refer the issues raised to the office's so-called “conflict” attorneys for evaluation for possible follow-up on any evidence presented… “We got calls from inside the Controller's office saying, 'I'm sick and tired of working for her mayoral campaign,' Economy said. ‘This is not about Kevin James,’ Economy said. ‘This is about Wendy Greuel.’ “ (LA Mayoral Candidate Accused of campaigning on the City’s Clock, 1/8/13, NBC4)
Kevin James Accuses Greuel of Using Her Office to Advance Her Campaign
Los Angeles Times: “The heated rhetoric demonstrated anew how James…poses a threat to Greuel's candidacy in the March 5th mayoral primary. James' charges echoed allegations that Greuel faced during her first campaign for City Council in 2002. Her opponent, Tony Cardenas, attacked her for … using City Hall offices and equipment to assist a City Council candidate's campaign. Bradley released a statement expressing “outrage,” saying he would not tolerate even the appearance of any violation of his ban on campaign activity at City Hall.” (Kevin James Accuses Greuel of Using Her Office to Advance her Campaign, 1/8/13, Los Angeles Times)
Wendy Greuel Campaigns on Taxpayer Time, Claims Mayor's Race Rival Kevin James
Los Angeles Daily News: “City officials and their staff are barred from campaign-related activities during the hours they are receiving pay to engage in city business. “Just looking at the restaurants, the time she spends in restaurants,” James said, “it would indicate that she isn't doing the work of the people of the city of Los Angeles and keeping the books of the people of the city of Los Angeles.” Bob Stern, the former director of the Center for Governmental Studies who helped develop the city's ethics laws, said the issue of juggling both their primary duties and running for office is an issue elected officials need to deal with. (Wendy Greuel campaigns on taxpayer time, claims mayors race rival Kevin James, 1/8/13, Los Angeles Daily News)
L.A. Mayoral Race Rival Accuses Greuel of Campaigning on City Time
Los Angeles Daily News: “James, the only Republican in the race, argues that Greuel and two other mayoral contenders, City Council members Jan Perry and Eric Garcetti, bear responsibility for the city’s poor fiscal condition and can’t be trusted to clean up what he characterized as corruption at City Hall. Greuel’s controller calendars, published Monday on the website of Los Cerritos Community Newspaper, show frequent campaign meetings and events on her city schedule. Staffs from her city office were often listed as attending the meetings and events. (L.A. mayoral race rival accuses Greuel of campaigning on city time, 1/8/13, Los Angeles Times)
