[img]1610|left|Mr. Mike Feuer||no_popup[/img]As Eric Garcetti begins pulling away from sputtering Wendy Greuel and her disarrayed staff in the May 21 Los Angeles mayor’s race, the dominant jewel of a duel remains – and always has been – the fist-off between City Atty. Carmen Trutanich and challenger Mike Feuer.
I wouldn’t say they would trip each other descending a steep stairwell. But think Zack Greinke and Carlos Quentan. Or John Edwards and the late Elizabeth Edwards.
Everyone I know not named Trutanich believes Mr. Feuer holds a steady lead from here to Pakistan, which only steams the glass and fogs the issues more. The latest polling gap is 18 points. Mr. Feuer won the primary by 14.
As this is written, 32 days before the election, a solicitation has arrived from one of the campaigns, asking an endorsement.
The request will be denied. Our policy is not to endorse because of a belief that subsequent coverage could be perceived as colored. Our primary mission is to inform – secondary mission, to comment on the news. The two seemingly parallel objectives live in an incestuous relationship on 99 percent of contemporary newspapers and close to 100 percent of television networks.
Watching Trutanich-Feuer from the sidelines is like supping two chocolate milkshakes at every meal, and losing a pound each time.
You may digest the following 400-word message from the Trutanich campaign that arrived at 9 this morning while I was in Exposition Park, listening to Angela Davis.
The Times’s Editorial Page Gets Its Nose Bent Out of Shape
[img]1697|left|Mr. Carmen Trutanich||no_popup[/img]The reelection campaign of City Atty. Carmen (Nuch) Trutanich has sent three pieces of mail to voters in recent days as it begins its extensive effort to inform voters about their choices in the City Attorney's race – among them is a mailer that quotes directly from an LA Times editorial that blasted Trutanich's rival, termed-out assemblyman Mike Feuer, for his “fishy” and “troubling” campaign finance relations with a City Hall insider.
“See the mailer that is making Feuer's head spin and is now apparently causing the LA Times grief,” said John Schwada, the Trutanich campaign's director of communications. The mailer, called “Fishy”, is attached.
The controversial mailer quotes directly from a Times editorial earlier this month that attacked Mike Feuer's campaign finance dealings as “fishy,” “unusual,” “troubling” and “worthy of an investigation.” This morning the Times appeared to chastise the Trutanich campaign for quoting directly from its April 2 editorial sharply critical of Feuer. “Apparently the Times – which foolishly endorsed Feuer before fully vetting him – is now embarrassed that they said such nasty things about their pet candidate – and now don't want them repeated,” said Schwada. “Too bad. They spoke the truth in their April 2 editorial, and we're glad they did. It's refreshing to hear truth spoken.
“We certainly hope that this signal from the editorial page is not an attempt to muzzle the vigorous reporting by Times reporters of Feuer's attempt to illegally obtain $300,000 of our tax dollars,” said Schwada. “Mike Feuer is a cheater – just like Lance Armstrong. Armstrong doped up to win bike races by cheating. Feuer's campaign doped up on the drugs of illegally obtained campaign money to try to steal an election.”
All three voter pieces mailed out by Trutanich's campaign are attached. Their messages are self-explanatory.
As part of its fast-start program, the Trutanich campaign 10 days ago began phone banking voters in all parts of the city about Trutanich's record of success as city attorney..
Two weekends ago, the campaign also held a grand-opening party at its new campaign headquarters. Among the Trutanich supporters attending were Sheriff Lee Baca, Councilmen Dennis Zine and Jose Huizar, former Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Robert Philibosian, attorney/talk-radio host Kevin James, who made a surprising third-place showing in the mayor's race, and William Serna of the National Latino Peace Officers Assn.
Not by accident did these declarations arrive today rather than earlier.
The reason: The aforementioned Los Angeles Times this morning emphatically reaffirmed its unstinting endorsement Mr. Feuer in the face of a barrage of accusations, formally and casually, leveled by the Trutanich camp.
From the second paragraph of the Times’s underlined endorsement:
“Just to be clear: The Times endorsed Feyer for city attorney in the March election and still regards him as the far more qualified candidate in the May 21 runoff.”
My opinion: I would prefer to see both of them smiling on Election Night, and the next morning.
