More L.A. City Attorney Race Heat
There seems to be only one thing that dueling candidates in the upcoming May runoff election for L.A. city attorney can agree on--the other guy would be an ethically challenged disaster for the city.
Details on their latest public dust-up from the L.A. Times:
For months, Westside Councilman Jack Weiss has lambasted San Pedro attorney Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich for representing private clients accused of environmental crimes and has argued that those cases could lead to a wave of conflict issues for the city attorney's office if Trutanich wins...But Trutanich tried to turn that guilt-by-association argument back on his rival at the Westside Jewish Community Center, saying voters should view Weiss' contributions from developers, lobbyists and lawyers who do business with the city as far more troubling..... Dismissing Trutanich's work as an environmental prosecutor in the district attorney's office in the 1980s -- which he left to go into private practice -- Weiss charged that "putting Mr. Trutanich in charge of enforcing our environmental laws is like putting a lawyer from Philip Morris in charge of enforcing our health laws.".... When Weiss said he had never represented development interests as a lawyer and asked his opponent if he could say the same, Trutanich responded: "That's because you've never been a lawyer.....I don't think I ever have represented a developer," Trutanich replied. "But I know that you have -- in the council chamber." ["Weiss. Trutanich lob personal attacks at debate," L.A. Times]
Former L.A. Daily News editor, now local blogger, Ron Kaye thinks that Mayor Villaraigosa's recent public comments supposedly in "support" of his man Weiss in fact spell the kiss of death for the man who was supposed to have won the city attorney post in the first election. As Kaye writes, Villairagosa told the L.A. Times:
"I can't guarantee it; I can't tell you I know for sure what's going to happen. But I can tell you - he's a good man. He's a good man, and I think people need to take a second look."That's Weiss he says is a good man who needs a "second look" because what people have seen in their first look was so unsatisfactory. Bye, bye, Jack.
Steven Mikulan at L.A. Weekly thinks both candidates are unlikable:
Neither candidate appears particularly likable to voters. Weiss, the prickly and truant City Hall Mandarin who doesn't seem to share his Westside constituents' panic about gridlock and high-density construction projects; Trutanich, the San Pedro legal fixer without any elective experience who appears as a kind of better-dressed Rudy Svorinich. Not surprisingly, the candidates' respective fan bases seem less in love with each man than they simply dislike the other guy.
Local blogger Mayor Sam with a list of Trutanich endoresements. Past City of Angles blogging on the city attorney fight.
The image associated with this post was taken by Flickr user 888bailbond.com. It was used under user Creative Commons license.
