Mike Feuer -- not running for city attorney

After a (very) brief flirtation last week with letting voters think he might throw his hat into the ring for city attorney, former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg said no, he's not really running after all. This week,  state Assembly member Mike Feuer (at right in photo) is the latest to say he's not in the race, our own David Zahniser reports.

Feuer, who ran for city attorney in 2001 but lost to Rocky Delgadillo, said this morning that he had decided to stay in Sacramento after being named chairman of his chamber's Judiciary Committee.

"I decided that I have too much in the works in Sacramento," said Feuer, who also served as a city councilman from the Westside.

Feuer had been making calls for weeks about a possible run in 2009, when Delgadillo will be forced out by term limits. His decision leaves the field with three contenders: attorney Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich, Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss, and Michael Amerian, a lawyer in Delgadillo's office.

Anyone else out there want to say they're not running? Or that they actually are?

--Veronique de Turenne

 

Comments

[concerned citizen II]

Concerned Citizen,

Sugarman went into a United States Federal Court and pled guilty to 1, 2, ... 3 counts of wire fraud related overbilling the LADWP and the City of Los Angeles. Why did he plead guilty? Because he was in fact guilty.

Why is Weiss letting this guy into his fold? Most likey its for the money (and not the great press and photo op Sugarman provides his campaign). For years, Weiss' CD5 constituents have been asking the similar questions about Weiss' relationships with big developers.

Like it or not, this is newsworthy. The citizens of LA deserve more from their elected representatives.

[fed up]

Anyone who has not had the dubious fortune to get involved in CD5 local politics, or who is considering running for the Council job, should start by reading Steve Hymon's Bottleneck Blog series "A Fight on the Expo Line, IV," which runs today. Last night's round, as usual, left no one happy, and there were as many vehement opinions as neighborhoods and social groups, from HOA's to one decrying "environmental racism," which seems to have resulted in abandoning common sense and stats in favor of just trying to pick a route and design for the Phase II.

When Hymon called the Pres of the Expo Line Authority, Rick Thorpe, today, to follow up, Thorpe "first confirmed that he survived the meeting -- no small feat, it seems to me..." Indeed, this exhausting battle fatigue sets in over everything, from some 14 meetings over the course of 18 months on the Pico-Olympic Plan, until the City felt they had to just DO something and adjust it as needed -- while the group suing over it insists they'd had no input. One writer sighed that these people will never be happy, "because that's who they are." The same attitude and tone was reported over the battle of one group to get millions out of a Century City developer without Council mediation, and they could be counted on to do the same if a single parking meter were moved. They contest Pico-Olympic on grounds including that billboards will have to be turned around.

I t takes a special kind of intestinal fortitude combined with masochism to venture into the lion's dens of these groups, and actually get anything done. However optimistically one wades into the fray, they soon weary and feel worse than De La Hoya on a bad night.

Or like Thorpe, you throw up your hands and say, you can't reason with any of these groups toward common ground, you just have to go the path of least resistance. Even if it now means that the Expo Line could cost billions more and take years longer, or never get done, leaving Phase I as a reminder of Westside community politics.

[concerned citizen]

Sugarman's boss, Dave Cowie, is now blogging for former Daily News activist and self-styled "leader of the people's revolution," Ron Kaye. He insists they were following accounting advice and it was all an error, with Cowie claiming he just made errors, and neither deny he arranged whatever procedures Sugarman followed as his subordinate. People will try anything to drum up a story and smoke where there is no fire..

[concerned citizen II]

Here's a headline for you: "[Convicted Felon &] Lobbyist Steve Sugerman to Host Fundraiser for Jack Weiss tonight [June 10, 2008]."

This is same Steve Sugarman that pled guilty to three counts of wire fraud in relation to overbilling of the LADWP and the citizens Los Angeles!!! Why is Weiss letting him host a fundraiser? Imagine what Weiss -- who is just running for City Attorney -- will stoop to if he is actually in charge of the office. LA deserves better!

[concerned citizen]

Case is clearly one of the handful of people with an axe to grind, from the way he or she's touting that 20 thou figure. If that group had had anywhere near that amount, they'd have shown the signatures to the City Clerk -- claiming they pulled them out of concern for our taxes is a clear farce. They never thought of the waste of money when they launched a spiteful and personally worded and pitched attack on him. Any more than these people care now about the costs of a wasteful EIR over Pico-Olympic, which was designed precisely to improve traffic NOW. Or any more than they thought about the billions extra it would cost to move the Expo II line south of Pico into Culver City, rendering it much more ineffective, too. The list goes on.

When Case and Such say they want to be "consulted," they really mean, they want a chance to nit-pik every plan to death over dozens of meetings and years. They want to keep complaining about traffic and development but do nothing. When Case and her few followers speak so grandly about "we the citizens" they sure don't include ME -- they turn me and the vast majority of constituents OFF with their control issues, and spitefulness to anyone who doesn't share THEIR personal spite.

That spiteful tone, over not getting what they wanted with Century City, is evident in their flyers and the websites they tout, as in this commenter. Their argument that Century City would have been better off left decaying and unused, by an albatross of a legit theatre and cinemas, one sad restaurant and deli, one bank, than the way it is now -- a downright visionary example of "smart" growth where people live and work, hailed across the country as a model for urban growth, is ludicrous and selfish on the face of it. Their arguments over every point follow the same path. These people expect to lead a Councilman by the nose, and choose one so weak, he/she can't get anything done. That's happened before in this district -- Save us from these self-appointed arbiters of what's "right" for our district.

The blind praise for Cooley is just that, blind and absurd, He hasn't done anything he promised 8 years ago when running against Gil Garcetti, and Ipsen did a solid job of pointing out why. As head of the Asst. DA Union, Ipsen knows they are all demoralized and fearful of Cooley; both his challengers said he operates like a "Third World Dictator." WHAT are his accomplishments in reducing gang crime and felonies -- HIS job as DA. He's just lucky that everyone is more focused on the dynamic LAPD and city leaders. Talk about "politicians" instead of Crime Fighters and Lawyers, when you've got Cooley.

I'm glad Weiss doesn't waste Council time being "gregarious," making long- winded presentations to beat his chest. They guy focuses on details and gets the job done -- anyone who's worked with him as I have for my neighborhood, can vouch for that. "Nuch" is certainly "gregarious," but that's not the quality we need for a City Attorney. Weiss is the one who's worked effectively with Bratton, the FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies to create a team which makes up in cooperation what L A lacks in funding relative to New York -- he and Bratton have been hailed in City Journal by Judith Miller and other NY and national publications by those not mired in these provincial, selfish bickerings.

On a personal note, I'm turned off by the phony chumminess of Nuch, who tries to ingratiate himself that way. Pandering to individual, isolated groups with an agenda like Case's, isn't what we need. You don't get that from any top law enforcement figures, and we need someone who's doing the things Weiss has been, someone who can intimidate and put away the bad guys, and understands law enforcement from the local to the federal level.

[concerned citizen]

Case is clearly one of the handful of people with an axe to grind, from the way he or she's touting that 20 thou figure. If that group had had anywhere near that amount, they'd have shown the signatures to the City Clerk -- claiming they pulled them out of concern for our taxes is a clear farce. They never thought of the waste of money when they launched a spiteful and personally worded and pitched attack on him. Any more than these people care now about the costs of a wasteful EIR over Pico-Olympic, which was designed precisely to improve traffic NOW. Or any more than they thought about the billions extra it would cost to move the Expo II line south of Pico into Culver City, rendering it much more ineffective, too. The list goes on.

When Case and Such say they want to be "consulted," they really mean, they want a chance to nit-pik every plan to death over dozens of meetings and years. They want to keep complaining about traffic and development but do nothing. When Case and her few followers speak so grandly about "we the citizens" they sure don't include ME -- they turn me and the vast majority of constituents OFF with their control issues, and spitefulness to anyone who doesn't share THEIR personal spite.

That spiteful tone, over not getting what they wanted with Century City, is evident in their flyers and the websites they tout, as in this commenter. Their argument that Century City would have been better off left decaying and unused, by an albatross of a legit theatre and cinemas, one sad restaurant and deli, one bank, than the way it is now -- a downright visionary example of "smart" growth where people live and work, hailed across the country as a model for urban growth, is ludicrous and selfish on the face of it. Their arguments over every point follow the same path. These people expect to lead a Councilman by the nose, and choose one so weak, he/she can't get anything done. That's happened before in this district -- Save us from these self-appointed arbiters of what's "right" for our district.

The blind praise for Cooley is just that, blind and absurd, He hasn't done anything he promised 8 years ago when running against Gil Garcetti, and Ipsen did a solid job of pointing out why. As head of the Asst. DA Union, Ipsen knows they are all demoralized and fearful of Cooley; both his challengers said he operates like a "Third World Dictator." WHAT are his accomplishments in reducing gang crime and felonies -- HIS job as DA. He's just lucky that everyone is more focused on the dynamic LAPD and city leaders. Talk about "politicians" instead of Crime Fighters and Lawyers, when you've got Cooley.

I'm glad Weiss doesn't waste Council time being "gregarious," making long- winded presentations to beat his chest. They guy focuses on details and gets the job done -- anyone who's worked with him as I have for my neighborhood, can vouch for that. "Nuch" is certainly "gregarious," but that's not the quality we need for a City Attorney. Weiss is the one who's worked effectively with Bratton, the FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies to create a team which makes up in cooperation what L A lacks in funding relative to New York -- he and Bratton have been hailed in City Journal by Judith Miller and other NY and national publications by those not mired in these provincial, selfish bickerings.

On a personal note, I'm turned off by the phony chumminess of Nuch, who tries to ingratiate himself that way. Pandering to individual, isolated groups with an agenda like Case's, isn't what we need. You don't get that from any top law enforcement figures, and we need someone who's doing the things Weiss has been, someone who can intimidate and put away the bad guys, and understands law enforcement from the local to the federal level.

[case]

The most telling part in your description of Jack Weiss is the word "politician," not the phrase "may not be very gregarious."

The only reason Weiss is taking his "not very gregarious" political career city-wide is because he and his political consultants know that he will never win another election in his own district. His constituents can't stand him and want him out, which is evidence by the 20,000+ voters that joined in the effort to recall him.

Unlike Weiss, the potential voters and endorsers that meet him Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich, like and remember “Nuch.” His campaign already has support from a number of important players in LA (and statewide) politics and, more important, the support of law enforcement and rank and file attorneys in the DAs and CAs offices.

Like Cooley, who won in a landslide last week, Trutanich is fantastic lawyer that knows the law, knows the inside of a courtroom, and knows how to inspire those around him.

The CA's office is a law firm that protects LA citizens from political corruption, over development, frivolous lawsuits, and crime. Trutanich considers the office to be more than a place where a "politician" parks himself for 4 years to wait for something better.

[susan]

Nuch Trutunuch might be a catchy name in Croatia, but it's kind of hard to remember. Not that we'll have any need to -- what chance does a pro-NRA Republican from out of town have to become L A City Attorney? His backing from Cooley means nothing, since Cooley isn't looking too good after admitting his office let out the guy with a restraining order on him, who promptly murdered his wife. And he did the same with Pedro Espinoza, and lots of other known illegals, said challenger Steve Ipsen. Guess Cooley's criminal attorney friends raised the most money for him, but it doesn't mean the public really knows or cares what he thinks.

Weiss may not be a very gregarious politician, seeming like a more serious man, but he'll make a good City Attorney. At least he's been working closely with the Mayor and Bratton, so the ego battles that have gone on between them and Rocky Delgaldillio and hampering results, will be over. 14 people killed in mostly gang battles this weekend -- since Cooley's not doing his job when it comes to gangs, we need strong local action.