Villaraigosa says city attorney's race is no slam dunk

Few political allies have been more important to the campaign of Los Angeles city attorney candidate Jack Weiss than Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the chairman of his campaign and a leading fundraiser.

But in an interview with Times reporters and editors Tuesday afternoon, Villaraigosa said he could not guarantee that the Westside councilman would win in the runoff May 19.

Asked whether Weiss would make it through his race with rival Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich, the mayor looked down at the table and paused for a moment.

“You know, I’ll tell you something,” Villaraigosa said with a brief sigh, “Weiss is a man of integrity, intelligence; he is a former U.S. attorney who’s best equipped to be the city attorney of this town, period. His views on public policy are consonant with this town and who we are. But I can’t guarantee that."

 Villaraigosa noted that the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which recently hired Don Novey, the former head of the powerful state prison guards union as its political consultant, is now putting considerable muscle behind Trutanich.

The union recently spent $250,000 on radio spots, $17,636 on a mailer, and $2,645 on a billboard highlighting Trutanich’s endorsements by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley and Sheriff Lee Baca and calling him “law enforcement's choice for city attorney.”

 “These guys are going to spend a lot of money. Don Novey is leading a charge,” Villaraigosa said. “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.”

-- Maeve Reston

Comments

[Louweegie272]

I would think an endorsement form Villaraigosa citing "integrity" would hurt more than help.

[Rick]

VILLARAIGOSA HAS ZERO CREDIBILITY IN THIS HOUSEHOLD.

Jack Weiss conducts himself like an arrogant, detached self-dealer. It will be great to see him try to fend for himself in the private sector. I can't wait to see him sitting in traffic on the westside some afternoon.

[David Berger]

Mayor Villaraigosa must be ruing the day he allowed himself to be talked into backing Weiss. As a Mayor who has spent the majority of his time absent from the City building the foundations for his run at the Governor's office, as well as being somewhat preoccupied with the dramas in his personal life, it's hardly surprising that he was not fully aware of all Jack's negatives.

But the negatives are coming home to roost, and Weiss is having a hard time getting anyone but the Bruin Democrats to take him seriously. Before the primary Jack spent $1.7M on a campaign clearly designed to win the primary and not have to face any opponent.

That plan failed just as spectacularly as Hillary Clinton's and perhaps Ace Smith is going to join Jack Weiss in looking for a new job the morning after May 19.

Weiss is clearly struggling to raise money - 4 weeks before the primary the airwaves were full of Weiss ads - so far there's not been a squeak from the Weiss camp, other than one form the large inflatable rat that appears to be the Weiss campaign mascot.

One can only imagine that many of Weis's "supporters" who who had their arms twisted into funding Weiss in the primary must be now keeping their purses shut saying "Weiss only polled 36%" and "he sure is looking and sounding like a loser now."

Weiss's performance in the debates has been poor. The embattled soon to be former councilmember has failed to leave any impression on the audience, other than that Jack would really like to see Carmen Trutanich's client list. Perhaps Jack is thinking about his future and wants to poach clients after Ttutanich wins the election?

Jokes aside, Weiss has to be desperate, His only endorsement from the other City Attorney candidates comes from Noel Weiss, yet Noel's website still displays the 10 reasons not to vote for Jack Weiss! (It's in the archive).

Sloppy, desperate and entirely typical of Jack Weiss - the man who, together with Rocky Delgadillo, worked out that disastrous settlement with the billboard operators that led to the current billboard blight. Weiss is also the legal lightweight who supported the Mayor's Pico/Olympic one-way traffic plan without realizing that an Environmental Impact Report was needed. Provisions Jack voted for in the Density Bonus & Developer Incentives Ordinance have been overturned as unlawful in court.

It;s no surprise that the more LA voters learn about Jack Weiss, the more they are looking to Carmen Trutanich who actually has a record to be proud of, unlike Weiss who has one to run from.

Today's candor from the Mayor is clear sign that Weiss is gong down and the Mayor does not want the train wreck that is the Wiess campaign to harm his campaign to become Governor.

You know, with Villaraigosa heading to Sacramento and Jack Weiss out of City Hall, things might start looking up for Los Angeles

[mickey]

Getting an endorsement from David Berger is just a big negative far as I'm concerned for Trutanich. Berger/ Walter Moore ticket ran on an anti-immigrant platform which attracted a bizarre wacko element including open racists who filled up pro-Moore/ Berger comments sections on right-wing blogs, and called into the right-wing talk shows. Berger as "Rumpole" accused Weiss in so many words on Mayor Sam of "all but handing over our home addresses and phone numbers to illegal immigrant Latino gangbangers," and make sit clear that's his number one issue.

All these over-the-top vitriolic harangues are just the tip of the iceberg, he's often far more xenophobic and paranoid. Trying to lead the public in some mass hysteria based on his own paranoia and misunderstandings of the law than any basis in fact, in fact lying about Weiss like his alter-ego Trutanich.

When he was a candidate he's show up at forums just to tell everyone how much he "hates" Jack Weiss, not to talk about his own record or to inform the public in any legitimate way. He was and is just a foil for Nuch, This is a man who came to America to escape the "Pakis" and social changes in his native Britain, just went to law school 10 years ago and now presumes to use his own xenophobia and fears to rile a certain segment of the population. This is a dangerous man.

Since he keeps telling us he and Trutanich see eye to eye, and Trutanich features his endorsement on his website and in person, clearly these two people are peas in a pod. Nuch just tries to tone himself down in person these days (contrary to how he's talked behind closed doors), to do his chameleon act promising all things to all people to get their endorsements.

Berger's is one endorsement that's a huge negative for me as far as Trutanich goes.