Group backing Wendy Gruel for L.A. mayor buys more TV ad time

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With the television ads war in the Los Angeles mayor’s race heating up, a pro-Wendy Greuel committee backed primarily by labor has purchased more than a half a million dollars of additional air time, according to city disclosure documents filed Friday.

Working Californians, an independent committee created by unions and Hollywood leaders, reported spending $525,000 to continue airing an ad it began televising last week. The spots casts Los Angeles in a perilous light, nearing insolvency, and says Greuel is the “one leader” that can fix it because of her experiences as controller, working for DreamWorks, serving in the administrations of Mayor Tom Bradley and President Bill Clinton, and being a public school mom.

FULL COVERAGE: L.A. mayor’s race

Independent committees like Working Californians, which was formed by leaders of the city Department of Water and Power employees’ union, are barred from coordinating their activities with candidates’ campaigns. At the same time, the independent groups can accept unlimited donations, in contrast to the strict limits on the committees candidates control.

The news comes one day after an independent committee was formed to support City Councilman Eric Garcetti’s mayoral bid, and a committee backing Kevin James announced its first television ad buy of roughly $450,000.

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FULL COVERAGE: L.A. mayor’s race

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-- Seema Mehta