Garcetti, Greuel pick up new support in L.A. mayoral election
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The two contenders in the May 21 Los Angeles mayoral election announced their latest endorsements Monday, with City Councilman Eric Garcetti picking up support from a colleague in the San Fernando Valley and City Controller Wendy Greuel touting the backing of a community college board member.
Garcetti held a news conference in Studio City with Councilman Paul Krekorian, who heads the council’s powerful Budget and Finance Committee. Krekorian, who holds the council seat once represented by Greuel, said Garcetti would as mayor ‘have the courage to take the hard steps’ to address the city’s problems.
The announcement was not a huge surprise, given that Greuel campaigned hard three years ago for Krekorian’s opponent, former Paramount Studios executive Chris Essel, in a special council election. Essel -– like Greuel in this year’s mayoral campaign -– was heavily backed that year by the union that represents Department of Water and Power employees.
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Garcetti compared this year’s mayoral election to that campaign, saying that when Krekorian ran ‘there were powerful forces aligned against him.’ ‘He showed that elections aren’t for sale,’ Garcetti said.
Greuel, in turn, announced the support of Mike Eng, a newly elected board member for the Los Angeles Community College District. That wasn’t much of a surprise either since Eng is the husband of U.S. Rep. Judy Chu -– who endorsed Greuel just a few weeks ago.
When he was in the state Assembly, Eng represented San Gabriel Valley cities with significant numbers of Chinese Americans, including Monterey Park and Alhambra. In a statement sent shortly before Krekorian gave his endorsement, Eng praised Greuel as someone who would be a strong advocate for Asian American residents.
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‘She will fight for people from every neighborhood and ethnicity,’ he said.
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-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall
