Blog: If I Could Vote For Eric Garcetti, I Certainly Would

For over 45 years I was a voter in the City of Los Angeles, but a year ago my wife and I moved to a beach town in Ventura County named Port Hueneme.

I had voted for Tom Bradley, Jim Hahn, Antonio Villaraigosa and maybe one I have forgotten in past mayoral elections.

I was Chief of Staff in the late 70’s to then LA City Councilman, Zev Yaroslavsky, and had managed numerous local political campaigns after my graduation from college in 1968. I have followed and been involved with city government ever since.

Last November I voted for a Ventura County Congressman and a new county supervisor. I have followed the LA campaign on television, in the newspapers, and on the websites of the campaigns.

I contributed to Wendy Greuel for her first City Council race in 2002, and sponsored a community based fundraiser (no lobbyists) in 2004 that raised $10,000 for her city hall officeholder account. I gave her a contribution for her City Controller’s race.

I met Eric Garcetti at a Studio City event in 2004 where he was a guest. I saw first hand this young but mature councilman who was beyond his years. He was then President of the City Council, which means you have to appoint all the committee chairpersons, and work with all of them, some who have fragile egos.

I had contributed to the Greuel for Mayor campaign early on, but then saw disturbing signs about how she discussed public policy. She bragged how she had everyone behind her campaign. That cannot be a reality. One cannot have the endorsement of the LA Chamber and LA County Federation of Labor. They are totally opposed to each other on labor issues. Which way does Greuel go on basic labor questions? Who knows?

Most troubling to me was Greuel’s acceptance of over $1.5 million dollars in campaign contributions, through an independent committee, from the IBEW Local 18, the union representing over 10,000 employees of the DWP.

This is the largest financial contribution from any group or company to an
individual candidate in the history of CA campaigns. The Mayor, with concurrence
of the city council decides the level of COL increases for wage rates, pension
increases, and health care support for these 10,000 union people. Historically,
these increases are paid for by higher rates for electricity and water by all of the homeowners and businesses in the city. The higher the increases to the IBEW, the higher the rate increases on water and power for the public.

Any politician accepting over one million dollars from a union or business interest is tied to that interest. Why would the union contribute that amount without a return on investment?

Eric Garcetti is confident, experienced, and full of ideas for a better Los Angeles. I cannot vote on May 21, but I am confident the voters will see the light and give Eric Garcetti their vote of confidence on election day. But don’t take my word. View a debate on television, and read online the campaign coverage in the LA Times, Daily News, and LAWeekly newspapers. Take your vote seriously, but vote in this important election on May 21.