May 9, 2013
Arriving half an hour behind schedule due to traffic, mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel exclaimed, “We’ve got to do something about traffic in Los Angeles!” Over a hundred people came out to participate in the second candidate Q & A session this week sponsored by the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council.
The big question of the evening the candidate tackled was the ever present claim that she would be beholden to special interests, the DWP union in particular, due to having received $1.45 million in campaign contributions from them. Greuel tacked that one head on noting that her opponent voted for DWP rate increases, salary increases, a $150,000 DWP Rose Parade float, and enjoyed an all expense paid trip around the world.
Greuel explained that she had audited the DWP eight times in three years, compared to former Controller Laura Chick who audited the DWP eight times in eight years. She provided a lengthy list of business friendly civic organizations that have endorsed her including the Chamber of Commerce, VICA, and BizFed.
Coming back to the DWP, she recounted a particular situation where Garcetti was asked in an email by the DWP to delay a debate on a particular item of interest to them until after an election. His alleged response? I’ll see what I can do. Greuel asserted that she has stood up to the DWP and not demonized them when they didn’t support her position. She declared, “I am not beholden to anyone…only to the taxpayers of the City of Los Angeles!” Scanning the room, she repeatedly identified people she knew, looked them in the eye and stated, “You know me,” to the next person, “You know me,” and again emphatically, “You know me. I am not beholden to anyone!”
How does she prioritize the issues? Jobs, pensions, and traffic. On the subject of jobs, she proclaimed, “There is no better social program than a job.” She sees her prospective mayoral role as being the Jobs Czar herself. Her plans include eliminating the gross receipts tax to keep business in L.A. Greuel explained that the way to increase City revenue is to reduce our current 11% unemployment.
Because this city is made up of small businesses, Greuel proposes to form an Office of Small Business to provide much needed assistance. She also plans to personally reach out and call five businesses a day. She recounted how she noticed a news item about OPI Nail Polish, located in North Hollywood and employer of 500. Upon calling and speaking to the owner, he declared that she was the only elected official ever to call him.
Greuel is anxious to start implementing changes based on her discoveries as Controller. In particular she noted that the City loses out on $1.2 million annually by not billing pet owners for licensing fees.
Answering a question on City employee contributions to their health insurance, Greuel asserted that the existing zero percent contribution was unsustainable. She quickly moved on to the related topic of pensions, confirming that pension reform had begun, but more is needed. Currently, reform is aimed at new employees, which doesn’t have much impact, as the City is not hiring many new employees. The police pension plan calls for employees to contribute more when their pension portfolio does not perform well. Unfortunately, there was no pension reform at the DWP in the last four years. Greuel revealed that the City pays $150 million to manage our pensions, which is 68% more than any other city. Cutting that fee by 25% would save $40 million.
Wrapping up her remarks, Greuel declared, “I want you to hold me accountable. I don’t just want to be the Mayor…I want to do the job of the Mayor.”
Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel and City Councilmember Mitchell Englander stand with the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council
