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| Bought and paid for by labor unions The two Democrat finalists for the Los Angeles mayor's race, City Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti, both are backed by labor union money. |
Corruption - Unions pour millions into Los Angeles races to buy protection from budget cuts
- Endless phony Federal printing press money given to cities and states allows insane spending on outrageous union contracts.
Mayoral hopeful Wendy Greuel won the support of yet another labor union Wednesday – just a day after securing a spot in the runoff against Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti.
“Wendy is the right candidate for the job in these challenging times,” said Bob Schoonover, president of Service Employees International Union, Local 721. The union represents more than 10,000 trash truck drivers, tree trimmers, sewer workers and other city employees. The union also represents 85,000 other government workers in Southern California.
"I really appreciate the support of SEIU,” Greuel said in a statement. “Today's endorsements, less than 24 hours after polls closed for the primary election, sends a tremendous message to working people all across Los Angeles.”
All three of the city’s biggest labor unions now support Greuel – the unions representing Department of Water and Power workers and LAPD officers spent nearly $3 million dollars on her behalf during the primary reports KKPC Public Radio.
Buying a City Council for Unions
- Labor unions recycle Democrat Sacramento political hacks to be their flunkies at city hall.
Organized labor succeeded in sending three of its chosen candidates to the Los Angeles City Council and reelecting a fourth in Tuesday's election, allowing unions to retain their firm hold on the lawmaking body.
Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (Socialist Democrat - Woodland Hills) and former Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes won seats in the San Fernando Valley and Mike Bonin prevailed in the race to replace Councilman Bill Rosendahl on the Westside. Union groups, including the county Federation of Labor, provided financial support for all three — and for Councilman Paul Koretz, who was reelected to a second four-year term.
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| Leftist Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield has been a paid off lackey for the unions in Sacramento and now in L.A. |
The council is going through its biggest transformation since 2001, with six incumbents stepping down June 30. The labor federation, which represents 600,000 workers, is playing an influential role in that process, helping three other candidates make a May 21 runoff in districts near downtown Los Angeles reports the Los Angeles Times.
In each of those contests, a longtime council aide will face off against a well-financed candidate backed by the federation.
Mitch O'Farrell, a longtime aide to Councilman Eric Garcetti, came in first in the race to represent an Echo Park-to-Hollywood district, even though he was outspent more than 4 to 1 by former city commissioner John Choi and his union backers. He and Choi will square off in a district that had been represented by Garcetti, now a candidate for mayor, for 12 years.
O'Farrell, who had so little money he did not conduct a single poll, said neighborhood issues, not special interests, won the day. Choi, who benefited from more than $209,000 in union support, said he was proud of the backing he had received amid a crowded 12-person race.
"I think [the runoff election] will be a different type of campaign where we're not just trying to make our voice heard," he said.
On the Eastside, Jose Gardea, chief of staff to Councilman Ed Reyes, appeared to be pushing former Assemblyman Gil Cedillo into a runoff. Tuesday's results showed Cedillo fell just below the 50% plus one vote needed to win outright. But with as many as 90,000 late absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted, Cedillo was not yet prepared to say there would be a runoff.
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| Recycled political hack former Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes makes himself a union tool. Taxpayers have no meaning to him. |
Gardea, for his part, said he plans on a runoff campaign that shows the contrasts between himself and Cedillo, who served in both the state Assembly and State Senate over the last decade. "We're going to talk about … Sacramento values versus local values," he said.
In South Los Angeles, former council aide Ana Cubas will face off against state Sen. Curren Price (Socialist Democrat - Los Angeles), who benefited from $400,000 in unlimited "independent" expenditures by labor unions and others. Cubas, who would be the first Latino to represent the district in 50 years, said she is not worried about the money for Price, which came from such sources as the state's medical lobby and a union that represents prison guards.
"All of these Sacramento special interests that poured money into the race, they don't understand the needs of the city. They don't understand that people care about clean alleys, clean streets, stray dogs and helping with people's problems," she said.
Maria Elena Durazo, who heads the federation, did not respond to requests for an interview.
However, her group reported that it had organized 4,300 phone banking and precinct walking shifts and had conversations with nearly 67,000 voters over the course of the campaign. "Today's results show that the candidates who stand closest to working families are preferred by voters throughout the city," Durazo said in a statement.
Union officials are expected to play a key role over the next two years as city leaders negotiate new employee contracts. They are also expected to press for a living wage at hotels and new regulations on commercial trash companies that operate in the city.
Wendy Greuel - Tool of the unions
She has been endoresed by:
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721
SEIU United Long Term Care Workers
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1277
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 11
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 18
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 45
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 63- Marine Clerks Association
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Southern California District Council
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE)
Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District Lodge 947
Operating Engineers Local 12
Operating Engineers (I.U.O.E.) Local 501
Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36
Southern California Pipe Trades District Council #16
Teamsters Local 911
Teamsters Local 399
Transportation Communications Union Local 1315
UA Plumbers Local 78
UA Pipefitters Local 250
United Steel Workers (USW)
Utility Workers Union of America Local 132
Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL)
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC) Local 112
Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
Los Angeles Fire Chief Officers' Association
Professional Peace Officers Association (PPOA)
Law Enforcement Association of Asian Pacifics (LEAAP)
Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014
Los Angeles School Police Officers Association (LASPOA
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