Mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti attacked one another over questions of integrity Monday during a debate sponsored by KPCC, NBC 4, Telemundo and USC.
Midway through the evening, Greuel brought up an ethics complaint filed against Garcetti by former Controller Rick Tuttle, who is supporting the Greuel campaign. The complaint accuses Garcetti of delaying a 2009 hearing that could have been detrimental to a solar measure supported by the Department of Water and Power union. The controller furthered alleged that Garcetti was too cozy with the utility because he supported rate increases and pay raises for DWP employees.
In response, the councilman noted that the DWP union’s political action committee has supported Greuel to the tune of almost $2 million.
On policy issues, Greuel told the audience she supports the elimination of the gross receipts tax and that, as mayor, she would expand the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.
Garcetti called for in-car cameras for all LAPD vehicles and urged technology companies to move from the Westside to South L.A.
Among the controller’s memorable lines of the night were referring to Angelenos west of the 405 Freeway as prisoners in their own home because of gridlock and twice calling herself a bad campaigner.
Meanwhile, Garcetti told the crowd that once a year he personally tracks down truant students and once almost became carsick as he counted graffiti tags in his Hollywood district.
NBC L.A. on the debate:
View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.
Previously: Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel faced off in a debate Monday night. The debate at USC’s Health Sciences Campus was their third since they took the top two spots in the March 5 primary.
An L.A. Times/USC poll Sunday showed Garcetti with a double-digit lead over Greuel.
If Greuel won, it would make her the first female mayor in L.A. history.
Some of Greuel’s high-profile supporters include former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Barbara Boxer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Magic Johnson. Garcetti’s backers include Howard Dean, Salma Hayek and former mayoral primary rivals Kevin James, Jan Perry and Emanuel Pleitez.
Below is an archive of our Twitter stream from the debate. Scroll through it for a play-by-play account of the debate.
