Carmen Trutanich Complains About Being Attacked While Opponent Is Hospitalized

By Gene Maddaus Thu., Dec. 6 2012 at 6:05 PM

Mike Feuer and Carmen Trutanich

Assemblyman Mike Feuer is still in the hospital after a nasty car crash on Monday, but the campaign for L.A. city attorney goes on. Last night, the campaigns fought it out for the SEIU endorsement.

Feuer's team sent a surrogate, former Controller Rick Tuttle, who took some jabs at Trutanich. That has Trutanich hopping mad today, because he had avoided attacking Feuer.

"Frankly these attacks were a surprise and a disappointment," said Rick Taylor, Trutanich's consultant. "It seems the Feuer campaign is playing politics-as-usual even though Trutanich graciously decided to hold off on criticizing Feuer while Feuer remains hospitalized."

Speaking from his hospital room this afternoon, Feuer told the Weekly that he expects to be released in the next few days and will be back on the campaign trail soon.

"I'm gonna be OK," he said. "I'm lucky to be alive."

He also defended Tuttle's handling of the SEIU forum. Tuttle attacked Trutanich for refusing to take the same pay cut his staff has received, a line of attack Feuer also used at a debate last month. Tuttle also hit Trutanich for taking $1,000 from Richard Riordan, who led an aborted campaign to slash city employee pensions.

"Political campaigns involve comparisons between the candidates," Feuer told the Weekly, pausing momentarily to have a wire removed from his chest. "The decision whether to accept a pay cut when one's entire staff is required to endure a 13% pay cut does go to leadership skills and style. It's a very important issue."

Trutanich's consultant said he would not abide by a "self-imposed cease fire" if Feuer's campaign continued to attack. That seems to be fine with Feuer.

"The campaign is underway," he said. "Comparisons will continue to be made."

The SEIU has yet to issue its endorsement. The L.A. County Federation of Labor is holding its endorsement meeting on Monday.

Tags:

Carmen Trutanich, city attorney, Greg Smith, Mike Feuer, SEIU

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Jose

SEIU will not be endorsing Mike Feuer. He's running one of those negative, gutter campaigns. It's a turn off to our membership and our locals. His surrogate did not say one positive thing about Mike. It made us wonder, if a surrogate can't say something nice, who can?

Mike

@James_Cassidy Everyone knows who @losangelesdragnet is. Trutanich leads the polls only because people recognize his name. Problem is that they recognize him as a liar and a phony. That's why he got his ass handed to him in the DA election. Karma's a bitch, Nuch.

Antonio

I'm glad to see Mike Feuer is still an asshole even when confined to a hospital bed. Karma's a bitch, Mike.

Nick

I thought Carmen was supposed to be tough? He cries like a ittle bitch about being attacked. Meanwhile Feuer is having wires pulled from his chest and telling Carmen to bring it on. I almost pissed my pants laughing so hard.

jody99

I wonder if one of LIE-tanich's San Pedro Croat henchmen was the driver of the truck?

James_Cassidy

Who is this phony hiding behind Jack Webb? If Trutanich is a dead man walking, why is he leading in the polls? Why are people in the community holding fund raisers for him all over the city?

L.A's next City Attorney will be a choice between Greg Smith and Mike Feuer? Right. And Kevin James will be ;L.A.'s next Mayor. Smoke another doobie.

losangelesdragnet

Trutanich's pitch to SEIU did not go well. He could not explain why he won't set a leadership example by taking the 13% same pay cut as the rest of his staff, although he didn't play the 'my wife, my family, my four children, we live on my salary' card that he dealt to the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association last month. If Trutanich's arrogance about his bloated city salary did not guarantee that SEIU will not endorse him, his lame responses to Greg Smith's pitch to SEIU did.

Trutanich says he doesn't want to go negative, instead he wants to talk about the issues. The problem is that he is the issue. His catastrophic DA campaign resulted in his humiliating defeat by a pair of political novices with half the money and a third of the endorsements that Trutanich had. It has left him a political dead man walking, and everyone in LA knows it. His own consultant advised him against running for re-election because all the negatives about Trutanich will get a second and very public airing in March 2013. Who thinks that the LA Times will change their opinion of Trutanich - the man they called a liar? Will the Daily News not advise it's readers to vote A.B.C. - Anyone But Carmen?

LA's next City Attorney will be a choice between Greg Smith and Mike Feuer, Trutanich will repeat his Hindenburg like campaign and end up in third place and out of LA politics. Not a moment too soon.