Eric Garcetti Attacks Wendy Greuel For Her 'Flim-Flam' Waste Claim

Eric Garcetti Attacks Wendy Greuel For Her "Flim-Flam" Waste Claim

By Gene Maddaus Thu., Jan. 31 2013 at 1:54 PM

Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel

Eric Garcetti took to the microphones today to attack Wendy Greuel on her claim to have discovered $160 million in waste, fraud and abuse -- marking the sharpest dispute yet between the two leading candidates.

"The numbers that are the cornerstone of her campaign don't add up," Garcetti said. "This is flim-flam."

Greuel has been making the $160 million claim every day for months. But it only came into question this week, when Greuel repeated the figure in her first TV ad.

The Garcetti campaign pounced on the claim before the TV ad even hit the airwaves on Tuesday, arguing that Greuel's audits only recovered $239,000. At a debate on Tuesday night, Garcetti let Greuel make the claim again without challenging it.

But after the L.A. Times followed up on Wednesday, Garcetti decided to personally get into the fray. Summoning reporters to his Studio City campaign headquarters this morning, Garcetti cited the Times report in attacking Greuel's assertions.

"It's clear from independent analysis that the numbers simply don't add up," he said. "Let's be honest with the people of Los Angeles."

The Greuel campaign defended the statistic, issuing statements of support from former controllers Laura Chick and Rick Tuttle, who have each endorsed her campaign.

"The $160 million is really just the tip of the iceberg," said John Shallman, Greuel's strategist. "We're getting Eric Garcetti saying everything's great, and we're not wasting any money in Los Angeles. He can't close his eyes and wish it were so."

Greuel has made exposing waste a key part of her campaign. But the key drivers of the city's $216 million deficit are more politically difficult to take on: wages, pensions, retiree health care and workers compensation. Greuel has been promising for more than a year to release an audit of the city's pension systems, but it has yet to appear.

Tags:

Eric Garcetti, mayor, waste fraud and abuse, Wendy Greuel

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abramsrl

There was the $1.4 Million dollar fraud with the CRA 1600 N Vine Project for which Garcetti has refused to provide and accounting. There is the $424 Million loss at the Hollywood-Highland Project. There was the $200 Million taken from the LAFD based on falsified First Responder Times. How many millions did Garcetti divert to CIM Group for the Sunset-Gordon Project? What about the $30 Million for CIM Group to rehab the new Kodak theater which was used for two years and then Cirque du Soleil closed.

The problem with Ms. Greuel's statistics is that they appear to omit those fiascoes where she played a part, but since she departed from the City Council in 2009, she is not liable for the waste of literally billions of dollars in the last 4 years. Let's remember also that Garcetti was Council President and thus he also is liable for the $42 Million to CIM Group for the CIM midtown Project in Wesson's district. Also, the Garcetti's City Council gave all the sales taxes from that Project to CIM Group/CRA.

Let's also remember that Garcetti was Council President when the CRA diverted $52 Million for a parking garage for billionaire Eli Broad.

Greuel should also remind the public that Hollywood has suffered seriously under Garcetti. According to US Census, Hollywood had a population decline of 1.4% from 1990 to 2000, but after Garcetti took over in 2001, the population decline increased by 400%, while Garcetti was diverting hundreds of millions of tax dollars to his developer buddies.

Greuel's statistics are the tip of the proverbial iceberg of Garcetti's massive diversion of tax dollars to his buddies.

LCCN

Los Cerritos had this story up 1.5 hours prior to the Times, Rainey the writer plucked information from it and now Gene M. gives them attribution way to go Gene! Our story is far more hard hitting and in-depth...

http://www.loscerritosnews.net/2013/01/30/greuel-waste-and-fraud-savings-called-into-question/

mrfred

Greuel should try to document her claim, or else stop using that $160m number. It always seemed a bit outlandish to me

Bill_Maher

1 Like

Greuel's numbers are complete flim-flam. They are not even congruent with the numbers on her City Controller web site. It appears her claim is a complete exageration, if not an out right lie. I find it troubling that the establishment backed candidate's campaign is based on a complete lie.

It's no wonder City finances are in such poor shape.