Mayoral Candidates Make Final Push
All five mayoral candidates were out and about Los Angeles on Monday in a final push before election day.
City Controller Wendy Greuel stopped by several Los Angeles restaurants, coffee shops and retirement homes to talk to potential voters. The mayoral hopeful told Angelenos that her experience as City Controller makes her the best choice.
"I've worked for the mayor and have now been the tax payers' watchdog as the City Controller," Greuel said, "so I believe I can hit the ground running, and [be] the person that's going to change Los Angeles and put us back to work."
City Councilman Eric Garcetti visited several small businesses near the USC campus and spoke with residents at different Metro stations.
City Councilwoman Jan Perry and radio talk show host and former prosecutor Kevin James can cause some drama for Tuesday's election. Voter turnout is expected to be extremely low, and if the two candidates pull enough vote's away from Greuel and Garcetti, it could lead to a candidate runoff in May.
Councilwoman Perry said that all of her managerial experience could bring lots of money back into the city.
"I believe that my practical, very hands-on experience and management style, and my approach to managing and leveraging our assets to bring in new revenue to the city makes me most suited to be the next mayor," said Perry.
Kevin James, the only Republican of the five main candidates, said that what makes him different from the other candidates is also what makes him better.
"I'm the only candidate in the field that has been a prosecutor; I was a federal prosecutor. Los Angeles has built a culture of corruption," James said. "It's going to take someone that understands what's going on in City Hall to clean it up. I will do that."
Former tech executive Emanuel Pleitez has chosen an unorthodox method of campaigning recently. He's taken part in a six-day, 100-mile running and bicycling trip across Los Angeles. However, he still believes that he is the people's choice.
"The resounding message," Pleitez said, "is that 'yes, you're better than the other candidates and make sure we take out city in a new direction.'"
One major issue that each candidate has had to speak about is 'Proposition A,' an annual sales tax increase. Every candidate ATVN spoke to was against the proposition.