Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Page 11
SNIPPETS (Column)
IALA to Stage Run-Off Debate Between City Attorney Contestants
The Italian American Lawyers Association has slated a March 20 “Post-Primary Debate” between the candidates in the anticipated run-off for the post of Los Angeles city attorney.
The MetNews will be the co-sponsor.
The three leading candidates are incumbent Carmen Trutanich, former Assembly member Mike Feuer, and private practitioner Greg Smith. All three have agreed to appear if they are in the run-off, IALA President Rebecca Delfino said.
(A fourth candidate, Neil Weiss, has not mounted a campaign and was not queried as to his availability, it was learned.)
Retired U.S. District Court Judge George Schiavelli, a past IALA president, will be the moderator.
The debate will take place at Casa Italiana, 1051 N. Broadway, north of Chinatown. It will be preceded by cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
There will be an entrée choice of chicken, sausage and peppers, or vegetarian lasagna. Dinner includes antipasto, mostaccioli, spumoni, and wine.
The cost is $35 for IALA members and retired judges and $45 for others (except law students and judges)—with a $5 discount for making reservations at least 48 hours in advance. Law students are charged $20 and sitting judges get in free.
Reservations are available by e-mailing iala07@yahoo.com or telephoning (213) 891-4845.
One hour of MCLE credit will be provided.
•The Los Angeles Dragnet blog—which is backing Smith in the race—on Monday crowed:
“Yet another former Trutanich supporter has abandoned the failed incumbent and thrown their considerable support behind City Attorney candidate Greg Smith.
“PORAC, the state’s largest association of peace officers, has endorsed Smith to be the next Los Angeles City Attorney. The endorsement follows a game-changing weekend for Smith, garnering the endorsements of the Los Angeles Daily News and the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association. Increasingly people are seeing Smith, the man the LA Times described as a ‘dark horse’ in the race, emerge as the likely challenger to Mike Feuer in the inevitable runoff following next Tuesday’s primary election.”
The editorial in the Daily News, published Sunday, said of Smith:
“In a meeting with the Los Angeles News Group editorial board as it considered an endorsement in the city attorney primary election, the 59-year-old Los Angeles native impressed us as smart, creative and substantial.”
In a slap at Trutanich, it added:
“The editorial board recommends a vote for Smith on March 5. If none of the four candidates on the ballot receives an outright majority in the primary and the race goes to a May 21 runoff, we hope the runoff pits Smith against Feuer.”
The Los Angeles Times endorsed Feuer on Feb. 8, saying:
“Trutanich’s histrionics are sometimes crowd-pleasers, but they aren’t the marks of a sober, seasoned counselor. Indeed, voters appear to have lost some faith in him as well. When Trutanich broke his word that he would not seek the office of district attorney and ran last year, he was soundly beaten, losing not just in the parts of the county that he did not already represent but inside the city as well.
“Feuer, on the other hand, is an experienced, thoughtful and well-rounded public official and lawyer, one whose background has prepared him for this post. He has served on the City Council, where he tightened gun laws and improved constituent services; he helped bring about the city’s 311 service, for instance. And in the Assembly, he chaired the Judiciary Committee and wrote a number of important bills in areas such as consumer protection, public safety and environmental protection. Moreover, Feuer proved himself a capable broker, helping negotiate deals on environmental and other issues. He has extensive experience in public interest law — before entering elected life, Feuer ran Bet Tzedek Legal Services, one of the nation’s most highly regarded providers of legal services to the poor. He has shown both the creativity and the ability to serve as an exemplary city attorney.”
•The Santa Monica Bar Association on March 14 will stage its “Annual Judges’ Reception” from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.
The cost to participate is $65 for association members and $85 for non-members, with sitting judges being welcomed as guests. A special rate for law students is $35.
Reservations are available by e-mailing SMBAoffice@aol.com, telephoning (310) 600-7137, or sending a fax to (310) 581-5308.
Copyright 2013, Metropolitan News Company