The Mexican-American Bar Association (MABA) said Wednesday it would endorse Eric Garcetti for mayor of Los Angeles.
According to a release from MABA, the organization said "we believe that his impressive professional accomplishments and personal integrity render him the best candidate in the primary.”
MABA represents about 500 attorneys, judges, politicians and business leaders in the Los Angeles area.
A recent poll from Loyola-Marymount University showed Garcetti the favorite among Latinos.
It also showed he had a slight edge in a multi-candidate primary, though City Controller Wendy Gruel would have a slight lead in a runoff against Garcetti.
Garcetti is of Mexican ancestry on his father Gil's side, who is also of Italian ancestry.
Garcetti's Latino endorsers include fellow city council member Ed Reyes and Ana Ponce, head of Camino Nuevo charter schools.
Gruel has also picked up a number of impressive endorsers, including council member Jose Huizar, U.S. Congressman-elect Tony Cardenas and Ana Perez, president of the National Latina Business Women Association—Los Angeles.
Emanuel Alftredo Pleitez, another candidate in the race, is of Salvadoran and Mexican heritage, but is not considered a serious contender at this time.
Pleitz supporters demonstrated outside the downtown Los Angeles theater where Saturday's mayoral debate took place after he was excluded.
Other candidates in the race include former talk show host Kevin James and city council member Jan Perry, who along with Gruel and Garcetti participated in the debate.
A. SANCHEZ
A Mexican-American would then be a person who is a Mexican and an American. Likewise an you can come up with combinations like Canadian-Ugandan, Australian-Antartican, (ever seen one of those?) how about a Peruvian-Alaskan ? A Mexican- American would be one who has dual citizenship.
I'm voting for Deer in the Headlights Greuel. I'm cutting her some slack for not being a polished speech maker. I think it is terrible that there really are no real contenders, out there.
I watched the "debates". It was a laughable hour-long fender bender, steered, and driven into the ditch, with a game-show mentality. The questions asked were in fact the same redundant questions, posed in different ways. The responses from the candidates, it seemed, were on the same loop. Kevin James, however, provided some much needed levity, as he was very point blank about calling them out for not doing anything for the last 10 years that they have held office. Uh- oh, I thought. We're in big trouble. ChickenShite on the candidates: Greuel- Gets my vote,grudgingly. Should have used her superpowers to expose and prosecute government grifters before now. Garcetti- Eellman- Slippery when faced with having to choose between what's good for us, and what's good for him. Perry- "Toonces"- the driving, clueless, asleep at the wheel, cat. Has dreams of driving more community gardens over the cliff. James- If I wanted to elect an actor/ comedian, I would elect Kevin James, the actual actor/comedian.
I hope the new Mayor of Los Angeles will make us proud. Your rhetoric of people voting on race is getting old and tiresome. Let's give credit to people and trust they will look at the issues too!
"Garcetti is of Mexican ancestry on his father Gil's side, who is also of Italian ancestry." "Garcetti's Latino endorsers include fellow city council member Ed Reyes and Ana Ponce, head of Camino Nuevo charter schools." Everyone running for mayor has been on the city council that put the city in the budget crisis it is in, all except Kevin James.
Get your vote, anyway they can, and jump in bed with everyone they can, like DWP and SEIU.They will put the squeeze for more money out of you, to give to them. Then raise the price on everything in the city, and tell you we are broke, while they are spending like they are in Vegas, and hoarding money for pet projects, that may promise them a job after their City of Los Angeles haul. Wendy still has a conscience, I believe.