Legal News

City attorney campaign devolves into Mr. Unpopularity vs. Gun Guy

By Richard Binder

As the runoff campaign for city attorney candidates hits its closing weeks before the May 19 vote, City Councilman Jack Weiss and attorney Carmen Trutanich have ratcheted up the rhetoric.

Weiss has attacked Trutanich for allegedly representing gun owners and polluters in his law practice and Trutanich has argued the Los Angeles councilman is unpopular in his own district and has acted unethically at times.

"There are people who truly hate this councilman," Trutanich said last week. "There were 20,267 people who signed up to kick him out. That says something."

In turn, Weiss has called for Trutanich to release a list of all his clients, from accused rapists to environmental polluters, arguing that Trutanich benefits from his law partner Chuck Michel's representation of the National Rifle Association. The Weiss assertion was bolstered last week when the NRA's political committee sent out an e-mail urging its members to support Trutanich.

Click here for the full story, and here for an LA Times analysis of the gun issues.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 04, 2009 (boomark / email).