Group Clears Greuel of Misleading Voters

Mailers by Los Angeles City Council candidate Wendy Greuel did not mislead voters about support received by her opponent, Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D- Panorama City), from a gambling interest, a campaign watchdog group concluded Friday.

Greuel also did not mislead voters about her support by police officers, according to a report issued by the Campaign Watch Commission of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles. The panel is a nonpartisan group of community leaders that includes former City Councilman Marvin Braude, who heads the panel.

Cardenas had filed a complaint with the commission alleging a Greuel mailer was inaccurate when it said he had received $100,000 from a “gambling casino” for his aborted secretary of state campaign and had not returned the check.

The assemblyman said the check was from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, not the casino operated on their tribal lands, and that he returned the money before the Greuel mailer was sent out.

The commission concluded: “The mailer’s use of the phrase ‘gambling casino,’ rather than naming a specific tribe as the contributor of campaign funds, does not appear to be a material misrepresentation of fact or misleading statement.”

The panel also said it could not certify that Greuel knew Cardenas had returned the check when she sent out the mailer, but said the timing seems reasonable.

Cardenas also said a Greuel mailer claiming she had the support of police officers was inaccurate because he had the endorsement of the Police Protective League.

“The mailer makes no claim of official police and fire union endorsement but indicates only the support of individual safety personnel, which we believe falls within the acceptable range of political discourse,” the commission said.

Cardenas spokesman Josh Pulliam said the assemblyman stands by his complaints, while Greuel spokeswoman Julie Buckner said, “We have been accurate and truthful in our media.”

Cardenas finished ahead of Greuel in the Dec. 11 primary for the east San Fernando Valley’s 2nd District seat, but did not get the majority of the vote required to avoid a runoff election on March 5.