Anti-Tax Group Backs Wachs for L.A. Mayor

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. endorsed City Councilman Joel Wachs for mayor of Los Angeles on Tuesday, reinforcing the 30-year political veteran’s credentials as a fiscal conservative.

Wachs won the backing of one of the state’s largest anti-tax organizations because of his repeated support for statewide initiatives to limit taxes and for his efforts to reduce government spending, said Jon Coupal, the group’s president.

Coupal said at a news conference in Van Nuys that Wachs’ positions on financial matters have been consistent for more than two decades, beginning with his backing of property tax-slashing Proposition 13.

Recently, Wachs won the group’s favor by fighting to limit subsidies for the Staples Center arena in downtown Los Angeles. “Even though he was threatened with political annihilation, Joel Wachs did not back down,” Coupal said. “He insisted that the results of secret negotiations between developers and the city be made public.”

Wachs is expected to use the endorsement in his campaign mailings. The Jarvis group’s political action committee, which makes such endorsements, said it will not send letters to its members about its support of Wachs.

Quipped Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the group: “We are, after all, a shallow-pocket operation.”