Yaroslavsky Endorses Feuer, Wife’s Ex-Foe, for City Atty.

Elevating ideology above personal history, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has endorsed City Councilman Mike Feuer in his tough runoff race for city attorney.

A year after Yaroslavky, an influential Westside liberal, won election to the board of supervisors in 1994, Feuer succeeded him on the City Council--by beating Yaroslavsky’s wife, Barbara, after a long, contentious campaign. Since then, Yaroslavsky has stayed neutral in Feuer’s races. He did not weigh in on Feuer’s reelection to the 5th District seat in the Westside and San Fernando Valley in 1997, nor did Yaroslavsky endorse anyone in the four-way city attorney primary this spring.

But in a statement the Feuer campaign released Monday, Yaroslavsky was unequivocal: “Mike and the job are a perfect match. I enthusiastically support Mike Feuer for city attorney and will be voting for him in this election.”

Yaroslavsky in his statement cited Feuer’s pre-council experience as executive director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, which has provided help to the poor and elderly for many years, and he praised Feuer’s council record.

“I have seen his willingness to take on tough issues, his leadership on business tax reform and public safety and his commitment to the highest standards of ethics and integrity,” Yaroslavsky said.

Meanwhile, the conservative Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. has endorsed Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo, Feuer’s more politically moderate competitor on the June 5 runoff ballot.

“No one in this race has done more than Rocky Delgadillo to help the city enjoy a robust economy, expanding the city’s tax base and easing the burden on hard-pressed homeowners,” Jon Coupal, association president, said in a statement released by the Delgadillo campaign.

Delgadillo heads Mayor Richard Riordan’s economic development efforts. He has the backing of the Republican mayor and a number of the city’s business leaders.

“We may not see eye to eye on every question,” Coupal continued, “but it is clear that Rocky Delgadillo is the best candidate to stand up for taxpayers.”