Today’s News: Garcetti, Greuel in the lead; Brulte heads GOP; Kings best sports story

Written by

todaysnewsbanner2Home stretch. On the eve of the L.A. mayor’s race, a new poll finds City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel in a virtual tie for the lead. None of the five major candidates appears to be in a position to capture more than 50 percent of the vote and avoid a run-off. The survey finds that 27 percent of voters favor Garcetti and 25 percent Greuel. Kevin James, the sole Republican in the race, is next with 15 percent support. He’s followed by Councilwoman Jan Perry with 14 percent and technology executive Emanuel Pleitez with 5 percent. L.A. Times

Brulte in charge. Former GOP legislative leader Jim Brulte has been elected chairman of the California Republican Party. Brulte, who served in the Legislature until 2004, was widely expected to get the job. He’s tasked with reviving a party that holds no statewide elective office and that has seen registration dip to a historic low of 29 percent. Brulte says he wants to improve the party’s fundraising, voter registration and election turnout programs. S.F. Chronicle

Prescription abuse. California Attorney General Kamela Harris is urging more funding to identify doctors who recklessly prescribe addictive medications. Harris says she wants to use a state database of prescriptions to identify those doctors. The database – known as CURES – is primarily used to identify addicts who get prescriptions from multiple doctors. But even that type of investigation is rarely done because of scant funding for the program. L.A. Times

No help. A Bakersfield retirement home is defending a nurse who refused to perform CPR on an elderly woman, who later died. Executives at Glenwood Gardens say the nurse was following orders when she refused a 911 operator’s pleas to help the woman. But an audio tape of the incident has prompted outrage. On the call, the dispatcher asks the nurse – “Is there anybody that’s willing to help this lady and not let her die?” The nurse replies – “Not at this time.” KGET

Kings rule. The L.A. Kings’ first Stanley Cup win has been called the top sports moment of 2012 in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Other big moments included the L.A. Galaxy’s MLS Cup title, the sale of the Dodgers to Guggenheim Partners, UCLA’s football victory over USC and the L.A. Clippers’ team-record 17 straight wins. The 8th annual L.A. Sports Awards was held this weekend at the Beverly Hilton. L.A. Observed