Neck and neck. A new poll finds a virtual dead heat in the L.A. mayor’s race with less than two weeks to go before Election Day.
The results are good news for Wendy Greuel. The City Controller trailed in earlier surveys, but the new poll by the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State L.A. gives her a one-point lead over City Councilman Eric Garcetti – 46 percent to 45 percent – with 9 percent of likely voters still undecided. The margin of error in the poll is plus or minus four percentage points.
The survey shows that Greuel – who is vying to become L.A.’s first female mayor – has solid support among women voters. They prefer her to Garcetti by a margin of 15 points. Garcetti has an 11-point edge among male voters.
When the results are divided by ethnic groups, Greuel appears to have a solid lead among white voters and an overwhelming lead among African Americans. Garcetti is the more popular candidate among Latinos and Asians.
Only 21 percent of registered voters turned out for the March 5th primary. Raphael Sonenshien, director of the Pat Brown Institute, tells the L.A. Times that expected low turnout in the May 21st run-off makes the race “volatile and hard to predict.” L.A. Times
405 closure. The 405 Freeway through the Westside of L.A. is no picnic at the best of times. But tonight, you might want to steer clear of it altogether. The northbound side of the freeway’s going to be completely shut down for several hours to let construction crews work on a widening project. L.A. Times
Pressure tactics. California Attorney General, Kamala Harris has filed a lawsuit against banking giant JPMorgan Chase. She’s accusing the company of using fraudulent and illegal debt-collection practices against 100,000 credit cardholders in the state. New York Times
Money mystery. You ever dig into a pocket and find money that you’d forgotten about? That’s what’s happened at the L.A. Department of Transportation. Only in this case, the pocket was holding nearly $43 million. City officials are blaming an accounting error for the fact the money that was supposed to be returned to the general fund from the Department of Transportation never made it back. KCBS
Pot shop crackdown. More California cities are moving against medical marijuana dispensaries following a state Supreme Court ruling allowing them to ban the clinics. Authorities in San Bernardino raided a clinic yesterday, seizing 30 pounds of pot. The city has also sent closure notices to about 30 clinics with threats of $1,000-a-day fines. In Riverside County, the Beaumont City Council will consider a ban later this month, and in Murietta, officials are considering drafting one. Press-Enterprise
Just reward. A man who was carjacked by fugitive ex-LAPD officer Richard is expected to ask an L.A. judge today to block the release of the Dorner reward money. Camp ranger Richard Heltebrake was carjacked in Big Bear by Dorner, who fled in his pickup truck. A panel of judges said Heltebrake was not entitled to the reward money because police were already aware Dorner was in the area when he called 911. KTLA