NEWS
May 12, 2012 | By Robert Greene
So what's the deal with Carmen Trutanich, anyway? Is he the goofy but dangerous loose cannon, power-hungry crazy man that so many former supporters love to hate? Or is he the reform-oriented outsider who, in his own description, made a few high-profile missteps in his first few months because he was unfamiliar with the culture of City Hall, and then settled down to be a solid administrator of an office that dispenses sound advice to city leaders and prosecutes dangerous criminals and nuisance violators?
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 23, 2013 | By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times
Shortly after Carmen Trutanich took office as Los Angeles city attorney in 2009, he caused a big splash by taking on illegal billboards. And he's highlighted his crusade against unpermitted signs as he faces a tough reelection battle. So what's with the splashy Trutanich election banner splayed across a building along a busy stretch of freeway? The colorful sign, visible to drivers on southbound Interstate 5 near the Glendale Boulevard exit in northeast Los Angeles, features a picture of Trutanich, his campaign's website address and a message urging his reelection.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
May 13, 2013 | By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times
All he asks, Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich frequently says, is that voters judge him on his record. As he wages an uphill battle to hang onto to his job in the May 21 election, Trutanich rattles off a list of reasons he should be "rehired" to head one of the nation's largest municipal law firms. He cites a substantially reduced reliance on costly outside attorneys, favorable outcomes in lawsuits that he says have saved taxpayers more than $300 million and a crackdown on illegal billboards that activists called scourges on their neighborhoods.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 22, 2013 | By Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein, This post has been corrected. See below for details.
A Tarzana optometrist has been charged with allegedly concealing a small "peeping Tom" video recorder in an office restroom, the L.A. city attorney said Friday. Foad Shirazian, 38, a resident of Calabasas, and a licensed doctor of optometry, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating the privacy of others by using a concealed video recording device. "A person's privacy, especially in the most personal and intimate situations, must be respected and protected," City Atty.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 8, 2013 | By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich offers an explanation for why his reelection challenger has racked up the lion's share of endorsements as the May 21 runoff approaches: "He's part of the old-boys club; he's a career politician and I'm independent. " But former lawmaker Mike Feuer points to the backing he's received from hundreds of elected officials - including both of California's U.S. senators - civic and other groups, environmental organizations, labor, law and community leaders as evidence of "a clear desire for change" in the city's top legal post.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 10, 2013 | By Jean Merl
Former lawmaker Mike Feuer, a candidate for Los Angeles city attorney in the May 21 runoff, had raised $308,000 by April 6, the first campaign reporting deadline, and had collected an additional $350,000 in taxpayer matching funds, according to a document filed Wednesday with the City Ethics Commission. Feuer turned in his campaign finance report a day ahead of Thursday's filing deadline. He showed more than $540,000 in cash on hand. The report indicated Feuer made a $15,000 payment to Shallman Communications, his consulting firm.