Business Group Makes Council Endorsement

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The Central City Association has endorsed former state Assemblyman Paul Koretz in the hotly contested May 19 runoff election on Los Angeles’ Westside for the City Council seat being vacated by Jack Weiss.

The board of the downtown-focused business group also voted to endorse Assemblymember Curren Price, the frontrunner in the May 19 runoff to replace former state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, who won election to the Board of Supervisors. Price, a Democrat, faces token Republican opposition in a district where two-thirds of the voters are registered Democrats.

The board also voted to support state propositions 1A through 1F, the six measures that the state Legislature placed on the May 19 ballot as part of the state budget package crafted in February. Among the measures voters are being asked to approve are a spending cap, borrowing from the lottery and redirecting some special purpose monies to the general fund.

In a statement following the board vote, Central City Association Chief Executive Carol Schatz said the propositions were necessary to solve the state’s structural fiscal problems.

In making its endorsement for Koretz, the business group faced a difficult choice, since neither Koretz nor his runoff opponent, homeowner activist David Vahedi, are considered close business allies. Koretz is heavily supported by labor, while Vahedi wants to give more scrutiny to development proposals.

But Schatz cited Koretz’ years of experience in Sacramento and as a West Hollywood City Councilman as a key factor in the board’s vote. “We believe this will help him tackle the challenges that Los Angeles faces as a city,” she said.

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Howard Fine
Howard Fine is a 23-year veteran of the Los Angeles Business Journal. He covers stories pertaining to healthcare, biomedicine, energy, engineering, construction, and infrastructure. He has won several awards, including Best Body of Work for a single reporter from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and Distinguished Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists.

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