LOS ANGELES, CA — Today Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel announced that she has earned the support of California’s top legislative leader Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez in her bid to become Mayor of Los Angeles.
“I have known Wendy for more than a decade and I know she understands how to get things done,” said Speaker Pérez, whose district includes Downtown, Koreatown, and parts of East and South Los Angeles. “Throughout her career Wendy Greuel has fought to create jobs, return million of dollars to small businesses, and improve Los Angeles’ streets and public transit system. Wendy understands the needs of working people and of business owners alike and can bring them together to rebuild our economy. Wendy will be a fighter for Angelenos across the city and she has my enthusiastic support."
“Speaker Pérez is one of our state’s most influential leaders and I am honored to receive his support,” said Greuel. “ He has worked tirelessly to ensure California's economy recovers and grows, making tough decisions that helped bring the state's fiscal house in order, fighting to increase college affordability and opportunity, and jumpstarting efforts to bring new business and jobs to California. Speaker Pérez has been a tremendous leader for our city and our state, and I am delighted to have his support for our efforts to make Los Angeles an even greater place to live, work and do business.”
Speaker Pérez has overseen a historic turnaround in the state's finances, eliminating multi-billion dollar budget deficits while saving hundreds of thousands of jobs and preserving essential services for Californians. Under his leadership Democrats gained a two-thirds majority in the Assembly in November for the first time in more than 30 years. Pérez has worked with business and labor leaders to pave the way for a deal to build an NFL stadium in Downtown Los Angeles, a project expected to create more than 20,000 jobs. He authored legislation to create California’s first-in-the-nation Health Benefits Exchange and to establish GO-Biz, a central point of contact for California businesses to help spur jobs and investment. Pérez was the first openly gay person elected to the position of Assembly Speaker in the country, and has long been an advocate for the LGBT community. Pérez has been active in Los Angeles in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and served both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush on the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Today’s endorsement comes on the heels of recent endorsements from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, and Congresswoman Janice Hahn. Other elected officials and community leaders already supporting Greuel include: civil rights and labor icon Dolores Huerta, Congressman-elect and Los Angeles City Councilmember Tony Cardenas, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Bill Rosendahl and José Huizar, State Senators Fran Pavley and Alex Padilla, Assemblymembers Bonnie Lowenthal, Felipe Fuentes and Nancy Skinner, former City Controllers Laura Chick and Rick Tuttle, former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, civil rights trailblazer John Mack and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
For more information about the Wendy Greuel for Mayor campaign, go to www.wendygreuel.org.