City Attorney Carmen Trutanich today attacked rival Mike Feuer for his opposition to Prop. 37, the failed ballot measure that would have required labeling of genetically modified foods.

At a debate last week, Feuer said he voted against the measure because it would have established “a costly bureaucracy that didn't inform anybody of anything.”
“This was not a practical initiative,” Feuer said.
Trutanich said he voted for it because “I don't want to put anything in my mouth” unless he knows what it is. “I'm all about knowing,” he said.

Prop. 37 failed statewide, 53-47 percent. But 57 percent of L.A. voters supported it, according to preliminary returns. So the Trutanich campaign decided to pounce.

Credit: Trutanich re-election campaign

Credit: Trutanich re-election campaign

In a press release today, the Trutanich campaign blared: “FEUER VOTES AGAINST LETTING PARENTS KNOW IF THEIR KIDS ARE EATING GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD!!”
“When you sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner with your family this week, you should remember that Feuer doesn't want you to know if your meal was bio-engineered,” Rick Taylor, Trutanich's campaign strategist, said in the release.
Not to be outdone, the Feuer campaign fired back with a big helping of Thanksgiving-related puns:

“Carmen Trutanich is playing chicken with debates because he doesn't want to talk turkey with voters,” said spokesman Dave Jacobson. “It's Mr. Trutanich who is ducking out of his pledge to participate in 100, or even a mere 10 debates. Clearly, after his dismal performance at last week's debate, Mr. Trutanich is afraid to commit to more debates.”

The city attorney's office has no purview over food labeling. Asked about the Trutanich campaign's emphasis on that issue, Taylor said, “Do I think it's an overwhelming issue in the campaign? I think it's an issue. It goes to the core of who Mike Feuer is. He doesn't want transparency.”

Feuer launched his own attack on Trutanich today while announcing his own “grassroots neighborhood walk campaign.”

“Carmen Trutanich has done a lot of talking as City Attorney, but not a lot of listening,” Feuer said. “I'm running to change that. I want to be the City Attorney of the people, and my agenda will reflect the priorities that Angelenos hold dear–not the priorities of big campaign donors and special interests.”