City Attorney Carmen Trutanich raised more money last quarter than his top rival, bringing in $159,000 for his re-election campaign. But thanks to his late fundraising start, he continues to trail well behind Assemblyman Mike Feuer in overall donations.

Trutanich has $313,000 in the bank — about a third of Feuer's total. Trutanich has been raising money continuously for almost two years, most of it for his failed D.A. campaign. But the pace of fundraising has slowed.
In the first half of 2012, he brought in $571,000 for his D.A. bid. In the second half, he raised $381,000 for the city attorney race.

Over the same six-month period, Feuer raised just $243,000. But Feuer has been raising money for the city attorney race for two years, putting his total fundraising haul at about $900,000 (or $1.2 million including matching funds).
Also today, Trutanich's campaign released a poll showing him leading the race with 26 percent to Feuer's 18 percent. (The poll also claimed that Trutanich's lead extends to 42-19 when voters were told what a great guy he is.) The Feuer campaign quickly denounced the poll.
“Mr. Trutanich must be running for Top Chef the way he's cooked up this poll,” said Feuer spokesman Dave Jacobson. “With no money and continued negative publicity about his failures, the most likely situation is Trutanich's poll numbers are, in fact, less than what he received as a candidate for District Attorney–where 76% of voters in Los Angeles rejected him.”
This morning, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorsed Feuer at a press conference, calling him a “tireless advocate and a ferocious fighter for kids.”
Trutanich responded with his own press conference, at which he said he wasn't interested in endorsements from “political insiders.”
Asked if he would change his combative approach at all in a second term, Trutanich said, “I'm gonna be me.”

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