L.A. Clean Sweep, the group hoping to take down City Hall incumbents in next year's election, held a kickoff meeting in North Hollywood Saturday, drawing a couple hundred people despite the mid-day heat.

As we noted, organizer Ron Kaye, former editor of the LA Daily News, seemed to recognize the need to attract a diverse coalition — ethnically, geographically and ideologically. This was reflected at the speaker's podium. One speaker, however, was at least suspect in this regard.

Via LA Observed and the Times, Michael Trujillo, Democratic operative who has worked for both Hillary Clinton and Mayor Villaraigosa, sent a letter to media outlets (though not this one) detailing the borderline statements of Walter Moore, lawyer and two-time mayoral candidate who spoke at Saturday's event. (We were outside interviewing folks and must have missed his speech.)

Here's a bit from the Trujillo letter. The clips he refers to are not from the event; they are self-made Youtube videos. You can watch clips from the LA Clean Sweep event here.

In this clip Walter Moore highlights all of the signs and billboards in Spanish (which is ironic since billboard companies are part of Walter's attorney client list). Walter complains that the billboards not being in English is somehow a sign that the City is deteriorating.

In another clip Walter shows you how many Spanish language radio stations serve the Los Angeles media market and while he doesn't say anything in the clip – he does post this on the you tube site to describe the video “”If you don't live in L.A., you may not realize how far the Mexican invasion of our country has progressed. This video shows you how many Spanish-language radio stations we have.”

So far both videos show Walter having a very anti-Latino view of the world.

This is a bit of problem for L.A. Clean Sweep. Kaye has said repeatedly that he seeks credibility. Keeping Moore around may not be compatible with that goal.

In a phone interview this afternoon, Kaye said L.A. Clean Sweep is an inclusive movement, encouraging Latino candidates to run for office, a movement that hopes to bring good government to L.A. He said Moore was the runner-up in the mayor's race and thus has a significant constituency. He also said Moore doesn't represent the organization or its views and would have to answer for his own views on immigration.

Clean Sweep, meanwhile, has no position on immigration because it does not view it as a local issue, Kaye said.

He also lashed out at Trujillo as a paid agent of the City Hall political machine, calling the accusations “guilt-by-association” and “McCarthyite.” Kaye noted the title of the Trujillo letter: Does “Clean Sweep” mean no more Latinos in Los Angeles?

“Does he suspect genocide, mass deportation? The real question is, how can someone who spews smears like that question someone's integrity and decency?” Kaye asked.

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