Faced with choosing between a veteran politician who's heavily backed by labor, and a rookie candidate who's built his campaign on an anti-growth stance, the Central City Association has decided to back the veteran. The business group announced its support of liberal Democrat Paul Koretz, who has served in both the state assembly and on West Hollywood's City Council, over David Vahedi for the L.A.'s 5th District City Council seat held by Jack Weiss. Vahedi, a member of a Westside neighborhood council, demonstrated surprising strength when he nosed out Koretz 22 to 21 percent in the March 4 primary, although the two men are forced to run against each other in the May 19 runoff.

The L.A. Business Journal quotes Central City Association Chief Executive Carol Schatz as saying she believes Koretz's experience in elective office “will help him tackle the challenges that Los Angeles faces.”

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