Pleitez reprimands Garcetti for “boycotting Arizona” and accepting anti-immigration funds privately

LOS ANGELES – Emanuel Pleitez spoke on the steps of City Hall demanding that Eric Garcetti return money from anti-immigrant donors. Garcetti, who publically boycotted Arizona because of strict anti-immigrant regulations, has accepted donations from known Republican donors and anti-immigration advocates.

Pleitez, the son of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants, took a personal tone, saying “I’m sickened by the constant pandering by our elected officials to our immigrant communities they’ve habitually ignored and don’t understand.” Referencing Garcetti’s anti-immigrant contributors, Pleitez argued, “We don’t need another politician who says one thing and does another.” Garcetti, who has been courting the Latino community throughout the race, has seen a drop in Latino support as of a recent poll.

“We don’t need a politician beholden to groups that oppose our interests” said Pleitez. The donors discovered in Councilmember Garcetti’s city ethics contribution records are as follows:

• Jack Selby, a supporter of John McCain and John Boehner, who’ve both led the opposition to immigration reform;
• James Harrison, a contractor who supports Republican candidates who advocate building a fence and arming vigilantes to patrol our border;
• And Michael Meldman, a developer who supports Ben Quayle, a Republican who ran a campaign in Arizona calling Barak Obama “the worst President in history” and supported legislation preventing immigrant children born in the U.S. from getting citizenship.

Pletiez concluded by asking Garcetti to return the funds from anti-immigrant donors. “I would think that Councilmember Garcetti - who’s described anti-immigrant people as ‘going off the deep end’ and ‘forgetting what it is to be American’ – would reject money that came from such people. He should live up to his promise to boycott Arizona’s anti-immigrant policies by returning all donations from anti-immigrant supporters.” Though aimed at Garcetti, it’s clear Pleitez was speaking to all four top mayoral candidates.

Pleitez is a former technology executive, with public, private, and non-profit sector experience, and was appointed to manage President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Pleitez, an LA native, grew up on the eastside and currently lives in El Sereno with his wife, Rebecca. 

For full bio, please visit www.pleitezforla.com.

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Emanuel Alberto Pleitez, candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, participated in the Los Angeles BizFed mayoral debate, co-hosted by the Daily News. The debate was moderated by Austin Beutner, former special deputy to Mayor Villaraigosa and founder of Evercore partners.

Other mayoral candidates in attendance were Councilman Eric Garcetti, City Controller Wendy Greuel, Councilwoman Jan Perry, and conservative radio personality Kevin James.

The candidates covered many topics, including their respective experiences, the city’s budget, tax reform, property and business tax, election cycles, their plans to create a business-friendly culture in the city, and their overall visions for the city of Los Angeles.

Pleitez thrives in BizFed forum showcasing his economic knowledge and innovative pension plan

LOS ANGELES – This morning, Emanuel Pleitez squared off against the other 4 candidates, all of whom lack true knowledge of the economy according to Pleitez. The forum, which was moderated by former Deputy Mayor and mayoral candidate Austin Beutner, focused heavily on fiscal issues in Los Angeles.

Pleitez came prepared with a PowerPoint explaining the pension buyout plan he released on Tuesday. His specificity attracted a favorable reaction from the large, predominantly pro-business crowd. The buyout plan became the cornerstone of his assault on the other four candidates. “No one has a plan…that’s the sad thing about our City Hall. No one understands the numbers”, Pleitez said regarding the other answers to Beutner’s budget questions.

The other candidates didn’t do themselves any favors by recycling the same economic answers they’ve used throughout the race. Garcetti asked the audience to focus on “not just what [he] will do, but what [he] has done”, Greuel said “we need to look at pension spiking and double dipping”, which Beutner pointed out don’t account for the massive deficit projections, James demanded pension reform without any plan or details, and Perry urged employees to contribute more to their healthcare costs. Pleitez clearly distinguished himself with his proposal as the only candidate with a plan.

In a rare lapse in polished performance, Garcetti publicly struggled with the math behind the deficit, and Jan Perry said she “couldn’t remember how [she] voted” on a decision to take city dollars marked for another purpose and use them to create a museum without consultation or consent of tax payers. Greuel showed a lack of economic understanding which Beuter pressed her on frequently, and James was uncharacteristically silent for the duration of the debate.

“LA needs a Mayor who actually understands the economy”, Pleitez said in his closing remarks. Over the past week, Pleitez has rolled out his policy proposals and continues to perform better while the other candidates have started to either recycle their answers or trip over themselves. “Over the next month, I want to share more about my plans to make L.A. realize its potential” Pleitez promised at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. So far, he has delivered.”

Pleitez is a former technology executive, with public, private, and non-profit sector experience, and was appointed to manage President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Pleitez, an LA native, grew up on the eastside and currently lives in El Sereno with his wife, Rebecca.

For full bio, please visit www.pleitezforla.com.

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Download Emanuel's Pension Buyout Proposal