Why Does Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel Keep Trying To Pass Off Laura Chick's Homework As Her Own?

Wendy, stop copying! Do your own work.

In her bid to become L.A.'s next Mayor, City Controller Wendy Greuel has announced, with much fanfare, that she has just completed a "comprehensive" audit of the Department of Transportation.  She has come up with 26 -- count 'em, 26! -- recommendations to improve operations there.

Your job, of course, is to be terribly impressed by the hard work she did on the project. Well, technically, she didn't do anything but sign the cover letter. It's not as though she's a C.P.A., or even has a degree in accounting or anything.

But here's the problem: all Greuel is doing is trying to pass off, as her own work, the same old audits that her predecessor, Laura Chick, handed in while Greuel was on the City Council. Chick already audited the Department of Transportation over and over, in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. Chick's 2007 audit, moreover, had 17 recommendations.

Can you say, "re-inventing the wheel?" Sure you can.

Plus, this is the third time that Greuel herself has purported to audit the DOT during the three years she's been Controller.

Did Greuel do anything, anything at all, about any of Chick's audits while Greuel was on the City Council? No. So why should you believe that she would suddenly take action if you promote her to Mayor. She had her chance.

If you want to fix this City, you cannot let your uninformed fellow citizens simply recycle the interchangeable career politicians at City Hall.  Greuel, Garcetti, Beutner and Perry are all the same person, and they're the ones who, over the past decade, have made this city the mess it is.

If you want to fix the City, you need to put a real outsider in office, whose only goal is to make L.A. a great place to live. Contribute $25 today to Kevin James for Mayor, would you? We can't take four more years of grueling incompetence and corruption at City Hall.  (Get it?  "Grueling?")

[If you'd like to see the various audits in PDF format, and if I've mastered Google Docs sufficiently, you should be able to find them here:  Audits of Department of Transportation.]