Wendy Watch: Same Day, Different Year

It was about 10:30 a.m. on  Friday, January 10th, 2010. I was assigned to Wendy Watch out of City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles. My name's Yorty. I'm a dead mayor.

Wendy Greuel, formerly a member of the Los Angeles City Council, now Controller for the City of Los Angeles had a telephone appointment with Kathy Spillar of the Feminist Majority Foundation. The FMF is one of those hard-boiled women's groups that wants to make sure elected officials are addressing issues of concern to women. I take no sides, I'm only looking for the truth.

The issue at hand was concern by residents and victims of rape two years before that "rape kits," physical evidence of reported rapes were backlogged when it came to analysis and investigation by the LAPD, work that could lead to the capture and conviction of these rapist scums and prevent potential future rapes. The rub was that the City Council was ignoring the issue.

Action finally started to happen when then radio broadcaster, Kevin James, pushed the issue into the media and then City Controller Laura Chick was the only elected official to address the matter.

So why was it two years later that Ms. Greuel was meeting with this important organization to seemingly take credit?

Most likely it was that Greuel, having won the Controllers race just months before, was already teeing up a run for Mayor. Support from an important women's group like this would be key; particularly if Ms. Greuel was setting up to be the first female mayor of the nation's second largest city.

It may very well be that Ms. Greuel's attempt to take credit for movement on the rape kit issue rang hollow, as she was part of the Council in 2008 that failed to take action. My guess is this one reason why the National Organization for Women endorsed her opponent Eric Garcetti who is a man. Just the facts, mam.

Liars and shysters don't sit well with the citizens. Unless they're elected officials. That's why I'm here.

The story you have just heard is true. The names were not changed to protect the innocent as there are none when it comes to LA's insider political elite.