Wendy Greuel Dines on York, Explains Why She Turned Down Northeast Mayoral Forum Invite

With just a day left for voters to elect the new mayor of Los Angeles, mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel paid a visit Sunday afternoon to a few businesses along York Boulevard, where she explained why she was unable to accept an invitation by the Northeast L.A. Alliance of Neighborhood Councils to debate her electoral rival Eric Garcetti.

Looking dapper but worn-out from campaigning, Greuel was accompanied by Councilmember José Huizar and her husband Dean Schramm as she grabbed a chicken sandwich at Highland Café before heading to a campaign stop in Boyle Heights, followed by San Pedro.

“It’s very spicy and very good,” she remarked as she hungrily devoured the grilled chicken sandwich, adding that she hasn’t had much time to eat while out campaigning.

Told by Patch that many people in the Northeast felt slighted by what they perceived was her rejection of the Northeast L.A. Alliance of Neighborhood Councils’ offer to attend a post-primaries mayoral forum, Greuel attempted to set the record straight.

“We had accepted, but we couldn’t do it on the days that they wanted us to do it,” she said, referring to the proposed dates for the debate on either April 29 or April 30.

“We proposed to do it [the debate] in early May,” she said, adding that the Garcetti campaign “made it sound like I didn’t want to do it.”

The Northeast L.A. Alliance of Neighborhood Councils includes the neighborhood councils of Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Glassell Park and the communities encompassing the Arroyo Seco region.

Greuel was also unable to commit to a Feb. 12 invitation to a mayoral forum in Highland Park before the primaries.