Wendy Greuel's Safety Plan Draws Criticism

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Mayoral Candidate and current City Controller, Wendy Greuel, spoke in front of a friendly audience of about 30 firefighters outside their offices downtown about her plans for public safety.

The United Firefighters of Los Angeles (UFLAC) officially endorsed Greuel's campaign last week. Frank Lima, the president of the firefighters local 112 office said he believes Greuel can help restore the fire department, adding that he and other firefighters had seen lives in jeopardy because of cuts made.

Greuel's plans included an increase in the number of police officers, firefighters and paramedics and an expansion of crime prevention programs. Greuel said it is possible to achieve the goals set in the plan without raising taxes by setting aside 20 percent of revenue growth.

But some, including her opponents, question where the revenue growth will come from.

"If there is no funding mechanism that she has proposed, it sounds like there's an awfully big hole in the plan," Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a USC Professor of Public Policy said. "She hasn't told us what that revenue growth is and whether or not it will be real."

The UFLAC is one of 11 organizations that has endorsed Greuel over the last month.