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# LA Votes: Special Interests Spend Millions, Greuel and James on the Attack
February 28 2013
Written by Seema Mehta.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
[Nearly $4 million in](http://spreadsheets.latimes.com/unlimited-outside-money/) independent spending has poured into Los Angeles election campaigns in recent weeks.
A Times analysis finds that more than three-quarters comes from [groups tied to unions](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-outside-money-20130227,0,2584662.story), and that, in addition to efforts on behalf of mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, a significant amount is being spent on City Council races as unions look to strengthen their influence at City Hall.
Greuel’s time working for former Mayor Tom Bradley is the latest in a series of Times’ profiles of [turning points ](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-greuel-bradley-20130227,0,1519992.story)in the mayoral candidates’ lives. And the city controller released a [radio attack ad ](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/new-greuel-radio-ad-attacks-garcetti.html)against Eric Garcetti, the first candidate-sanctioned negative ad of the mayoral contest and a sign of how testy the race has become in the closing days. *[(Read more here.)](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/la-votes-special-interests-spend-millions-attacks-fly-by-greuel-and-james.html) \[\[hotlink\]\]*
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