February 15, 2009
Mr. Carmen Trutanich
Candidate, Los Angeles City Attorney
Trutanich Campaign Headquarters
13743 Ventura Blvd. Suite 360
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Via E-Mail: info@tru09.com
Via Fax: (818) 905-5403
Dear Mr. Trutanich:
On behalf of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP), we demand that you and your campaign immediately cease running your current television advertisement with its racially insensitive content and apologize to the people of Los Angeles and the Latino community immediately.
Your campaign ad that is running on local television is offensive, insensitive, and racist. We are appalled and outraged that in seeking to be Los Angeles’s top prosecutor you would employ the worst racial stereotypes. Your exploitation of young Latinos to portray the gang problem in Los Angeles is an insult to Latinos in Los Angeles and across California.
In particular, your use of juxtaposed images of the young Latinos with the words, “hard core gangs,” “robbery,” “assault,” and “murder,” creates the impression that these are attributes of all young Latinos and that only Latinos engage in this type of behavior. Your ad is extremely disrespectful to the hardworking men and women of L.A.’s Latino community, the vast majority of whom are proud Angelenos who work hard, play by the rules and who are productive, active members of our community.
The Los Angeles County Democratic Party demands that you cease running this offensive television advertisement immediately and issue an apology to L.A.’s Latino community forthwith.
On behalf of the Officers and Members of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party,
Clark Lee
Political Director
Los Angeles County Democratic Party
