LOS ANGELES—As the Los Angeles Mayoral race presses on, City Controller and running candidate Wendy Greuel released the first campaign ad on television Tuesday, January 29.

Wendy Greuel Photo Courtesy of Facebook.

Claiming to reduce the $160 million waste for city fraud and other abuses, Greuel has received criticism from the public and other opposing candidates for the validity in her numbers. The 30-second ad on behalf of her campaign was the first ad to be released for this year’s campaign. Voters will hit the polls for the primaries on March 5, 2013 and again on May 21 for the final runoff.

The United Firefighters of Los Angeles (UFLAC) endorsed Greuel on Wednesday, January 30, marking her second endorsement in addition to the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA). The UFLAC executive board released the following statement on their official website: “We held membership interviews of the candidates for the Mayor at the James A. Perry Labor Center…After interviewing all of the major candidates…The membership present had a healthy discussion and debate and a vote was taken to endorse the candidacy of Ms. Greuel.”

Other running candidates include Eric Garcetti, taking a strong focus on improving the job market in Los Angeles, Kevin James, and Jan Perry, who just received an Indochinese endorsement.