Greuel was the first to go on television with commercials, but Garcetti has a different take on Greuel's claims.
"I think it's very clear from an independent analysis that the numbers Controller Greuel used don't add up," he said. "We have to have real solutions, real numbers, not bogus statistics, not numbers that don't add up," he said.
Both campaigns are gearing up for the final weeks before the primary in the first campaign without an incumbent mayor since Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was elected.
Greuel was elected city controller after years on the city council. There have already been several debates, but the race has just heated up with the charges that Greuel's numbers are not accurate on how much fraud waste and abuse she's identified.
Greuel was not available for comment, but her campaign manager, John Shallman, says Garcetti's charges aren't even close to accurate.
"It's just a complete reckless disregard of the facts. Wendy's been talking about $160 million for probably 25 debates," Shallman said. "Mr. Garcetti has ignored $52 million in potential savings for the city."
The debates will continue with the election only weeks away. The primary election is March 5 and a runoff is expected. The two top vote-getters will compete with each other in the May 21 election.
An exclusive Eyewitness News poll conducted by SurveyUSA shows a close race. Garcetti is in front with the support of 24 percent of likely voters. Greuel has 20 percent, that's within the margin of error, which is 4.8 percent.
City Councilwoman Jan Perry has 15 percent, former prosecutor Kevin James has 12 percent and tech executive Emanuel Pleitez has 7 percent. Fifteen percent of the voters polled are undecided.
