In his early years covering Los Angeles politics, Greenberg was considered the "Examiner"'s "political powerbroker inside Los Angeles City Hall." Greenberg was noted for his journalistic integrity as evidenced in a celebrated incident following Richard Nixon's failed bid for the California Governor's seat in 1962. In an attack on the press (during which he also famously remarked "You won't have Nixon to kick around any more"), Nixon accused the "Los Angeles Times" of bias against him but singled out Greenberg as "the only reporter on the "Times" that fits this thing, who wrote every word I said. He wrote it fairly. He wrote it objectively. Carl, despite whatever feelings he had, felt that he had an obligation to report the facts as he saw them," in response to which Greenberg proffered his resignation from the paper. His "Times" colleagues convinced him that he had no reason to resign.