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LA Councilman Paul Krekorian. | Photo courtesy of Jezz789/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian announced Saturday that he will not run for the congressional seat held by Burbank Democrat Adam Schiff, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Dianne Feinstein in 2024.
“Since Representative Adam Schiff declared his candidacy for the United States Senate, many friends and colleagues have urged me to run for the open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Krekorian wrote in a statement released Saturday. “I am honored by the suggestion that I follow my friend Adam in this office to represent a district that has been my home for much of my life and which I have represented as a school board member and as a State Assemblyman. This is the most important congressional district in the country to the Armenian American community, and as a leader in that community, my voice would be especially significant in Washington right now.
“But circumstances have presented me with the responsibility of a lifetime in serving as president of the Los Angeles City Council during a time of extraordinary challenges,” Krekorian continued. “Side by side with Mayor Bass, this Council is addressing the ongoing crisis of homelessness with unprecedented focus, vigor and effectiveness. … We are also on the verge of achieving long-overdue transformative reforms in the way City Hall governs. I have proposed an agenda for change that will restore confidence in our city government, including creating a truly independent redistricting process to replace our current broken system. I intend to lead these reforms through to a successful conclusion, and we will be placing a charter amendment on the ballot at the next general election to give the voters the chance to do so.
“Achieving these goals for the city of Los Angeles must take priority, so I will not be running for the House of Representatives in 2024.”
Several Democrats have submitted paperwork to seek the 30th Congressional District seat held by Schiff, which includes parts of Burbank, Glendale, Sunland and West Hollywood, according to the Federal Election Commission.
The group includes state Sen. Anthony Portantino, former Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, Los Angeles Unified School District board member Nick Melvoin, Assemblywoman Laura Friedman and actor Ben Savage.
Feinstein, 89, has held the U.S. Senate seat since 1992, but officially announced her planned retirement on Tuesday. The competition for her seat is expected to be fierce and expensive, with Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, joining Schiff in announcing her candidacy before Feinstein announced that she was stepping aside.
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