LA City Council president announces she won’t run for mayor in 2022

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez announced Thursday she will not run for mayor in 2022.

“After all we’ve been through as a city, and all we have left to do to recover from this pandemic, L.A. needs stability and steady leadership. I am not worried about what’s next — I’m focused on right now and I know I can best serve our city’s hardworking people and families as their council president,” Martinez said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

Mayor Eric Garcetti is not eligible for reelection in 2022 due to term limits, and is expected to leave office early pending his U.S. Senate confirmation to be ambassador to India, which President Joe Biden selected him for on July 9. The city charter designates Martinez, as City Council president, to serve as acting mayor when the mayor is out of the state.

If Garcetti is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Martinez would become acting mayor until an interim mayor is appointed by the council or a special election is held.

The council is unlikely to schedule a special election, because the mayoral primary is already set for June 2022.

Martinez, who represents parts of the central and eastern San Fernando Valley in Council District 6, has served on the City Council since 2013 and became council president in 2020.

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