Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino announced Thursday he will not run for the congressional seat that could be vacated by Rep. Janice Hahn.
Buscaino had considered running for the seat, which Hahn plans to leave as she pursues a spot on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Buscaino said during his State of the District speech at San Pedro’s Crown Plaza Hotel that he has decided against making a bid for Hahn’s seat.
“After careful consideration, soul searching and long discussions with” his wife and children, “I have decided that it is not worth trading everything I have spent a lifetime building here in the harbor area to run for Congress,” he said.
“My future is here in Los Angeles, not 3,000 miles away,” he added. “The projects that we have started in all of the communities of the 15th District, my family, my extended family, my friends, the residents of this district are far too important to me not to spend my days here with you. You are my family and because of that, I will not be running for Congress.”
Buscaino was elected to City Council in 2012 to complete Hahn’s unfinished term. He was re-elected for a four-year term in 2013.
The scramble to fill Hahn’s seat began last week when the congresswoman announced she will forgo running for another term to instead run for an open seat on the county Board of Supervisors, saying she can do more here than in the nation’s gridlocked capital.
State Sen. Isadore Hall, D-Inglewood, immediately announced his intention to run for Hahn’s congressional seat. In turn, former Assemblyman Steven Bradford announced his plans to run for Hall’s state Senate seat.
Both Hall and Bradford said they had Hahn’s support in seeking the offices.
— City News Service