Charter school head Steve Barr drops out of L.A.’s mayoral race, clearing Garcetti’s path for reelection
Charter school founder Steve Barr has abandoned his bid to unseat Eric Garcetti, helping the mayor’s campaign as he seeks a second and final term.
Barr, of Silver Lake, announced in a Facebook post Wednesday night that he was no longer running, saying he and others are still “reeling” from the presidential election.
Citing the need for better public schools, affordable housing and homelessness solutions, Barr wrote, “We need real debate on these complicated issues. I could not find that path in the short time and quick turnaround, between our nightmare of a national election, and March 7th. I am so sorry to have let you down.”
Barr could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Wednesday was the deadline for filing the required allotment of signatures with the city to secure a spot on the ballot.
Candidates had to submit 500 valid voter signatures, or 1,000 if they wanted to avoid paying a filing fee. Barr did not pay the fee, according to the city clerk’s update on candidate petitions. On his Facebook page, Barr said he gathered about 900 signatures. However, he never turned in his petitions.
Barr raised just $17,923 and spent $33,527 on his mayoral bid, according to the most recent campaign reports filed with the city. Candidates typically need at least $1.5 million to launch a serious campaign.
Garcetti has raised $2.25 million, while Mitchell Schwartz has collected about $255,000.
Barr founded Green Dot Public Schools, a nonprofit chain of charter schools. His June announcement that he would seek the mayor’s office prompted speculation that education would emerge as a key issue in the mayor’s race.
His candidacy also came amid a push by local activists to expand charter schools after complaints about issues at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In the short term, Barr’s decision to drop out provides an immediate boost to Schwartz, a former political strategist who helped Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and is also challenging Garcetti.
Schwartz issued a statement Thursday calling Barr “an old friend who has distinguished himself with his efforts to improve education for our most disadvantaged children. I was looking forward to his contribution to this civic conversation.”
Barr’s withdrawal also means Garcetti’s record could face less scrutiny during the election.
“This isn’t going to be a serious race, that’s the bottom line,” said political consultant Eric Hacopian, who isn’t representing anyone in the mayor’s race.
Garcetti consultant Bill Carrick disputed Hacopian’s characterization of the race.
“We’re going to take it seriously and run a serious campaign,” Carrick said, adding that he was surprised by Barr’s departure from the race.
Hacopian sees similarities between Garcetti’s reelection bid and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s 2009 reelection. In that race, Villaraigosa faced just one semi-serious contender, attorney Walter Moore. Moore garnered attention for his anti-immigrant message and received 26.3% of the vote.
Both homelessness and violent crime have increased since Garcetti took office. The mayor has also clashed with some activist groups and faces questions from business groups about whether he’s fulfilled his pledge to boost the city’s economy. At the same time, Garcetti has garnered praise for passing an earthquake-retrofitting law and securing new taxes to help pay for homeless housing and new transit lines.
Others who submitted signatures by the deadline to run for mayor include San Fernando Valley activist David Hernandez and Studio City Neighborhood Council member Eric Preven.
Twenty-two people submitted petitions to run for a northeast San Fernando Valley seat on the City Council, which was vacated by former Councilman Felipe Fuentes in September. An additional 29 turned in signatures to run for seven other council seats.
The list of all candidates could still shrink as officials in the city clerk’s office verify voter signatures on each petition. Those who lack sufficient signatures will not qualify for the ballot.
No one filed to run against City Atty. Mike Feuer, all but guaranteeing him victory in his bid for a second and final term.
Would-be candidates still have the option of mounting a write-in challenge to Feuer or other city incumbents. But in L.A. city elections, that strategy is an extremely unlikely path to victory.
In a statement, Feuer, who was first elected to the post in 2013, said he is “honored once again to have the opportunity to serve the people of Los Angeles.”
Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.
Twitter: @dakotacdsmith
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