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Perez: Next summer is ‘natural transition point’ for new speaker

Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles), left, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) talk during the Assembly session last September. Perez said he will step down from the speaker post after next year's budget is passed.
(Rich Pedroncelli / AP)
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SACRAMENTO--Assembly Speaker John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles), a candidate for state controller, said Tuesday he would like to step down from his leadership post early next summer.

“It’s a natural transition point right after the budget is passed, the end of June, beginning of July,” Perez told the Los Angeles Times.

“You complete your obligation to get another on-time budget, then as each house is dealing with bills from the other house, you’ve got a new leader in place,” he said

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Perez said he then would be available to assist the incoming speaker for a short period in the final weeks of the session, which is scheduled to adjourn on Aug. 31, 2014.

The jockeying to replace Perez has been the subject of much speculation in the Capitol, but so far, no clear front-runner candidate has emerged.

Perez will appear on the ballot in June, in the Democratic primary election for controller. He announced his bid for the statewide office in October and, in the last week, his campaign has rolled out endorsements from Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and current state Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

Betty Yee, a member of the Board of Equalization, is also running for the job.

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@melmason

melanie.mason@latimes.com

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