Portantino sets sights on Liu’s senate seat

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) — faced with being termed out of office next year — is seeking the endorsements of two local Democratic organizations for a run at state Sen. Carol Liu’s seat in a newly redrawn district.

Portantino’s move into the state Senate race for the 25th District — which includes Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena — is a marked shift from his stance in June, when he said he planned to run in Rep. David Dreier’s San Gabriel Valley district.

He is scheduled to join Liu and Ameenah Fuller on Saturday for interviews conducted by members of the Glendale Democratic Club, said Thomas O’Shaughnessy, treasurer for the organization, and then a week later by the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley.

Campaign representatives for Portantino and Liu did not immediately respond Wednesday for comment.

In recent weeks, the assemblyman has refused to discuss his campaign plans, so his endorsement interviews for the state Senate seat indicate he has dropped his Congressional ambitions.

Portantino has stated all along that he would not run against fellow Democrat and incumbent Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) for Congress.

The first day candidates can pull papers to run for state offices is Feb. 13

-- Mark Kellam, Times Community News

Twitter: @LAmarkkellam