Hermosa Beach : Brutsch Won’t Run Again

City Councilman Gary Brutsch this week honored a campaign pledge of four years ago by announcing that he will not seek reelection in April.

Brutsch, 43, made the announcement at the City Council meeting Monday night. “I committed to four years, four years ago, and I am a man of my word,” Brutsch said.

Brutsch placed first in the contest for three council seats in April, 1982, with 63% of the vote. The other winners in that election, George Barks and Jack Wood, have already announced that they will seek reelection.

Brutsch said in an interview this week that he had accomplished his major goals on the council, which included getting money to repair the city’s deteriorating sewer system, attracting new business to the city and “lending some integrity to the political process.”

“When running for political office becomes more of a function of ego than accomplishment, then it is time not to run,” he said.

Several insiders at City Hall, however, said Brutsch decided not to run again because of his frustration with the City Council and its failure to effectively tackle major political and financial issues confronting the city.

They said Brutsch has grown particularly disillusioned with Wood, whose sometimes caustic style contrasts sharply with his own. The sources said Brutsch believes he can accomplish more for the city working separately from the council.

While Brutsch would not comment on the speculation about his decision, he said he will remain active in local politics. Brutsch, who retired this year from the Los Angeles Police Department, is involved in campaigns to elect state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Valencia) to the U.S. Senate and to oust Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird from the State Supreme Court, he said.