Holte Withdraws From Council Race

Mary Lou Holte, a Van Nuys anti-crime activist, said Tuesday that she is dropping out of the race against City Councilman Joel Wachs.

Holte, 42, said she was withdrawing because she could not meet the deadline for gathering enough voter signatures to be listed on the April 9 ballot.

“I didn’t have enough time. If I’d had another month or two, the signatures would have been there,” she said.

Under city election rules, candidates must gather signatures from 500 voters registered in the district in which they are running. The signatures must be gathered between Jan. 14 and Feb. 2. Candidates usually gather between 800 to 1,000 signatures to obtain 500 valid ones.

With Holte’s withdrawal, Wachs faces only two opponents for his 2nd Council District seat, which includes portions of Studio City and North Hollywood. They are North Hollywood homeowner activist Tom Paterson and Peter Lynch, a City Hall lobbyist and former city planner.