Alarcon Announces Marital Separation

A month after Corina Alarcon dropped out of the race for City Council, state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) said Tuesday that he and his wife have decided to separate after 20 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

“My wife and I are going through a separation,” Alarcon said. “We have not filed papers, but I anticipate that will happen soon. We are making plans to do that soon.”

The former city councilman for the 7th District, Richard Alarcon won election last November to the state Senate and shortly afterward announced his wife would run for his council seat with his support.

However, Corina Alarcon announced Dec. 28 that she had decided not to run for council, citing the demands of her insurance business, her charity work and her family.

Sources at the time said she had reluctantly agreed to her husband’s request to become a candidate, but then decided she could not do it.

Corina Alarcon said her husband initiated the separation about two weeks ago.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “This is something he has chosen to do. I don’t want a divorce. He just said he didn’t want the pressures of marriage.”

Alarcon said his wife’s candidacy might have “put an additional burden on her” but was not a factor in his decision to separate from her.

“It’s about personal issues, nothing to do with any work for the community I do or she does,” he said.

Corina Alarcon was appointed last week by Mayor Richard Riordan to the city Building and Safety Commission.