Trutanich to seek 2nd L.A. city attorney term despite D.A. defeat

Fresh off a stinging defeat in the race for county district attorney, Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich said Wednesday that he intends to seek reelection to his City Hall office.

Trutanich finished third in Tuesday’s primary despite having the most money and an array of high-powered endorsements, including from Gov. Jerry Brown and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Nevertheless, Trutanich said he intends to seek a second four-year term in March.

“I’m looking forward to my second term. I’m hoping that the voters will feel the same way,” said Trutanich, who first won office in 2009. “Right now, I have every intention in the world of pulling papers and filing them. You get wounded. But I’m not dying.”

With the election only nine months away, that may be a tall order for Trutanich. John Shallman, his campaign consultant in the D.A.’s race, has already spent months working on the city attorney bid of Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles). Feuer has raised more than $345,000 and has locked up his own list of prominent backers.

Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, a supporter of Feuer, described Trutanich’s third place finish as “a shock” and said he hoped Trutanich would bow out of the March city contest.

“I hope that [Trutanich] reflects on what happened and continues to be a great community guy involved in issues,” said Rosendahl, who represents a district stretching from Los Angeles International Airport to Pacific Palisades.

On election night, Trutanich told reporters from LA Weekly and other media outlets that he blamed his loss on media “onslaught.” On Wednesday, however, he took a more conciliatory approach, saying he was “humbled” by his third-place finish and bore responsibility for his campaign’s problems.

Asked if his failure to fulfill a promise to not seek higher office until completing his city attorney term killed his bid for district attorney, Trutanich replied: “Obviously it hurt.”