Villaraigosa’s pension choice pulls out just before council vote
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s pick to run the city’s pension system for public-safety employees has dropped out of the running, saying Wednesday he “didn’t want to get wrapped up in the politics.”
Ray Joseph, 40, had been slated to appear Wednesday before the City Council for a final confirmation vote. But the Maryland resident told The Times he had grown concerned about the possibility that the next mayor, who takes office July 1, would want somebody else to run the retirement system.
City Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti are running in the May 21 election to replace Villaraigosa, who steps down June 30.
“The way it was explained to me, I could be removed by the [pension] board if a new mayor comes in and decides to make that change. That was a concern,” said Joseph, who sent a letter Tuesday announcing his change of plans.
The announcement from Joseph, a former official in the federal Department of Interior, delivers a setback to the mayor’s messy and protracted search for a new head of Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions.
The pension board, which oversees a $15.8-billion investment portfolio and delivers retirement benefits to police and firefighters, has been locked in a power struggle that has pitted Villaraigosa appointees against representatives of public safety workers.
Over the past two years, the pension board twice recommended interim general manager William Raggio to run the system. Villaraigosa vetoed that choice both times. Last month, the board -- which has five of its nine members selected by the mayor -- narrowly picked Joseph on a 5-to-4 vote.
Joseph described his decision to withdraw from the running as “primarily a family decision,” saying he did not want to be separated from his wife and children for extended periods of time. But he acknowledged other factors had also weighed on his decision.
“Sometimes there’s underlying events that make you aware you shouldn’t take a position,” he said.
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In split vote, new leader for public safety pensions chosen
Villaraigosa seeks to restore services, kill raise for city workers
L.A. mayor again vetoes pick for fire and police pensions manager
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