Yaroslavsky, Pavley, Bloom say they won’t run for Waxman’s seat

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said Friday he will not be a candidate to replace retiring Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills).

“I said in 2012 that four decades in elected office was long enough, and I meant it,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement issued by his office.

Yaroslavsky, who passed up a chance to run in last year’s election for mayor of Los Angeles, said he considered making the race for Waxman’s 33rd District seat because he “was asked by several close political and personal friends to think about” running.

“In the end, I decided against starting a new career in Congress at this stage of my life,” said Yaroslavsky, 65. He was elected to the L.A. City Council while still in his 20s and will be “termed out” of the Board of Supervisors this year.

He added that he is committed to continuing public service “but I intend to do so outside of elected office.”

So far, two Democrats are committed to running in the Westside/South Bay district: state Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and former L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel. Several others are considering getting in.

Two independent candidates are running, and at least one other is thinking about getting in.

Waxman is retiring after nearly four decades in Congress.

[Updated 2:25 p.m. PST Feb. 7: State Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) said Friday she too will not be a candidate to replace Waxman. “After careful thought, I have decided that I will accomplish more if I complete my last three years in the state Senate,” Pavley said in a statement released by her office.]

[Updated at 5:38 p.m. PST Feb. 7: Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) said Friday that he too is staying out of the race. “My place is in the Assembly. I feel very comfortable having a year under my belt and optimistic about the opportunities that are ahead for me. It’s the thing that makes the most sense, in spite of a lot of people having called to encourage me to run for Congress. I’m going to take a pass on it.” ]

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