Lieu Senate seat draws crowd of interested politicians

SACRAMENTO -- State Sen. Ted Lieu’s announcement that he is running for an open congressional seat has sparked interest in his Senate seat from a crowd of possible contenders, including Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi and former Assemblywoman Betsy Butler.

Lieu, a Democrat from Torrrance, said he plans to run for the congressional seat being vacated by the retirement of Rep. Henry Waxman, a contest that could be a tough one if L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaorslavsky decides to jump in.

On Tuesday, Democrat Vito Imbasciani, a state surgeon for the California Army National Guard, became the first person to announce his candidacy for Lieu’s 26th Senate District seat.

A resident of the Hollywood Hills, Imbasciani, 57, has 28 years’ service as an officer of the U.S. Army Medical Corps and is a veteran of two wars, with active-duty tours in Desert Storm and Iraq. Imbasciani said he is an advocate for rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Butler is “seriously considering a run for the 26th Senate District,” said spokesman Andrew DeBlock. Butler is currently raising money to run for the 62nd Assembly District.

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) is also considered a potential candidate but has not yet decided if he’ll jump in, representatives said.

Those interested in the Lieu Senate seat also include Democrat Ben Allen, a member and past president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Board.

Allen will be seeking the state Democratic Party’s endorsement this weekend for the Senate seat.

“If Ted Lieu runs for Congress and I get the endorsement, I’m in,” said Allen, 35, a resident of Santa Monica who serves as “of counsel” for the law firm of Richardson & Patel and who teaches at the UCLA School of Law.

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patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com