Fourteen candidates have filed to run for mayor of Los Angeles – along with dozens seeking other city offices – in March 2013, according to a list posted by the city clerk's office on Saturday.
A total of 131 candidates have filed initial paperwork indicating they want to run one of 18 offices that will go before voters on March 5.
A whopping 20 aspiring politicos filed for the City Council seat being vacated by Eric Garcetti, who is termed out of office and is running for mayor. Twelve filed to run for the council seat held by Jan Perry, who's also running for mayor.
Saturday at noon was the deadline for candidates to file a declaration of intent to run.
Nominating petitions – the next required step in the election process – must be submitted from candidates by Dec. 5. That's typically when many initial filers drop off the list because they're unable to gather enough signatures.
In about four months, voters will weigh the offices of mayor, city attorney, city controller and eight council seats – five of which are being vacated due to term limits. Three Los Angeles Unified School District seats are set to be on the ballot, as are three LA Community College District seats. LA runs elections for both education districts.
Those who hope to fill Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's shoes include, in addition to Garcetti: City Controller and former Councilwoman Wendy Greuel; Councilwoman Jan Perry; former talk show host and federal prosecutor Kevin James.
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Lesser known mayoral hopefuls include a retired construction worker, a neighborhood council secretary, a factory worker, a tech company executive and a filmmaker, according to the clerk's list.
After a failed bid for district attorney, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich will have a primary battle to fend off Assemblyman Mike Feuer, and attorneys Greg Smith and Noel Weiss.
Five Sacramento lawmakers are seeking seats on the City Council, a common destination for termed-out legislators:
- Assemblyman and former state Sen. Gil Cedillo in Council District 1 on the city's eastside
- Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, who was just re-elected to a final term, in Council District 3 in the western San Fernando Valley;
- Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, who wants to represent the northeast San Fernando Valley in Council District 7
- Sen. Curren Price in South Los Angeles' Council District 9; and
- Assemblyman Mike Davis, who's also seeking to represent CD9.
Assemblyman Mike Eng is seeking a seat on the LA Community College District board.
Outspoken LAUSD parent and blogger Scott Folsom is challenging school board President Monica Garcia for her seat, as are six others.
Nury Martinez, who represents the eastern San Fernando Valley on the school board, did not file to retain her seat, which is being sought by 10 hopefuls.
The complete list is at the city's clerk's website (PDF).
