Austin Beutner announces end to run for LA mayor – NBC Los Angeles

Former Los Angeles School District Superintendent Austin Beutner announced Thursday that he will end his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.

Beutner, who was named LAUSD superintendent in My 2018, made his announcement in a post on X following the death of his daughter.

“My family has experienced the unimaginable loss of our beloved daughter Emily,” Beutner said. “She was a magical person, the light of our lives. We are still mourning.”

Beutner said the job of mayor requires someone who is “committed 24/7 to the job.”

“Family has always come first for me,” he added. “That is where I need to be at this time.”

Next year’s field of candidates aiming to replace Mayor Karen Bass is still taking shape. Real estate developer Rick Caruso, whom Bass defeated in 2022, previously announced he will not run for the office.

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt announced his candidacy last month. Pratt, who lost his homes he shared with Heidi Montag, a fellow star from “The Hills,” in the Palisades Fire, has been calling for Mayor Karen Bass to resign over her handling of the 2025 wildfires.

Beutner also has served as deputy mayor of the City of Los Angeles, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, co-chair of the LA 2020 Commission and the L.A. Unified Advisory Task Force and founded Vision To Learn.

The 65-year-old former investment banker became a jobs advisor to then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for California governor, in 2010 before being named deputy mayor. He became LA Times publisher in 2014 before he was ousted by Tribune Publishing Co.

Three years later he took over to lead the LAUSD and stepped down in 2021. His tenure included the tumult of the COVID pandemic, which led to campus closures and online instruction, and a teacher’s strike in 2019.

Beutner is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in economics.