Former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, whose 22-year-old daughter died unexpectedly last month, has ended his bid to become mayor of Los Angeles, he announced Thursday, Feb. 5.
In an email to news media, Beutner cited his family’s mourning over the loss of Emily Beutner as the reason.
“I have made the difficult decision not to run for mayor of Los Angeles.
“My family has experienced the unimaginable loss of our beloved daughter Emily. She was a magical person, the light of our lives. We are still in mourning.
“A successful campaign, and more importantly the job of mayor, requires someone who is committed 24/7 to the job,” his statement read. ‘”Family has always come first for me. That is where I need to be at this time.”
His message concluded by saying Los Angeles is “a special place, but every day it’s becoming less affordable, less safe and a more difficult place to live. To solve these problems, new ideas are needed along with leadership capable of implementing them.”
Beutner served as Los Angeles Unified superintendent from 2018 to 2021.