L.A. mayor won't run for Calif. governor

Shaking up the Democratic race for governor next year, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he will not run.

Villaraigosa, who will begin his second term July 1, made the announcement today to CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He said he wanted to spend more time with his city, which is facing its worst fiscal crisis in several decades.

The Los Angeles Times has more.

So far, only San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has officially declared his candidacy and has been actively campaigning. His city also faces a deep financial hole, and he has been criticized by city officials and others for either being absent or not spending more time focused on resolving the city's budget crisis.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown has been expected to announce his candidacy but has not yet done so.

(AP file photo.)

Posted at 04:50 PM/ET, June 22, 2009

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/20 ... ernor.html