Former Los Angeles schools Superintendent Austin Beutner announced he’s running for mayor, challenging Karen Bass in her re-election bid.
"I voted for Karen Bass last time," Beutner said in an announcement video Monday. "We had hopes, but now even she admits we need a citywide turnaround."
"I agree, Los Angeles needs change," he continued. "This isn't an ordinary time, and I'm not an ordinary candidate. But we've solved tough problems before. Together, we can get Los Angeles back on track."
Beutner's entry into the race marks the first major challenge to Bass, who was elected in 2022 and is running for a second term. Both Beutner and Bass are Democrats. The mayor has faced criticism for her handling of the deadly Palisades Fire, which left communities in rubble.
Beutner criticized the mayor for the wildfire response in his announcement video, saying that "fire hydrants that don't work are a metaphor for the failure of leadership in City Hall." His comments referred to water tanks and some fire hydrants temporarily running dry as firefighters battled the flames.
Los Angeles has also been thrust into the center of the national political conversation on immigration after President Donald Trump deployed troops to the city amid protests over enforcement raids. Bass' campaign website emphasized that she "is standing up for all Angelenos in the face of the Trump administration’s cruel ICE raids and militarized actions that have no purpose other than to create fear, damage our economy and tear families apart."
Beutner also referred the raids in his video, saying, "I'll never accept the Trump administration's assault on our values and our neighbors." He continued, saying that targeting people based on skin color was "unacceptable and un-American."
Beutner previously served as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and he founded the nonprofit Vision to Learn, which provides glasses, vision screenings and eye exams for children. He has also served as deputy mayor and served as the co-CEO and co-founder of the investment bank Evercore.
In his launch video, he highlighted his work in education, touting his push to expand arts and music programs in schools and provide free meals to kids during Covid shutdowns, and his work with Vision to Learn.
Bass' campaign did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
The mayoral primary election will take place next June. A candidate who gains a majority of votes wins outright. If no candidate gets a majority, then the top two candidates proceed to a runoff in November.
