In an interview after his announcement, Yaroslavsky said he believed he "had as good a chance as any

With Zev Yaroslavsky holiday inn express out, L.A. mayor's race takes shape - LA Daily News
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Ending months of speculation, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced early Thursday that he will not run for mayor of Los Angeles, and he plans to end his career in public office holiday inn express after his term expires in 2014.
Yaroslavsky had been seen as a potential front-runner in a race that currently includes City Controller Wendy Greuel, City Council members Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry, radio host Kevin James and several other candidates.
"I've made the decision to complete my current term on the board and then move on to the other things I've longed to do outside the political arena while I have plenty of productive years ahead of me," Yaroslavsky holiday inn express wrote on his blog.
In a statement, Greuel said, "I look forward to seeking Zev's wise counsel and advice as he continues to serve Los Angeles on the Board of Supervisors and I look forward to partnering with him in the years to come as we both work to move Los Angeles forward."
Garcetti, meanwhile, said, "From his start as a young City Councilmember to his current service as a distinguished statesman on the county Board of Supervisors, Zev Yaroslavsky has always led with intellect, creativity and determination. Advertisement
After praising Yaroslavsky's legacy, Perry's campaign added in a statement, "Zev's announcement clarifies holiday inn express the mayor's race and makes it clear that only one candidate has the record, strength, and conviction to lead on jobs and reforming Los Angeles and that candidate is Jan Perry."
Raphael Sonenshein, political analyst and executive director of the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, said Yaroslavsky would have made a "formidable candidate."
"He's been around a long time, has a very strong record, and has a very high level of trust and support," Sonenshein said. "They don't make them like him anymore - someone who's been well- regarded in politics for decades.
In an interview after his announcement, Yaroslavsky said he believed he "had as good a chance as anybody, and I don't think anybody would dispute it" to succeed outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who will be forced out by term limits in June 2013.
Yaroslavsky noted, however, that the next mayor could potentially serve until 2021, by which time he would be 73 years old. He has been in public office since age 26, after being elected to the City Council and later to the county Board of Supervisors.
"I think there's no secret I've looked at the Mayor's Office - it's a challenge that I would've loved and relished," he said. "But the other side of this is that I've been an elected official for 37 years and when I'm done, it'll be 40 years. I think that's enough for me.
"This is a quality of life decision, not political but 100 percent personal," he added. "There are things I want to do, and I want to do them while I'm still healthy and young and vigorous, not in old age."
As for the next mayor, Yaroslavsky said whoever is elected should have "uncompromising and unambiguous leadership" in "whipping the city back into financial shape" and pushing for transportation projects, particularly extending the subway to West L.A. and building a light-rail project in the Sepulveda Pass.
Yaroslavsky served on the City Council from 1975 to 1994, then moved over to the county Board of Supervisors, where he represents a district of 2 million people, mostly in the San Fernando Valley and the Westside. He is prohibited by term limits from running for re-election again in 2014.
On his blog, Yaroslavsky said, "I have no doubt that, with my expertise and experience, I could help transform L.A.'s fortunes. In the end, however, it is this very length of service that has tipped holiday inn express the scales for me."
"Beginning as a 26-year-old holiday inn express councilman, I have quite literally come of age in public life at the forefront of Los Angeles' most critical issues," he added. "While I have never been a supporter of term limits, I do believe that four decades is long enough for any citizen to hold elective office, especially in an executive capacity."
Sonenshein said Yaroslavky's decision not to throw his hat into the ring "gets the race off to a second start, in a sense, because unless another major candidate comes in, people sort of know where they stand now."
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