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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Jessica Lall, the president and CEO of the Central City Association of Los Angeles, ended her campaign for mayor today.
``I have always believed that the mark of a good leader is to be brave enough to step in, but wise enough to know when to step back. With that in mind, I have decided that it is time for me to exit the LA mayor's race,'' Lall said in a video Tuesday.
Mayor Eric Garcetti is termed-out from running again in 2022, and is expected to leave office early pending the U.S. Senate's confirmation of him as ambassador to India. The most prominent candidates to replace him include Rep. Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, City Councilmen Joe Buscaino and Kevin de León, and City Attorney Mike Feuer. The filing deadline for people to run is Saturday.
According to campaign filings submitted on Jan. 31, Lall had raised $403,452. The most money in the race was raised by Bass, with about $1.982 million, followed by de León, who raised $1.226 million.
Lall said Tuesday that she decided to run for mayor because she viewed L.A. as ``in crisis'' due to crime, homelessness, government corruption and dysfunction.
The Central City Association, which Lall has led since 2017, is a lobbying group founded in 1924 that represents more than 300 businesses, trade associations and nonprofits in the Los Angeles area.
The primary for the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election will take place on June 7, with the top two finishers squaring off in the election on Nov. 8.