Austin Beutner ends his run for mayor of LA, a month after the death of his daughter
Former Los Angeles schools superintendent Austin Beutner said Thursday that he is leaving the mayoral race, citing the death of his 22-year-old daughter.
Beutner, one of the candidates seeking to unseat Mayor Karen Bass in the June 2 primary, made the announcement a month after the death of Emily Beutner, the youngest of her four children.
“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,” Beutner said in a statement. “A successful campaign, and most importantly the job of Mayor, requires someone who is dedicated to the job 24/7. Family has always come first for me. That’s where I need to be at this time.”
Beutner’s daughter died Jan. 6 at the hospital, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner officials, who have not yet determined the cause.
The announcement comes as the list of candidates continues to flow, as Saturday’s deadline for applications approaches.
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has been running, as has Maryam Zar, founder of the Palisades Recovery Coalition. Real estate developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in 2022, has reconsidered a mayoral bid — despite making his decision public last month — after The Times reported that Bass had a hand in the destruction of a report after the Palisades fire.
Bass’s team said the mayor did not make any changes to the report, saying “there is absolutely no reason for him to ask for that information to be changed or deleted since he was criticizing the response to the fire.”
Bass, who is seeking a second four-year term, already faces challenges from reality television star Spencer Pratt, a Republican who lost his home in the Palisades fire; Rae Huang, community organizer and democratic socialist; and Adam Miller, a technology entrepreneur and nonprofit executive.
If Bass secures more than 50% of the vote, he will win outright, avoiding a November runoff.
Beutner, who ran for office in October, spent much of his campaign criticizing Bass’ handling of the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead. The fire destroyed Beutner’s home in Pacific Palisades and destroyed the residence of Beutner’s mother-in-law.
In the early months of his campaign, Beutner also criticized the mayor for raising the city’s fees for garbage collection, sewer maintenance and other basic services.
In his statement to withdraw from the race, Beutner continued to highlight some of the issues he was talking about during his campaign.
“Los Angeles is a special place, but every day it’s getting smaller, less safe and a more difficult place to live,” he said. “In order to solve these problems, we need new ideas and leadership that can use them.”
Beutner’s daughter was adopted on Jan. 6 on the side of the highway in Palmdale in a “distressed situation,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He later died in hospital.
After that, Beutner largely disappeared from the public eye, canceling more than a dozen campaign events and asking for public privacy.
