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With Greuel Out, Laura Chick Will Not Run for Council District 2, but Who Will?*

By  Zach Behrens
Published Mar 3, 2009 11:00 PM
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Laura Chick voting | Photo via her website

Laura Chick voting | Photo via her website
It was rumored to be a simple swap. If Wendy Greuel won City Controller, which she did last night, City Controller Laura Chick would run for Greuel's empty seat in Council District 2 in the Valley. In an upset to many, Chick announced this morning that she is moving on from elected city politics.
As I am close to the end of my two terms as City Controller, the most frequently asked question has been, “What are you going to do?” Many of those who have asked are encouraging me to run for the Second Council District being vacated by Ms. Greuel. I have been humbled and honored at the outpouring of encouragement and support to run for City Council. It has been the greatest honor to serve the people of Los Angeles as an elected official for the past 16 years. However, it is time for me to move on to other challenges and frontiers; and therefore, I will not be a candidate for City Council.

Though my future plans have not been finalized, I am in the process of finding the right opportunity on which to focus my energies, passion and experience. Of course, once I have made a decision, I look forward to sharing it publicly.

Before serving two terms as City Controller, Chick was the 3rd District Councilmember until she was termed out. In 2006, a ballot measure passed extending council terms from two to three, opening the opportunity for previously termed out politicians to make another stab at it.

This means that beyond the neighboring Council District 5 race, a new race to city hall is about to possibly take place. Here are some of the possible and rumored contenders:

  • Joan Pelico, the popular Sherman Oaks field deputy for the unpopular councilman Jack Weiss.
  • Tamar Galatzan, LAUSD Board Member and Neighborhood Prosecutor for the Van Nuys LAPD Division
  • Ben Neumann, current president Studio City Neighborhood Council
  • Kenny Gerston former president of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council
  • Former assemblywoman Cindy Montanez

A map showing the neighborhoods in Council District 2 is below.

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Council District 2 | Map provided by Wendy Greuel's Office
*UPDATE: Someone has asked if the CD2 race will be on the May 19th ballot. At this moment, that's an unsure thing, but we're looking into it with the City Clerk's Office. Since the election is not certified, Wendy Greuel is officially not the winner yet (even though we all know the reality of it)--it could be as late as March 21st when everything is said and done. And since it is not official that her office will be vacated, the City Clerk cannot open the doors for candidate filing. Once filing is open, there is a certain window of time before the race actually begins. So there's a chance that a special election may have to be called. Stay tuned...