Former State Sen. Kevin de León Running for L.A. City Council

Former state Sen. Kevin de León is looking to shift his political base of operations to Los Angeles City Hall, by seeking the Eastside council seat being vacated by Councilman Jose Huizar.

De León, who waged an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein in November, said Monday he intends to continue on his “path of public service” by running to replace Huizar, who is being forced out by term limits.

With Monday’s campaign announcement, De León instantly becomes the most high-profile person to run in Huizar’s district, which stretches from downtown and Boyle Heights to Eagle Rock. The campaign has already picked up endorsements from nearly two dozen elected officials in the L.A. area, including three on the council: Curren Price, Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell.

De León, 52, served in the Legislature — first in the Assembly, then in the Senate, where he was president — from 2006 until last year. During that period, he represented all or a portion of Huizar’s district, securing funding for parks, environmental cleanup initiatives and housing for homeless Angelenos. “It would be an absolute honor to continue that work at the local level,” he said.

Kevin de León will join the UCLA faculty this spring.

De León, former president pro tempore of the California State Senate, will teach courses in public policy at the Luskin School of Public Affairs for both undergraduate and graduate students.

De León will be teaching a class tentatively titled “California Policy Challenges: A Policymaker’s Perspective” beginning in the spring quarter, de León said.

De León worked in the state Legislature for 12 years beginning in 2006. He began in the Assembly, then was elected to the Senate, where he served as president. De León also ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2018, but was defeated by Sen. Dianne Feinstein. He also announced Monday he plans to run for the March 2020 Los Angeles City Council election.

De León will also work with UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Initiative. He will hold an advisory position that will allow him to conduct research regarding how domestic policy challenges affect Latinos, according to a university press release.

The Latino Policy & Politics Initiative researches legislation affecting Latinos and Californians.

De León said in an email statement he is excited to be a professor for a university that rejected his application as an undergraduate.