The Brief

LOS ANGELES - Former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner announced his candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles on Monday, setting up a challenge to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the June 2026 election.

What we know:

Beutner, 65, served as the head of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2018 to 2021 and as a deputy mayor under former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa from 2010 to 2013.

His recent criticism of Mayor Bass centers on what he calls a "failure of leadership" during the Palisades Fire, which damaged his own home and destroyed his mother-in-law's.

Beutner's entry into the race comes as developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in 2022, is also considering a 2026 run and has been a vocal critic of the mayor's fire response.

What they're saying:

In his campaign v

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