Austin Beutner dropped out of the Los Angeles mayoral race, the former L.A. schools superintendent announced Thursday, one month after his 22-year-old daughter Emily died after experiencing a medical emergency in Palmdale, California.
“My family has experienced the unimaginable loss of our beloved daughter Emily,” Beutner said in a statement on his decision. “She was a magical person, the light of our lives. We are still in mourning. A successful campaign, and more importantly the job of mayor, requires someone who is committed 24/7 to the job. Family has always come first for me. That is where I need to be at this time.”
You can read his fill statement below:
— Austin Beutner (@austinbeutner) February 5, 2026
Emily Beutner, a college junior, died Jan. 6 in the hospital after being found apparently “suffering a medical emergency” on the side of the highway shortly after midnight, according to officials with the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office. A cause of death has not yet been determined, but People reports the event is being investigated as a homicide.
Beutner’s withdrawal comes as lineup of candidates campaigning against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass continues to shake up ahead of Saturday, the last day to file for candidacy, according to the L.A. Times.
Earlier Thursday, Rick Caruso, who had previously stated he would not be running, said he is reconsidering a run for Los Angeles mayor after Bass was accused of altering a Palisades Fire after-action report.
During an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, the billionaire real estate developer, who lost the 2022 L.A. mayoral race to Bass, expressed his concern for “the future of L.A.” over Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times report, which claimed Bass directed a Palisades Fire after-action report be watered down before its release to the public.
Bass’ office vehemently denied the allegations, noting through a spokesperson that the mayor and her staff “made no changes to the drafts” and slammed the report as “muckraking journalism” relying on “third hand unsourced information to make unsubstantiated character attacks to advance a narrative that is false.”
Still, Caruso said the report was “weighing heavily” on him, adding, “I love this city.”
“I’m certainly thinking about it,” Caruso said when asked point-blank if he was reconsidering running for mayor. “I still have to get through the concerns I have of a campaign and the family and what not. We’re gonna gather tonight. We’re gonna have a conversation and we’re gonna talk about it.”
In addition to Bass and formerly Beutner, Rae Chen Huang and Spencer Pratt, among others, have announced their candidacy for mayor. The general election will take place on June 2.