Former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor Monday.

The 65-year-old investment banker and philanthropist, who ran the school district from 2018-21, will challenge Mayor Karen Bass in the June 2026 election, according to the Los Angeles Times. ABC7 also reported that Beutner would announce his candidacy.

Beutner questioned Bass' record on crime and development issues, but focused his most withering criticism on her response to January's devastating Palisades Fire, telling the newspaper that the city showed a "failure of leadership" as historically strong winds spread flames through the expensive coastal enclave, gutting thousands of homes and businesses, and killing 12 people.

The fire damaged Beutner's house, and his mother-in-law's home wa

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