Long Beach Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell announced today that he would not seek reelection to the state Legislature in the newly-redrawn 69th Assembly district in order to pursue “new challenges and opportunities.”
O’Donnell, who has served as one of the city’s representatives in the Assembly since 2014, said on Twitter that he would not run again in 2022 despite having four years of eligibly left. State law limits service in the senate and/or the assembly to 12 years total.
In his Tweet, O’Donnell also implied he will not run for Long Beach mayor, something that had been rumored since late 2020.
“I assure you that I will continue working hard to make our communities and neighborhoods a better place,” O’Donnell said. “I look forward to seeing the city of Long Beach meet the challenges it faces, including electing a new mayor who will commit to not defunding the police and promptly and effectively addressing the homelessness crisis.”
I have an announcement. I'm retiring from the Assembly at the end of my term, and will not be running for Mayor of Long Beach. My full statement is below. It has been a pleasure and an honor serving the people of LB and California. pic.twitter.com/QQe2UGLOR1
— Patrick O'Donnell (@ODonnellUpdate) January 5, 2022
The 2022 legislative session ends in August and O’Donnell said he would serve the rest of his current term.
O’Donnell had previously been a member of the City Council in Long Beach’s 4th District, which now includes the areas east of the Traffic Circle between El Dorado Park and Cal State Long Beach.
O’Donnell won a third term on the council as a write-in candidate before leaving for the Assembly and forcing the special election in which current Councilman Daryl Supernaw won the seat in 2015.
The new 69th District now includes parts of Carson, and no longer includes San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles after the statewide redistricting commission approved final maps in December. A previous version of the new district had all of Long Beach in one Assembly district, but the new district does not include the city’s 9th City Council district in North Long Beach.
According to the California Secretary of State’s website, only one person other than O’Donnell had filed an intention to run for election in 2022. O’Donnell ends his candidacy for reelection with over $700,000 cash on hand for the 2022 election cycle.
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