Former Board of Public Works President Kevin James announced Wednesday he will run for Los Angeles city attorney in 2022, promising to “bring a new, innovative approach to the complex legal issues our city faces.”
James was appointed president of the Board of Public Works in 2013, a job he held for seven years before becoming Mayor Eric Garcetti’s chief of legislative affairs in 2020.
As chief of legislative affairs, James said he has worked on police reform, COVID-19 response funding, labor issues and homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic.
James previously served as director of the Mayor’s Office of Film and Television Production and as the city’s liaison to the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission on bids for the NBA All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and the U.S. Open Golf Championship.
“Like so many Angelenos, I came to L.A. in search of a community that would accept me as I am and where I could contribute to its success. Los Angeles is that special place,” James said in a prepared statement.
“Only months ago Los Angeles was the envy of the world. And then the pandemic struck. The problems we face today are serious, but they can be solved.”
City Attorney Mike Feuer is barred from running for re-election because of term limits.
