After eight years as Los Angeles City Council President, Herb Wesson has announced that he will step down from the presidency in January so he can focus on his campaign for the 2nd District seat on the county Board of Supervisors.
Wesson will continue to serve on the City Council as the 10th District representative until his term ends next November.
In a motion introduced on Nov. 22, Wesson nominated Councilwoman Nury Martinez to succeed him as president and supported the nomination of Councilman Joe Buscaino as the council president pro tem.
“Serving Los Angeles as the first Black council president and 10th District council member has been the honor of a lifetime,” Wesson said. “I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a unified council over the last eight years, and have no doubt that the good governance that has helped to make Los Angeles the greatest city in the world will carry on under our next president.”
Wesson has led the council since 2012 under two mayors, Antonio Villaraigosa and Eric Garcetti. He is the longest-serving council president since John Ferraro, who was council president for 14 years.
Prior to serving on the City Council, Wesson was the state’s 65th Assembly Speaker, representing what was then the 47th Assembly District. Before that, he served as chief of staff to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden.
