L.A. Now Live: Discuss mayoral race, Yaroslavsky not running

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced Thursday that he will not run to be mayor of L.A.

Times City Hall reporter David Zahniser will discuss Yaroslavsky's decision as well as the mayor's race in a live chat scheduled for 9 a.m.

Yaroslavsky, 63, described the decision on whether to run in the March 2013 race to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as "one of the most difficult" in his political life, concluding that "four decades is long enough for any citizen to hold elective office." He first won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council in 1975 and has been serving on the Board of Supervisors for nearly two decades.

The announcement leaves the race unchanged, with City Council members Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry, City Controller Wendy Greuel and radio host Kevin James among the field of candidates. Villaraigosa will be forced out in June 2013 due to term limits.