Mike Bonin, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, stated today that he will not seek re-election in the June primary, instead focusing on his personal health.
“I’ve struggled for years with depression. It’s a constant companion, and often a heavy one. There are times when this job has made that easier, and times when it has made it more challenging. Instead of seeking another term, it’s time for me to focus on health and wellness,” Bonin wrote on Twitter.
The District 11 councilman, who is one of the most progressive members of the City Council, received 71 percent of the vote in his last election in 2017. He has previously stated that he would run for reelection in the Venice, Pacific Palisades, Mar Vista, and Westchester congressional districts.
In 2021, Bonin was the subject of a recall campaign. The attempt failed to obtain enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, according to Los Angeles City Clerk Holly L. Wolcott.
Constituents who were dissatisfied with Bonin's handling of the homelessness crisis started the recall effort. Bonin, who has spoken freely about his time on the streets of Los Angeles, has argued for a housing-first approach to removing encampments rather than relying on enforcement to do it.
Bonin has frequently voted against his colleagues' plans to implement the city's anti-camping ordinance, which took effect in September and prohibits encampments at various areas throughout the city unless a motion to do so is authorized by the City Council.
“This position allows me to make positive, progressive change. It is a great privilege. But in the past few years, the job has forced me to focus much more of my time and energy on battling the negative instead of creating the positive. I need to reverse that dynamic,” Bonin tweeted.
“To those who are disappointed by my decision, I am sorry. It is very difficult to walk away from a third term, and the work we have been doing together, but I need to listen to my heart. This is the best decision for me and my family.”
After leaving office in December, Bonin said he will continue to fight "for a better L.A.," focusing on homelessness, racial and economic justice, and the climate crisis.
Bonin said he'll spend the rest of his term on the council "fighting for low-wage workers, renters, seniors, students, bus riders, and the unhoused — who are being demonized and scapegoated by politicians, media figures and some in our neighborhoods."
Bonin was an early leader in the city's efforts to transition the Department of Water and Power to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and raise the city's minimum wage to $15, in addition to his progressive work connected to the city's homelessness epidemic.
Bonin co-introduced a motion in April 2017 that put the city on the path to banning oil and gas drilling, a first step in the process that culminated in the City Council voting on Wednesday to officially begin the process of banning future oil and gas wells and phasing out existing oil drilling sites.
Encampments along the Venice boardwalk and other sections of the Westside were referenced by supporters trying to recall Bonin. Progressives praised Bonin for running a successful pathway to housing program on the boardwalk this summer, which brought 213 individuals indoors with a road to permanent housing instead of enforcing the law.
After tents were reintroduced to the boardwalk months after the operation, some locals expressed dissatisfaction.
After submitting a resolution to have the city investigate sheltering homeless persons in temporary cabins and safe camping sites on beach parking lots, including one at Will Rogers State Beach, Bonin received considerable pushback from constituents.
Bonin later issued an email to constituents in May, attempting to dispel claims that his motion, which just requested a feasibility report, would result in encampments.
