This report originally appeared in the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Oscar de la Torre does not plan to run for City Council and will instead seek reelection to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
De la Torre told the Daily Press last month he was considering a run for council but opted on Tuesday to pull papers for the school board.
“We still have a lot of work to do on the board,” he said. “Plus, we have a lot of good people running for council. I don’t believe so much in the power of one individual but I do believe in the power of a movement.”
Boardmember Nimish Patel announced last month that he would not seek reelection.
Boardmember Ben Allen isn’t up for reelection but is running for a State Senate seat. If he wins, he would have to vacate his seat on the board.
“With the resignation of Nimish and the possibility that we might have to make an appointment to fill the seat of Ben Allen, it’s an important election,” de la Torre said. “My priority is still to the youth of Santa Monica and Malibu.”
Nine other people, including Malibu resident Craig Foster, have pulled papers to run for seats on the Board of Education.