Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian announced Saturday that he will stay out of the hotly competitive race to replace U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), focusing instead on homelessness and reforms at City Hall, the Los Angeles Times reported. 
Krekorian, who is American Armenian, said in a statement that Schiff’s district—which stretches from the Angeles National Forest south to Echo Park and west to West Hollywood—is “the most important congressional district in the country to the Armenian American community.”
“And as a leader in that community, my voice would be especially significant in Washington right now,” he said. “But circumstances have presented me with the responsibility of a lifetime in serving as president of the Los Angeles City Council during a time of extraordinary challenges.”
Schiff is running in next year’s election to replace U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. 
Over the past few weeks, Krekorian had been weighing whether to enter the race to replace him, which features several well-known candidates.
Krekorian said he would continue to work with LA Mayor Karen Bass and his colleagues on homelessness, climate change, and strategies for restoring confidence in city government.
“I intend to lead these reforms through to a successful conclusion,” he said.
A decision by Krekorian to enter the congressional race would have reverberated throughout City Hall, triggering a new round of jockeying for the council’s top leadership post. Krekorian took over as president in October amid the fallout from last year’s audio leak scandal, which spurred the resignation of former Council President Nury Martinez, and received praise for steering the council through the turbulent period that followed.