Karen Bass (File photo)

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer dropped out of the race for mayor on May 17 and announced his support for his former opponent, Rep. Karen Bass.

Feuer joined Bass at a news conference in Encino to formally endorse her campaign. “I want to thank the city attorney for his endorsement today,” Bass said.

“Our city is at a crossroads: will we come together to bring Los Angeles to a more just future? Or will we go backwards with strategies that we know will not work and surrender to fear? I’m running for mayor to lead this city to a brighter future for everyone.”

Bass’ team released the results on May 12 of a poll commissioned by her campaign that had her leading the race with 30% of likely voters and billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso coming in at 28%. That poll, which was conducted by EVITARUS, put Councilmember Joe Buscaino at 2% and Feuer at 3%. More than a quarter of likely voters were undecided.

Noting his low poll numbers, Feuer said, “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching and I need to do what is best for our city. That means stepping aside and supporting an exceptional candidate who can win — who must win – because the stakes for Los Angeles could hardly be higher.

“I’m proud to stand here with my longtime friend, colleague and partner to endorse, in the strongest possible terms, Karen Bass for mayor of Los Angeles.”