Los Angeles mayor won't run for California governor

Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, speaks during the ''U.S. Overview: When Will Growth Resume?'' panel at the 2009 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California April 27, 2009.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles and a popular Latino politician, said on Monday he would not run for governor of California next year, avoiding a crowded field of political heavyweights.

"I can't leave this city in the middle of a crisis," Villaraigosa, a Democrat, said in an interview with CNN. He announced his decision in the midst of a global recession that has hit California particularly hard.

Villaraigosa, a high-school dropout, onetime labor activist and son of a Mexican immigrant, was re-elected mayor of America's second-largest city in March and was widely expected to run for governor to replace Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who must step down due to term limits.

Villaraigosa lost some of his luster in 2007 after an extramarital affair with a Spanish-language television reporter was revealed, but he is still seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and among Hispanics.

In the Democratic Party, contenders for governor include San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Former Governor Jerry Brown is expected to run, and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is believed to be considering a campaign. Among Republicans, former eBay Inc Chief Executive Meg Whitman, former tech exec Steve Poizner and former Congressman Tom Campbell are in the race.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Courtney Hoffman, writing by Peter Henderson)