Weitzberg pulls out of Costa Mesa council race

Harold Weitzberg announced Friday afternoon that he is dropping out of November’s race for Costa Mesa City Council, leaving eight candidates.

“We entered this race with a great deal of enthusiasm and real desire to help the residents improve the city of Costa Mesa in a wide range of areas,” Weitzberg said in a news release. “I’ve made this decision based on personal and professional factors, but plan to remain engaged and look forward to exploring community service opportunities that will arise between now and 2016.”

Weitzberg, who served on the charter committee, had been running for one of two open seats on the five-member council. He also ran for the council in 2012, when he came in sixth among eight candidates, garnering nearly 12,000 votes.

As of Friday, the deadline for turning in paperwork, the council candidates were Mayor Jim Righeimer, who is seeking reelection; Newport-Mesa Unified School District board member Katrina Foley, an attorney and former councilwoman; Lee Ramos, a Fairview Park committee member who also served on the charter committee; Tony Capitelli, a congressional aide; Christopher Bunyan, a Banning Ranch activist and former member of the Cultural Arts and Historical Preservation committees; former Councilman Jay Humphrey, a retired pharmaceutical distribution executive; Al Melone, a retired accountant and dog park activist; and Rita Louise Simpson, a consultant for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

—Bradley Zint

Twitter: @bradleyzint