Carchio bows out of Assembly race, endorses Mansoor

Huntington Beach Councilman Joe Carchio said Thursday that he has opted not to run for the 74th Assembly District, ending months of speculation after he voiced interest in entering the race.

Carchio, who was elected to the council in 2006 and 2010, said he ultimately decided to remain in Huntington to finish the job voters had elected him to do.

He had announced in January that he planned to run for Assembly but had yet to file his paperwork.

“I still have three years left here, and we have a lot we want to accomplish, especially on the Beach and Edinger Corridor and other projects we have going,” Carchio said. “I just felt I would probably be needed more here than in Sacramento. I don’t think I would make much of a difference in Sacramento, but on the local level, we have a lot of things to accomplish here.”

The 74th District is among the newly redrawn legislative areas made last year by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. It includes Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Laguna Beach.

Carchio said he would endorse incumbent Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) for the Assembly seat. Newport Beach Councilwoman Leslie Daigle and real estate broker Bob Rush are also listed as candidates with the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Daigle is a Republican, Rush a Democrat. They will face off in the June 5 open primary.

The field is set, as Friday was the deadline to file papers.

michael.miller@latimes.com

Twitter: @MichaelMillerHB