Dennis Zine Drops Out Of Race For Valley's Assembly District 45

LOS ANGELES, CA — Only two weeks after he sprang a surprise by declaring his candidacy for the California Legislature, Dennis Zine has produced a shocker by announcing it's over, it was reported Tuesday.

The former Los Angeles city councilman said Monday afternoon that he's quitting the race for an April 3 special election in the west San Fernando Valley Assembly seat left vacant when Matt Dababneh resigned in December amid sexual-misconduct allegations, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

"I will be announcing shortly a great opportunity that has come my way at the professional level, and I would like to thank my supporters, especially those from the 3rd Los Angeles Council District," Zine said in a two-paragraph statement quoted by the Daily News.

Campaign consultant Rick Taylor told the newspaper the "great opportunity" was presented to Zine on Saturday but added that specifics won't be announced for a couple of days.

Taylor said Zine's withdrawal had nothing to do with how his campaign was going in the two weeks since the 70-year-old entered the race.

Zine, a City Council member from 2001 to 2013, when he lost a bid for L.A. city controller, faced questions about sexual harassment allegations lodged against him by a female LAPD officer in 1999, when he was a police union director, the Daily News reported. Zine was officially absolved, but a disciplinary board member, Cmdr. Dan Koenig, wrote in the decision that Zine had shown "poor judgment."

Zine's name will remain on the ballot in Assembly District 45, according to the California Secretary of State's Office.

City News Service; Former LA City Councilman Dennis Zine (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)