Though it sounded like she was retiring from her news career two years ago in order to pursue art full time, former KPIX news anchor Dana King wants back in the fast lane. She's filed papers to run for a seat on the Oakland City Council that's being vacated by Pat Kernighan, who's retiring this year.

As the mustaches report, King moved from her Sausalito houseboat to an artist's studio in Oakland's San Antonio neighborhood in 2012 where she's been pursuing her sculpture career. In that neighborhood she sees opportunity for more "equitable" development, as development booms in the Bay Area in general, and as an unprecedented amount is heading their way in the next five years. She'll be entering the race to represent Oakland's District 2, which includes Chinatown, parts of San Antonio, the Lake Merritt business district, Park Boulevard, and the Trestle Glen neighborhood.

King, 53, tells the Oakland Tribune, "I suppose I might be looked at as a carpetbagger, but I chose to move here because I want to be part of this exciting, vibrant community." Also, she adds, ""I don't come from [the political] world, but there are many parallels to journalism. I've spent 25 years figuring out what is the truth in a story. I think that's pretty good training of what's required of a city council member."

As loyal SFist readers may recall, King got an MFA from the Academy of Art and was happily making nude male figures at the time. According to her Facebook page, she's still into that.

Matier and Ross quote an East Bay political consultant as saying he thinks "a lot of people are going to jump into this race" to represent Oakland District 2, so perhaps King is not a shoe in? But she probably will have the most name recognition.

[Chron]
[Oakland Tribune]

Previously: Dana King To Leave KPIX For Budding Art Career