The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday it was endorsing Adeena Bleich to replace L.A. City Councilman Jack Weiss, who is vacating his Westside district seat to run for City Attorney.

Bleich, a non-profit executive who was once an aide to Weiss, beat out the other five candidates for the endorsement in the only seriously contested council race on the March 3 ballot. The endorsement came after the chamber’s political action committee interviewed all the candidates.

Chamber Chief Executive Gary Toebben said, “Bleich is the best candidate to fight for good-paying jobs, fiscal responsibility at City Hall and smart solutions to traffic gridlock.”

The other candidates are: former state Assemblyman Paul Koretz; attorney and neighborhood councilmember Ron Galperin; former chamber employee and businesswoman Robyn Ritter-Simon; entertainment attorney Robert Schwartz and Century City neighborhood activist David Vahedi.

The fifth council district includes the portion of L.A.’s Westside that’s east of the San Diego (405) Freeway and stretches into the south San Fernando Valley community of Sherman Oaks.