SAN FRANCISCO -- The Los Angeles Times reported early Thursday evening that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will officially announce his run for lieutenant governor of California on Friday, according to individuals who have been contacted by the mayor.

The Times reported that unnamed donors to Newsom's abortive gubernatorial bid have said he has contacted them and asked for their support in a bid for the lieutenant governor's post.

The mayor has made no official announcement, but told KTVU that he will make a major announcement Friday.

On Wednesday, the mayor’s office confirmed that Newsom had obtained nomination papers for the lieutenant governor's race from the Department of Elections at San Francisco’s City Hall and paid a filing fee of about $2,500, both prerequisites of filing to run. The deadline for filing to campaign for the office is Friday, March 12.

Newsom, who in October dropped out the race for the governor's seat, has said he is intrigued by the idea of working on the state level, but that he is weighing a number of factors, including his new family.

“You have to do these things just to keep the options open, so this just one of the three steps you have to take if you are going to put your name in the race,” said Newsom. “We will make a decision by the end of the week. We certainly have only to the end of the week.”