Robert Pacheco, who began his political career in local government and went on to serve six years in the state Assembly, is returning to Walnut City Council.

The 79-year-old Latino Republican stood out among an impressive field of 10 candidates, winning the appointment by a 3-0-1 vote of the Walnut City Council Wednesday night.

Pacheco served two years on the City Council in the 1990s. He was elected to the Assembly in 1998 where he served until 2004, the only person from Walnut ever elected to state office.

“I am going to bring new blood to the City Council. Oh, on the other hand, it is refurbished blood,” Pacheco said in a light moment after taking the oath of office administered by his wife, Gayle, and the Rev. Tony P. Astudillo of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church in Walnut.

Pacheco will fill the seat of long-time council member Thomas King, who moved to Orange County. He will occupy the unexpired council term until April 2014, at which time he said he will run for a full, four-year term.

“Yes, that is the plan,” he said.

Pacheco received support from Mayor Tony Cartagena and council members Mary Su and Nancy Tragarz. Councilman Eric Ching abstained. Ching nominated Howard S. Chang, who ran for City Council in 2010 and lost.

Read more in Steve Scauzillo’s story PACHECO.