The Los Angeles County Democratic Party Wednesday endorsed former state Senator Sheila Kuehl over Bobby Shriver in the race to replace Westside L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
“She is well known and someone who is held in very high esteem by our members,” party Chairman Eric Bauman said. He cited her 14 years in the state legislature and activism on equal rights, the environment and health care.
You can watch the debate at this link.
Shriver is a former member of the Santa Monica City Council and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
“Despite his familiar heritage, he has not been engaged at the grassroots level,” Bauman said. “Shriver is not well known.”
Kuehl won 80 percent of the votes among the approximately 150 delegates who voted, according to Bauman.
Supervisors’ races are non-partisan. Nonetheless, Kuehl can now call herself the official Democratic Party candidate in the overwhelmingly Democratic 3rd district, which stretches from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica to the Western San Fernando Valley.
The party also spends money distributing mailers and using social media to back the candidates it endorses.
Last week, Shriver rejected the county’s voluntary spending limits and declared he would spend at least $300,000 of his own money on his campaign. Six other, lesser-known candidates are in the race.
The Democratic Party also endorsed former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis in her bid for the 1st district supervisor’s seat based in East L.A.
It unanimously endorsed West Hollywood City Councilman Jeffrey Prang for L.A. County Assessor. He currently works as a public affairs special assistant in the office. Assessor John Noguez has been on leave since 2012 fighting corruption charges. He is not running for re-election.
In the race for the District 1 seat on the Los Angeles Unified School District board, no candidate received the necessary 60 percent of delegates to win an endorsement. George McKenna came closest with nearly half, according to Bauman.
The party also did not endorse any candidate in the L.A. County Sheriff’s race. Assistant Sheriff James Hellmold, former Sheriff’s Lieutenant Patrick Gomez and LAPD Det. Lou Vince competed for the endorsement.
