The field of candidates jockeying to replace termed-out Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is quickly taking shape and probably will yield one of the most intriguing county government elections in decades.
In the first county contest prompted by term limits, the winner will represent an expanse stretching from the ocean into the San Fernando Valley and to the Hollywood sign — holding a population bigger than 15 of the nation's states.
So far, it has the potential to be a five-person slug-fest that will cost candidates and their backers many millions of dollars by the time voters go to the polls in the June primary.
"Things have definitely ratcheted up," county lobbyist Harvey Englander said. "This campaign has been extraordinarily quiet for the lack of people who appeared to be interested in running .... up until a couple weeks ago."
All eyes are on Wendy Greuel and Bobby Shriver, who are increasingly making moves that suggest they are running.
Former Santa Monica City Councilman and Mayor Shriver, the nephew of the late President Kennedy, has spent time observing the Board of Supervisors' weekly meetings and combing the county's budget. Shriver is said to want to hold elected office again, but is reluctant to seek posts in Sacramento or Washington because he doesn't want to move his family.
Shriver is being advised by longtime friend Bill Carrick, a veteran Democratic consultant who led Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to victory this year and has also been a longtime advisor to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
A confidant of Shriver's said the 59-year-old took his time to study the job, and found it meshed with many of his interests, including homelessness and the social safety net.
"He's through deliberating. He's made a decision. He's going to run," said this person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, not wishing to be identified sharing the information before Shriver made a formal announcement.
Greuel, the former city controller who lost a mayoral bid to Garcetti, is already calling powerful players around the city and being advised by the San Francisco political team that shepherded Antonio Villaraigosa into the mayor's office.
"She was pretty sure she was going to go for it," said a lobbyist who received a call from Greuel.
Greuel said she expects to make a decision in the coming weeks.
"I am seriously considering running for supervisor," Greuel said in an interview. "I have been humbled by the level of support and encouragement I've received and I will be taking time with my family to make a decision."
All this occurs against the backdrop of a race that is quickening. West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran said last week that he is definitely in and Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian declared that he is definitely out.
Meanwhile, former veteran state lawmaker and child-star Sheila Kuehl has spent months raising money and nailing down endorsements, hoping to ward off a serious challenge. She has raised about $380,000, nearly one-third of what she can spend on the June primary, according to campaign finance limits. And she just released a list of 68 endorsers, including former Mayor Villaraigosa and state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). Every day she calls potential donors and party activists, Kuehl said. "I wanted to have an insurmountable lead."
Former Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich is also running.
The supervisors have long managed to put off being exposed to the voter-approved term limits that have shaken out so many other veteran California leaders — now they can serve as many as 12 years. Their seats were historically so safe that the five current supervisors will have served a total of nearly 100 years. But now, four of them will be gone by the end of 2016.
Also on the ballot next June will be the east county seat held by termed-out Supervisor Gloria Molina. The only declared candidate in that race is former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. The onetime state legislator and congresswoman appears to have cleared the field. So the Westside race to replace Yaroslavsky offers the biggest question mark.
Yaroslavsky, who has elected to the board in 1994 and served on the Los Angeles City Council for nearly two decades before that, has met recently with Greuel, Shriver and Kuehl and expects to meet with Duran soon.
"They're picking my brain on what the job is like and what the job entails, from public policy issues in the district to how it impacts one's personal quality of life," Yaroslavsky said.
He said that he has not decided whether to endorse anyone in the contest, but he believes it is among the most significant local government positions in the nation, based on the sheer scope of its duties. The county, if it were a state, would be the eighth largest in the nation, ahead of Michigan with 10 million residents, including some of the wealthiest and some of the most destitute.
"It's one of the most interesting, challenging and rewarding local government jobs in the country," Yaroslavsky said. "There isn't an issue that affects our society that doesn't cross our desks at least once a day or more."
None of the candidates has a guaranteed path to victory in the third district, he added. Kuehl represented as much as 40% of the district while a state lawmaker, Greuel considers herself a Valley girl, Shriver had his late uncle Ted Kennedy and late mother Eunice Shriver stumping for him in Santa Monica in his first city run, and Duran has held office in West Hollywood for 12 years.
"They're all going to have to grow their constituencies," Yaroslavsky said. "No one can take any part of the district for granted."
seema.mehta@latimes.com
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