Sheila Kuehl takes slim lead over Bobby Shriver in supervisor race

Former state lawmaker Sheila Kuehl, whose election drive was buoyed by significant backing from public employee unions, took a slim lead Tuesday over former Santa Monica City Council member Bobby Shriver in a pivotal race for an open seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Kuehl, Shriver and their backers raised and spent millions in a hard-fought contest to replace longtime board member Zev Yaroslavsky in a sprawling west county district that includes high-income and blue-collar suburbs stretching from Santa Monica to the north San Fernando Valley.

The early lead lifted spirits at Kuehl’s election party on Santa Monica’s oceanfront, where the candidate hugged guests and posed for photographs with supporters. “All you have to do is win by one vote,” she said.

Shriver stayed at his campaign gathering in West Hollywood until 11:30 p.m. and then left without conceding defeat.

Earlier in the evening Shriver was more buoyant. “I feel great!” he said on his way to the podium, where he thanked his family and supporters and emphasized that the bulk of votes still remained to be counted.

In the race for county sheriff, Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell appeared headed for a win over former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka in the race for the office vacated by former Sheriff Lee Baca, who resigned in January amid a federal criminal investigation of the agency’s jail operation.

In a victory speech, McDonnell spoke of his improbable rise, coming from a working-class Boston neighborhood to become L.A. County sheriff. He would be the county’s first sheriff in a century from outside the department to win election.

He said past leadership of the Sheriff’s Department let down the community and deputies, and he pledged to transform the agency.

“Changing ways of doing things that spanned decades will not be easy,” he said.

In the race for the county assessor’s post, Jeffrey Prang was leading his rival John Morris in early returns.

Kuehl, who would be the first openly gay member on the five-member county board, told voters she would focus on fixing the much-criticized child protection agency and offer a sympathetic ear to the county’s 100,000 employees.

Shriver, a member of the Kennedy political clan, said his priorities would include increasing the county’s stock of affordable housing and reducing homelessness, especially among veterans.

In the push to replace Yaroslavsky, nearly $9.5 million was raised by committees on both sides, with the total about evenly divided between the pro-Kuehl and pro-Shriver forces.

Over two decades on the county board, Yaroslavsky built a reputation as a centrist swing vote, particularly on spending issues. That infused the open contest to replace him with the potential to tilt the panel more toward organized labor or business and development.

There are two Republicans on the officially nonpartisan panel, and former Obama administration Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was elected in June with strong union support. The fifth member, Mark Ridley-Thomas, was elected with millions of dollars in labor backing in 2008.

Kuehl’s bid was backed by nearly $3 million contributed by public employees and labor groups, many representing county workers, mostly via independent political committees. She also received a series of endorsements from the Democratic Party, women’s groups, environmental activists and non-county unions.

Kuehl said her record as a state lawmaker shows she won’t allow public employee groups to influence her decisions, particularly when it comes to taxpayer spending.

Shriver said Tuesday night that many voters supported his campaign because they were concerned about fiscal issues and wanted a candidate “who would be able to hold the line as Zev did in the past.”

A nephew of President Kennedy, businessman and former poverty activist, Shriver received direct and independent financial backing from a wide circle of wealthy friends, entertainers and activists. In Los Angeles County, local business leaders, real estate interests and construction trade unions raised $1.1 million to back his run through an independent campaign group. He also was endorsed by the Los Angeles and Hollywood chambers of commerce.

Shriver and Kuehl, both Democrats, staked out similar positions on expanding public transit, diverting the mentally ill out of the county jail system and improving the care of abused children under county supervision.

But differences on issues and campaign style emerged.

Shriver rented a vacant Santa Monica bank for a campaign headquarters, and Kuehl coordinated her campaign from her home, eschewing such staples as lawn signs. In recent weeks, Shriver made multiple campaign appearances, while Kuehl used a lower-key homestretch strategy, targeting likely voters through mail and TV advertising.

Kuehl said she supports adding county staff to provide additional services and has questioned the effectiveness of business tax breaks as a means of creating jobs. Shriver argued tax incentives can make sense, if they stimulate long-term economic growth.

Kuehl, 73, cited her 14 years as a state senator and assemblywoman and the 171 laws she passed, many dealing with healthcare, foster care, mental health services and other social service issues confronting county government. Shriver, 60, said his City Council experience better prepared him to find solutions to problems faced by local government.

In the assessor’s race, Prang, a special assistant at the agency, also is a West Hollywood City Council member. Morris is a supervising prosecutor in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Current Assessor John Noguez is on leave and awaiting trial on charges that he took bribes in exchange for having property valuations reduced.

Times staff writer Cindy Chang contributed to this report.