First TV ads begin in race to replace Yaroslavsky on L.A. county board

Bobby Shriver unveiled the first TV ads in the campaign to replace Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, portraying himself as a “progressive problem solver” who will focus on creating a business-friendly economy and housing homeless veterans.

The 30-second spots will begin running Thursday on cable and broadcast television, targeted to voters in Yaroslavsky’s Westside and San Fernando Valley district, said Bill Carrick, a Shriver strategist.

In one, Shriver talks about “cutting red tape” for businesses, saving film industry jobs and supporting job training. The second spot shows him with a group of veterans while noting too many come home from war and become homeless. The campaign of Shriver’s chief rival, former state lawmaker Sheila Keuhl, declined to comment on the ads.

The spots come the same week the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office mailed out 1.4 million vote-by-mail ballots for the statewide primary election on June 3. Voters can request a mail-in ballot by going online or by using the back of official sample ballots mailed in recent weeks.

They can also apply in person at the Registrar-Recorder’s Norwalk office, 12400 Imperial Highway, Room 3002.

Shriver is competing with seven other candidates in the 3rd district, which includes some of the county’s wealthiest and most politically active residents. Supervisor Gloria Molina’s east county seat is also open and has attracted three candidates.

Terms limits are forcing Yaroslavsky and Molina, who have held the job for decades, from office. In 2016, two other longtime supervisors, Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe, will also be forced out, bringing the potential for new policy directions in county health care, foster care services and the jail system.