NBC’s Maria Shriver won’t step down to support brother’s campaign

NBC correspondent Maria Shriver said she sees no need to step down from her news job while campaigning for her brother, Bobby Shriver, a candidate for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

“I’ve been a journalist for 30 years,’’ she said Saturday, during the opening of her brother’s campaign headquarters in Santa Monica. “I know where the lines are drawn.”

In 2004, after her then-husband Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California, Maria Shriver asked to be relieved of her duties as a “Dateline” correspondent, citing the network’s concerns about a conflict of interest.

She returned to NBC last year, anchoring special reports about the changing role of women in American life. At her brother’s event Saturday, she said she has campaigned for family members her entire life and Bobby’s run was no different.

Bobby Shriver, 59, a former Santa Monica council member, is running for the Westside seat held by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who is stepping down due to term limits.

“His campaign is not something I’d cover anyway,’’ she said, standing at the back of the room as her brother made remarks before a crowd of supporters.

Bobby Shriver faces former state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, West Hollywood Councilman John Duran and former Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich in the June 3 primary election.

At Saturday’s opening, Shriver said he will focus on increasing water resources, adding services for the homeless and supporting public transit where it’s most needed, such as a line that goes all the way to the Los Angeles International Airport.

Newly-enacted term limits mean that four of the five county supervisor seats will change hands within four years, Bobby Shriver told the crowd.

“There’s an opportunity to shake things up,’’ he said. “That’s what I want to do.”

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catherine.saillant@latimes.com