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Sources: John Duran to back Bobby Shriver for supervisor on Tuesday

Supervisorial candidate Bobby Shriver, right, chats with West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran after a debate in March. Duran finished third in the June primary for the supervisors race and is reportedly preparing to endorse Shriver.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran is preparing to endorse Bobby Shriver for supervisor, sources have told The Times.

Duran was the third-place finisher in the June primary election, taking 16% of the vote to replace Zev Yaroslavsky on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Sheila Kuehl and Shriver, the top two finishers, will face each other in the Nov. 4 general election and both have actively courted Duran’s endorsement. But Shriver, who finished 7 percentage points behind Kuehl’s 36%, has the most to gain from Duran’s backing.

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Sources, who spoke on condition they not to be named to avoid upsetting Shriver or his campaign staff, confirmed that Duran has decided to back the former Santa Monica councilman and mayor.

Shriver did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But his campaign Monday afternoon released a statement saying it would announce a “major endorsement” in West Hollywood on Tuesday.

Kuehl said Monday that lacking Duran’s backing won’t be crucial for her to claim victory in November. An analysis of primary voter turnout shows that Kuehl, a former state lawmaker, carried around 75% of the precincts, including West Hollywood, which Duran has represented for 14 years.

Both Kuehl and Duran are openly gay.

“I don’t know how loyal all the voters might be to John, because in the areas where he did well, I still beat him,’’ she said.

Kuehl noted that since the primary she’s been endorsed by Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin, City Atty. Mike Feuer and Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents much of the San Fernando Valley portion of Yarovslavsky’s third district.

“I don’t dismiss it,’’ Kuehl said of Duran’s backing. “I would have rather had the endorsement. But I don’t think it will make that much difference in the long run.”

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Last month Duran said he would back the candidate who is primarily concerned with the county’s fiscal health. “They are both a little more liberal than I am,’’ he said after the June primary. “So I’m still concerned about who’s going to hold the solid center of the county.”

Follow me on Twitter at @csaillant2

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