Wendy Greuel says she won’t run for L.A. County supervisor

Former City Controller Wendy Greuel said Thursday that she has decided not to run for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, dynamically shifting the race to replace termed-out Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

“I just decided it’s not the right time for me,” Greuel said in an interview. “That does not mean I’m saying goodbye to the idea of running for office.”

She said the proximity of the mayor’s race, which she lost to Eric Garcetti in May, factored into her decision.

“No pun intended, I went through a couple years of a grueling campaign,” Greuel said.

Supporters had been urging her to run since the loss, and polling showed she would have significant advantages -– high name identification and a favorable view among voters.

“With her name ID and Valley base, Wendy would have been the clear frontrunner,” said Sean Clegg, a Democratic consultant who was advising Greuel on a possible run. “She’s got a tremendous future and will have many, many opportunities going forward.”

Greuel debated whether to run through the holidays and into the new year, with her supporters planning to launch a campaign tied to the 20^th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake. She was deeply involved in the recovery efforts as part of President Bill Clinton’s Department of Housing and Urban Development. But on Thursday, she made the decision against running.

“I have decided to go with my gut and make significant contributions in other ways and come back again,” Greuel said.

The move dramatically shapes the race for the 3^rd District supervisor seat. Former state lawmaker Sheila Kuehl, West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran and former Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich have announced that they are running. Former Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver is widely believed to be planning a run, and filed papers last week that allow him to begin fundraising.

Twitter: @LATSeema

seema.mehta@latimes.com