Duran to endorse Bobby Shriver, LAT sources say

Supervisor candidate Bobby Shriver has called a 1 p.m. news conference for Tuesday at the West Hollywood library. The LAT's Catherine Saillant says the news is that Shriver will announce the backing of John Duran, the West Hollywood City Council member who finished third in the Board of Supervisors primary, with 16 percent of the vote. Both finalists, Shriver and first-place finisher Sheila Kuehl, wanted Duran's endorsement. That is a large chunk of votes, or would be if Duran were able to deliver them. Kuehl minimized the ability if Duran to deliver, telling Saillant that Duran's strength is primarily in the city of West Hollywood and that Kuehl already got the most votes there of anyone. "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,'' Kuehl says in the Times story.

Kuehl finished the primary with 36 percent of the district-wide vote, seven points ahead of Shriver. They are vying to succeed veteran supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. Since the primary Kuehl has added the endorsements of Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, Controller Ron Galperin and Rep. Brad Sherman. The endorsement both candidates would like to have is Yaroslavsky's. Apparently there have been some indications recently that he might pick a side, but he hasn't shown a favorite yet.

Both Kuehl and Duran are visible gay politicians, though the community of gay and lesbian politics in LA is large enough that there are rival wings and cliques. The LA Times editorial page in the primary strongly endorsed Duran, rating Kuehl a close second and Shriver as essentially just bad news. "Where Duran's style is bracing, Shriver's can be unnerving," Times editors wrote in an editorial striking for its sharpness. "While pursuing the admirable goals of serving veterans or ending homelessness, Shriver has too often gotten in his own way, needlessly antagonizing colleagues, city workers and others. His prescriptions for county government too often come in the form of blurts that show too little evidence that he understands the complexity of the county's challenges and possible solutions." That was in May. It will be interesting to see how the editors re-shuffle their endorsement thinking now.