COUNTYWIDE — Ending months of speculation, Santa Monica native and former State Sen. Sheila Kuehl announced this week that she will run to replace Zev Yaroslavsky, who is termed out, on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2014.
Yaroslavsky, who has served on the board since 1994, represents the Third District, which stretches from the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Monica Mountains to the Westside of Los Angeles, including Santa Monica.
"It's really the only place I can imagine using all the things that I learned in the Legislature in 14 years," Kuehl told KPCC on Thursday. "My priorities [are] environmental, health and human services, and then the third thing really has to do with transportation.
In the coming weeks Kuehl will set up a campaign website, look for early donors and endorsements and reach out to supporters through social media, she said on her website.
Former Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver's name has also come up as a possible candidate for the Third District.
Kuehl was the first woman in the state's history to be named Speaker pro Tempore of the Assembly. She was also the first openly gay person to be elected to the California Legislature. Since leaving office in 2008, she has worked with the Public Policy Institute at Santa Monica College and taught at UCLA.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
