WEHOville was tipped to Brien’s likely candidacy shortly after news that former Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver will announce today that he is entering the race to fill the seat held by Zev Yaroslavsky, who is stepping down because of term limits. As of publication, WEHOville has been unable to get confirmation from Brien of his candidacy.
Brien’s candidacy would mean five people will be competing for the Democratic nomination in the June primary, a nomination that all but guarantees victory. Other candidates are West Hollywood City Council member John Duran, former state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, and former Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich. Wendy Gruel, who fought an expensive and unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Los Angeles, has announced she is not in the running.
Brien was elected to the Beverly Hills City Council in 2009 and re-elected last year. He has been criticized for apparent reluctance to oppose a proposal by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build a subway line that would run under Beverly Hills High School, which opponents say would threaten the stability of the building.
Brien served as president of the Beverly Hills school board from 1999 to 2003. He was appointed to the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission in 1998. He is the grandson of the late Earl Warren, the former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and former governor of California. At Cedars-Sinai he is executive vice president of the department of surgery.
The Jewish Journal mentions only Kuehl and Shriver as the candidates who could win. I tend to agree. But throwing a hat in the ring is fine with me no matter who does it in terms of this race. I suspect the JJ is correct though – those are the two to watch.
Hank, the County Board of Supervisors elections are Non-Partisan. While it would be absurd to believe anyone but a Democrat would win this seat, it is not a party primary. if someone wins a majority, they win, otherwise, the top 2 enter a run off.