Group supporting Bobby Shriver for county supervisor gets $100,000

A group supporting Bobby Shriver’s bid to fill the office being vacated by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has received $100,000 from a national carpenters union.

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters gave the contribution to the Citizens Committee to Elect Bobby Shriver, one of two so-called independent expenditure committees set up to support Shriver’s campaign.

Independent committees can accept unlimited contributions as long as they don’t coordinate their actions with a candidate’s campaign.

Bill Carrick, Shriver’s chief consultant, said the candidate wasn’t aware of the contribution but welcomed the support of the private-sector union. United Brotherhood of Carpenters represents workers across the nation but does not represent any county employees.

“Obviously he loves having the support of them and all the folks they represent,” Carrick said. “It’s a great union.”

Shriver, a businessman and former Santa Monica council member, is competing for the Westside and San Fernando Valley seat held by Yaroslavsky, who is being termed out after 20 years in office.

In late March, Shriver emerged as the fundraising leader among eight candidates vying for the seat, reporting $847,700 while his chief rival, former state lawmaker Sheila Kuehl, raised $717,000.

The $100,000 contribution by the carpenters union will likely be used by the independent group to send out mailings or to buy television and radio spots supporting Shriver. Organizers of the independent committee did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Kuehl has also received a large donation, $75,000 from the California Nurses Assn. A spokeswoman for the group said it appreciated her state legislation setting nurse-to-patient ratios and Kuehl’s two attempts to enact a universal healthcare law in California.

Shriver and Kuehl are both Democrats in the nonpartisan race. Kuehl has picked up significant support from unions and environmental groups while Shriver is getting backing from business organizations.

catherine.saillant@latimes.com

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