L.A. supervisor candidate Shriver won’t self-finance runoff campaign

As he heads to a November runoff with former state lawmaker Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles supervisor candidate Bobby Shriver won’t be funding his campaign using personal wealth, a campaign official said Monday.

For the second and likely more hard-fought phase of the race, Shriver will abide by the county’s $1.4-million spending limit, said Bill Carrick, a campaign strategist.

By accepting the voluntary cap, Shriver can collect $1,500 per donor instead of the $300 he was restricted to in the primary election. Shriver personally financed half of the $1.9 million his campaign spent in the June 3 election and finished second to Kuehl, who spent $1.2 million.

Carrick said the $300-per-donor limit was difficult and time consuming. Shriver wants to spend more time meeting voters before the Nov. 4 election, he said.

“It makes more sense this time,” Carrick said of the $1.4-million spending cap and higher individual donor limits. “Now we have a strong donor base that we didn’t have at the start.”

Kuehl, who finished seven percentage points ahead of Shriver with 36% of the vote, adhered to the spending limit in the primary and has indicated she will do the same for the general election. She declined to comment on Shriver’s change in strategy.

In the primary, two independent groups spent about $250,000 on mail and TV ads to support Shriver. The so-called independent expenditure organizations are not subject to campaign contribution limits.

Last week, a third group filed papers with the California secretary of state indicating it would support Shriver in the November contest.

Neighborhood Alliance for Safe & Healthy Families Supporting Bobby Shriver filed documents June 24. It is being run by Shallman Communications, longtime Democratic campaign strategists with offices in Encino.

Dave Jacobson, a Shallman spokesman, said his group was approached by several business and community organizations to run a new group supporting Shriver.

He said the independent campaign would “run an aggressive field and media program to educate voters on the importance of electing Bobby Shriver, who will work to protect children and seniors, create jobs, improve transportation and make L.A. clean and green.”

Kuehl does not have any independent groups raising and spending money on her behalf, so far.

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