District 3 LA County Supervisor race: Kuehl beats Shriver to replace Yaroslavsky

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Former Sen. Sheila Kuehl beat ex-Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver in the race for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Third District seat.

With all precincts reporting, Kuehl won with 53 percent of the vote to Shriver's 47 percent.

Kuehl had argued that her 14 years of experience in the state Legislature as both a senator and assemblywoman were the best credentials for the county job.

"I'm thrilled. I have been looking forward to the possibility of doing this work for a long time," Kuehl told Eyewitness News Wednesday. "There are so many issues in the county I care so much about and this gives me the opportunity to roll up my selves and try to do something about them."

Kuehl will replace termed-out Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who has been in office since 1994.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors help control a $27 billion budget, and Kuehl says she has a strong vision of where to start after she's sworn in on Dec. 1.

"I want to help the children, I want to help sick people, I want to help people that need jobs, I just want to get in there and help," said Kuehl.

Shriver sent his congrats via Twitter, writing, "Congrats @SheilaKuehl! And gratitude to the volunteers and both teams who worked hard to bring choice to LA voters. Great days are ahead!"

City News Service contributed to this report.