LA Mayor’s Race Gets a Serious Business Candidate

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso enters
LA mayor’s race | Photo: LA Times

Rick Caruso, a Los Angeles billionaire property developer, just entered the June 7 mayoral primary. It was already crowded with local politicians, some with national and statewide profiles. Caruso just switched from being an unaffiliated to Democrat in a very Democratic city. He has served on a number of important city boards related to police and water and power (utilities), but no elected positions.

Crime and homelessness were the two issues he mentioned first. Caruso promises to bring a new approach to a city that has suffered much during the pandemic with long lag in population and economic growth and a major increase in homelessness. He believes the professional politicians running have failed. He claims to be a centrist, pro-jobs and public safety Democrat.

The field:

• Congressperson Karen Bass. The frontrunner with a $2 million war chest. On a Biden list for Vice President.
• City Councilperson Kevin de León. Next best-known. Ran a primary against Senator Dianne Feinstein.
• City Attorney Mike Feuer. Announced in March 2020. Reformer, but dealing with investigations of his office.
• City Councilperson Joe Buscaino. Most conservative candidate, former police officer.

Campaign team: Lex Olbrei, Ace Smith (SCN Strategies/Bearstar Strategies), Mark Fabiani (Fabiani and Lehane) and Pete Ragone (public relations)

LA Times reporters: Julia Wick, Benjamin Oreskes

Sources: Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University, Center for the Study of Los Angeles; Sonja Diaz, UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative; Ralph Sonenshein, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at California State University of Los Angeles; and Consultants Darry Sragow and Bill Carrick