Rick Caruso Reconsiders Run for LA Mayor as Karen Bass Faces New Palisades Fire Controversy: ‘I Love This City’ | Video
Rick Caruso shared he is reconsidering a run for Los Angeles Mayor after Karen Bass was accused of altering a Palisades Fire after-action report.
During an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, the billionaire real estate developer, who lost the 2022 LA mayoral race to Bass, expressed his concern for “the future of LA” over Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times report, which claimed Bass directed a Palisades Fire after-action report be watered down before its release to the public.
Bass’ office vehemently denied the allegations, noting through a spokesperson that the mayor and her staff “made no changes to the drafts” and slammed the report as “muckraking journalism” relying on “third hand unsourced information to make unsubstantiated character attacks to advance a narrative that is false.”
Still, Caruso said the report was “weighing heavily” on him, adding, “I love this city.”
“I’m certainly thinking about it,” Caruso said when asked point-blank if he was reconsidering running for mayor. “I still have to get through the concerns I have of a campaign and the family and what not. We’re gonna gather tonight. We’re gonna have a conversation and we’re gonna talk about it.”
Caruso shared that it was the allegations put forth in Wednesday’s LA Times article that prompted his decision. He continued: “Because incompetence is one thing, but … now you’ve got somebody who is actively lying to the people that she has sworn to serve.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Caruso also slammed Bass on X, calling the report “an absolute outrage.”
“Karen Bass actively covered up a report meant to examine the most significant disaster in Los Angeles history,” he added. “When it comes to life safety matters, this is no longer a matter of making poor judgement, apologizing and moving forward. This is a complete loss of public trust and an intentional act of covering up the actions that led to people dying … She has completely failed us.”
Caruso’s update comes over 2 weeks after he initially shared that he was not planning to run for mayor or governor in 2026.
“After much reflection and many heartfelt conversations with my family, I have decided not to pursue elected office at this time,” the businessman wrote on X in January. “It is a difficult decision, and I am deeply disappointed to step back from an election I believe is so critical to California’s future.”
In addition to Bass, Austin Beutner, Rae Chen Huang and Spencer Pratt, among others, have announced their candidacy for mayor. The general election will take place on June 2, 2026.
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