Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso has announced that he will vote for incumbent Mayor Karen Bass rather than her political rival, LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
The developer behind The Grove, Palisades Village, and other shopping centers ran for Mayor of Los Angeles four years ago and lost to Bass.
In a video posted to X on Monday afternoon, Caruso said, "For the love of LA, I must put the past behind me because this election must be about our future … I will be casting my ballot for Mayor Karen Bass," the LA native said.
He noted that he and Bass have had disagreements and have not seen eye to eye on the challenges facing the city, but that after working closely on the Palisades Fire rebuilding efforts, his faith has been restored.
"I believe she is learning from her mistakes," Caruso said in the post. He said the city continues to face extraordinary challenges, and he believes Bass is the right person to lead the charge.
Caruso told CBS LA that he called Bass shortly before he made the social media announcement. He said he asked for a commitment to work together "to make some big changes and move the city forward," and she said yes.
He said in the video post that he has concerns about Councilmember Raman. "It is not so much about ideology, but about competence," Caruso said, noting that he feels she doesn't have a comprehensive plan to address LA's challenges.
CBS LA asked Nithya Raman's campaign for comment, and they responded with a link to a press conference last week, where LA County Supervisor Lyndsey Horvath announced her endorsement of Raman.
In a statement reacting to Caruso's announcement, Bass said she was honored and looks forward to working with him if she wins her reelection bid.
"Rick and I have a long history of working together to solve big problems. Rick and his nonprofit, Steadfast LA, have been an invaluable partner in our work to rebuild the Palisades and get families back into their homes," Bass said in her statement.
Bass won the 2022 mayoral race with 53.1% of the vote.
