Rick Caruso

2022 - 6 - 3

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Image courtesy of "Axios"

Elon Musk endorses Rick Caruso for Los Angeles mayor (Axios)

Musk, who called Caruso "awesome," said that it is "rare" for him to make political endorsements.

Peter Ragone, a spokesperson for Caruso's campaign, said in a statement to Axios, "[n]o other candidate in the race has the breadth of support that Rick has earned — we have a coalition of labor unions, business leaders, legendary civil rights activists like Sweet Alice and artists like Snoop." What he's saying: "Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. Driving the news: Musk, who called Caruso "awesome," said that it is "rare" for him to make political endorsements.

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Elon Musk endorses Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso ... (Fox Business)

Musk made the formal endorsement Friday in a series of social media posts in which he talked about his own views of politics and government. "Los Angeles is ...

The unprompted message was notable as one of the first formal endorsements Musk has made since his surge into political discourse. He provided the options of either "Politicians" or "Billionaires." As of Friday afternoon, the poll had amassed over 3 million votes, and 75.7% of participants selected "Politicians" as who they trust less, while 24.3% selected "Billionaires." "My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans. Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care about that a lot more!"

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Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

Elon Musk Wades Into Los Angeles Mayoral Race Ahead of Primary (Bloomberg)

Former California resident Elon Musk has weighed in on the Los Angeles mayoral race ahead of the nonpartisan primary to be held on June 7 with favorable ...

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Musk Endorses Billionaire Caruso For Los Angeles Mayor (Forbes)

Elon Musk's endorsement of the Democratic billionaire Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso comes two weeks after the Tesla CEO vowed to vote Republican ...

Musk, whose SpaceX is headquartered just outside of Los Angeles in Hawthorne, has become increasingly critical of the Democratic Party and liberal politics, accusing Democrats of becoming the “party of division & hate” and promising to vote Republican in a May 18 tweet. Musk said in a follow-up tweet: “It is rare for me to endorse political candidates. Caruso’s campaign has largely focused on crime, homelessness and corruption, and the businessman is further to the right than the other two top candidates, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Ca.) and Los Angeles city councilman Kevin de León. Caruso has held a narrow lead in polling, capturing a leading 24% of votes in a University of California, Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll released in April and 37% of votes in a poll commissioned by Bass’ campaign last month.

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Image courtesy of "NBC Southern California"

Elon Musk Endorses Rick Caruso in Race for LA Mayor (NBC Southern California)

Elon Musk tweeted Friday that he is backing Caruso in the contest to succeed Mayor Eric Garcetti. Here's what to know about the race for LA mayor.

Musk and Caruso are two of the wealthiest men in the world. Caruso is the founder and chief executive officer of Caruso, a retail complex development company. I would be honored to be her next mayor and serve the city that I love." Nine candidates made the cut for Tuesday's ballot. "L.A. is the greatest city in the world. "My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans.

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Image courtesy of "FOX 11 Los Angeles"

Elon Musk endorses billionaire Rick Caruso for Mayor of Los Angeles (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk endorsed Rick Caruso, a former Republican turned Democrat, for Los Angeles mayor. Musk and Caruso are two of the ...

The city's budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year budget is aimed at expanding the LAPD's sworn personnel to 9,735, but attrition and hiring delays have raised doubts of whether that more modest goal can even be met. He also called for the statewide $950 minimum for felony theft charges to be reduced. He also said he would focus on tiny homes, Project Roomkey and Project Homekey efforts, as well as using land owned by the city to create affordable housing or shelters. On his campaign website, he criticizes the cost of the city's Proposition HHH program aimed at building 10,000 new units of permanent supportive housing and said he will have a team conduct an audit of wasteful city spending. But such a result appears to be a longshot, given Bass' strong support base and the overall number of candidates on the ballot. He is one of three leading candidates in the Los Angeles mayoral race.

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Elon Musk Makes Rare Political Endorsement (The Daily Caller)

Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk endorsed billionaire Rick Caruso for Los Angeles mayor Friday morning in a rare move.

“Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. Caruso’s platform is focused on reducing the city’s crime problem, and it may be spelling political success for the mayoral candidate. Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor.

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Elon Musk offers endorsement for Mayoral Candidate Rick Caruso ... (CBS News)

Musk joins the growing list of prominent figures to offer their endorsement for the billionaire businessman, which includes Snoop Dogg, former LA Mayor ...

If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote during the primary election, they win outright. My political leanings are moderate, so neither fully Republican nor Democrat, which I am confident is the case for most Americans. Executive competence is super underrated in politics – we should care about that a lot more!" He's awesome."

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Image courtesy of "TheTealMango"

Who is Rick Caruso? Elon Musk Endorses Caruso for LA Mayor ... (TheTealMango)

Rick Caruso is an American billionaire businessman contesting the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election. Elon Musk also endorses him for LV mayor.

Rick Joseph Caruso was born in the year 1959 in Los Angeles, America. His father was a businessman and his mother was a billboard model. Rick Caruso is an American billionaire businessman who is now contesting the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election. Caruso wanted to contest for the mayor of Los Angeles twice in the 2009 and 2013 elections but he did not run. Elon further added, “It is rare for me to endorse political candidates. Caruso was elected to serve as a member of the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission in 2008. When he was 26, Rick was appointed as a commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power by Mayor Tom Bradley in 1985.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

In Los Angeles, public anger drives an identity-focused mayor's race (The Washington Post)

Frustrated voters in a left-leaning city are seeking a new leader in a time of “crisis,” with the leading candidates a former Republican billionaire and a ...

“If you have $25 million you can do a lot,” Bass said in a recent interview. “This election has become a much more symbolic race than I had first thought,” said Lall, whose group, which comprises 300 businesses, nonprofits and other civic organizations, endorsed Caruso this week. But she also acknowledges — and sympathizes with — the public fury in recent years. Raised in West Los Angeles, Bass is a six-term congresswoman who represents a central slice of the city. “Caruso has clearly tapped into something, and this is an unsettled city now facing very stark choices,” Pastor said. "What we need as Angelenos is leadership that focuses on outcomes and is honest about the scope of the problem.” “This city is at a major inflection point about how it's going to be led,” Caruso said during a recent interview. Many offer a dark picture of the city, emphasizing homelessness and crime, which his opponents say he has exaggerated for political purposes. “I see this as a failure of leadership and management.” The campaign is providing a vivid X-ray of a famously sunny city, founded on a pioneer optimism, made wary by recent history and wallowing in uncertainty. Rents rise quickly, the housing market is exorbitant, and in a city of endless highways and long commutes, gas now costs more than $6 a gallon. Paying the price is Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who has served six terms in Congress and was a shortlist finalist to be President Biden’s running mate.

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LA Mayoral Candidate Rick Caruso Sees Flurry of Prominent ... (California Globe)

In the last few weeks leading up to the Los Angeles Mayoral election, real estate developer and candidate Rick Caruso has seen a surge of prominent.

“Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor. If Bass is ahead, Caruso will need to find more support and reach out further to groups. While Bass holds the vast majority of union and elected lawmaker endorsements, thanks in large part to her status as a longtime Democrat and Congresswoman, Caruso has been getting support through ways not often seen in major races. The business community has also been energized by Caruso, with many seeing him as the last hope for the city to turn around the sagging business climate. And, while registered as a Democrat, Caruso’s conservative roots also began bringing out Republican and moderate support en masse in amounts that hadn’t been seen in decades, as well as further support from businesspeople in the city who had been feeling disaffected for years. When Bass announced her run for Mayor in September 2021, she immediately flew to the top of polls.

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Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Rick Caruso's Law-and-Order Campaign for Los Angeles Mayor (The New York Times)

Rick Caruso, a billionaire front-runner in Tuesday's primary election for Los Angeles mayor, has built his campaign on a law-and-order message.

For years, he told associates he was reluctant to run for mayor because of the effect it could have on his wife and four children. They yelled that Mr. Caruso was anti-abortion, and that Los Angeles did not want a “billionaire mayor.” Mr. Caruso looked over at his daughter and began to tear up. They see a city riddled with crime, where tent encampments for the homeless have taken over sidewalks and freeway underpasses — a city at its lowest point in years. This year’s races could tip the balance of power in Congress to Republicans, hobbling President Biden’s agenda for the second half of his term. “In this moment, you need to be attacking the structure, the barriers to epidemic crisis and the limitations of how we design our government. He has acknowledged having leveraged his connections in his 20s to obtain a seat on one of the city’s important municipal boards. (In an only-in-Los Angeles coincidence, Mr. Caruso’s daughter was vacationing on his $100 million yacht with one of the students involved in an admissions bribery case when it first became public.) Mr. Caruso has also suggested he could model shelters after those built for migrants along the southern border, which have been widely criticized. Mr. Caruso’s wealth — and his association with the boldface names of Los Angeles society — is central both to his public image and his rapid political ascent. But Mr. Caruso has an outside shot at coming away with more than 50 percent of the vote. And his supporters invoke Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire and onetime Republican who won three terms as mayor of New York.

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Can a Common-Sense Liberal Save Los Angeles? (The Wall Street Journal)

Crime and disorder give Rick Caruso a serious shot at being elected mayor. The left is panicking.

- Opinion: Why Trump Is the Loser in a Georgia Election Rematch You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. If no candidate wins a majority of votes in Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary, the top two finishers will face off in November’s general election.

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Image courtesy of "Los Angeles Times"

How Rick Caruso amassed his fortune (Los Angeles Times)

Rick Caruso has outspent his political rivals thanks to a fortune made developing high-end shopping malls and apartments. Here is how he accumulated that ...

His target was one of the Galleria’s anchor tenants, the upscale department store Nordstrom, and he was unrelenting in his efforts to woo it. Caruso has said he intends his company to be “dynastic” and not sold in the future. Would he bring what he has tried to do within his properties, or would he bring what his properties suggest to the city from the outside?” When the complexes are up and running, he reduces the debt load by paying off the construction loans with long-term commercial financing that leaves the properties 40% to 45% indebted — considered low in the industry. In that time frame, he made campaign contributions to almost every one of the city’s 17 elected officials. The university asked the developer and trustee to guide it through its lowest point in history. These are the hallmarks of successful urban shopping districts in the pre-automobile era, and people will drive from all over the place to go and spend time there.” Caruso insists that his centers have broad appeal, pointing to some food offerings at low price points and the sheer volume of visitors who keep coming back. The outdoor Commons at Calabasas retail, dining and entertainment complex became a tourist attraction for people hoping to catch a glimpse of local celebrities such as Kim Kardashian. Its success prepared the way for Caruso’s breakthrough development, the Grove, in 2002. In developing that outdoor mall — dubbed the Promenade at Westlake — he laid on deluxe details that other developers tended to consider too costly: lanterns made by craftsmen in Mexico, hand-quarried paving stones and custom-made fountains. That approach has enabled him to construct some of the region’s most popular shopping centers while bringing him a sizable fortune — estimated by Forbes at $4.3 billion — that has propelled his mayoral ambitions. “He started out on the right foot, and people could see what his vision was,” she said.

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Image courtesy of "FOX 11 Los Angeles"

“The Issue Is”: Rick Caruso makes his final pitch to voters (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

My final argument is the same as my opening argument: we have a bunch of issues in this city like crime and homelessness and corruption and city hall that ...

————— ————— ————— ————— ————— Also on the June 7th ballot, an effort to recall San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whose critics say his progressive policies have made their city unsafe.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Los Angeles Mayor's Race: Billionaire mayoral candidate Rick ... (CNN)

At a moment when Angelenos are unnerved by the rise in violent crime and car break-ins, eager to reclaim their trash-strewn parks and public spaces and ...

"If you can convince a city, which is overwhelmingly Democratic, that (Caruso) is really a conservative Republican and a kind of a Trump figure, you win the election," Carrick said. Wade" and that it "should stay the law of the land." When asked about his opponents' tactics citing his donations to USC's Catholic Center to raise questions about his views on abortion, Caruso said he couldn't believe the campaign was headed back to a "pre-Kennedy era where we're going to be critical of somebody's faith." Caruso noted that he was raised as a Catholic but said he's "evolved as a Catholic dramatically," adding that he is "firmly pro-choice. He is also convinced that the city must wrest control of mental health services from LA County, proposing a new city department of public and mental health. Bass argues that declaring a state of emergency would, at the very least, set a new tone on addressing homelessness citywide: "It should be dealt with like a natural disaster," she said. He is running on his own plans to create 25,000 new units of homelessness housing by 2025 (a goal that won the approval As mayor, she said she would also pursue federal waivers to allow the creation of mental health and substance abuse facilities with a greater number of beds. "It's out of control what's happening in Los Angeles," Caruso told an audience of Teamsters, electrical workers and other guests during a recent campaign event on the deck of the USS Iowa, which is now a museum docked at the Port of Los Angeles. He singled out the elected officials running for mayor: "They're all talking about how much they did to help the homeless. At a moment when Angelenos are unnerved by the rise in violent crime and eager to reclaim trash-strewn public spaces, the simplicity of that argument has found an audience. His ads and mailers have blanketed the city, presenting him as a kind of superman in an impeccably tailored blue suit and striped tie. "They are literally getting so much mail and there's so many ads -- that it really is kind of a shock and awe campaign."

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