Rick Caruso, the Los Angeles real estate developer who ran as the Republican candidate against Democrat Karen Bass in the 2022 mayoral election, has voiced his opposition to the ongoing recall effort to oust Bass from City Hall.
The recall effort was launched last month by Sahil Nandwani, an agent for JohnHart Real Estate and a donor to the state Republican Party. Bass had come under criticism for her handling of the Los Angeles County wildfires – she was out of the country when the fires started to spread and refused to take any responsibility for her administration’s problematic response to the fires.
In an X posting, Caruso refused to endorse the effort to remove Bass from office.
“A mayoral recall right now is not a good idea,” Caruso said. . “This is a time when Los Angeles needs unity, not costly and expensive political distractionsWe must rebuild our communities, get people back into their homes, and open businesses that have been closed or lost. That must be our total focus. There is a time and place for politics, but it is not now.”
Caruso recently launched Steadfast LA, a nonprofit organization focused on helping the wildfire recovery efforts; Caruso pledged to work with the Bass administration in this endeavor. Bass is up for re-election next year and Caruso has not ruled out a rematch.
Photo courtesy of Mayor Bass’ Instagram page
