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The Los Angeles businessman who faced Karen Bass in the 2022 election announced his opposition to his recall efforts to rule out her as mayor on Tuesday.
Real estate’s massive, former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso has issued a statement on his recall efforts, calling it a costly political distraction in the aftermath of January’s deadly wildfire.
“We have to rebuild our communities, bring people back home, and have businesses that have been closed or lost,” Caruso said. “That must be our full focus. There is a time and place for politics, but not now.”
Caruso was runner-up in the 2022 high-expense Rameyer race, previously won by Bus, who previously worked in the state legislature and in the US home, at a margin of 54.8%. Bass will be re-elected in 2026.
“What I want her to do now, the mayor and her team: focusing on reconstruction, the Olympics, the issue of homelessness,” Caruso told NBCLA. “Otherwise, she would be diverted by fighting the recall effort.
Last month, Caruso announced that it would launch a foundation aimed at rebuilding communities that were ruined by the fires of Pallisard and Eton, two of California’s most deadly and most devastating wildfires recorded. Steadfast LA aims to accelerate reconstruction efforts by linking the private and public sectors.
The recall campaign is led by Nicole Shanahan, former presidential running mate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The recall effort requires 330,000 vote signatures in four months to move forward.
In a new interview with the media, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said fire chief Christine Crowley did not fully inform the seriousness of the weather leading up to the fires in Pallisard and Eton. Conan Nolan is reporting NBC4 News on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 at 6pm.
In a comment posted in response to Caruso’s post on X, Shanahan said, “It looks like a lot of disagreements below. People should not be accountable! I don’t see this as a political division… I think this is the most united.
Bass, who was traveling abroad when the fire began at Santa Anna Windstorm on January 7th, faces questions and criticism about how the disaster handled, including Caruso. Bus told NBCLA that it would be a mistake to travel to Ghana as part of the Biden administration’s mandate for the inauguration of the West African national president.
Criticism also lies on the issues with fire hydrants, low water pressure at the Palisades, and resources within the Los Angeles Fire Station.
“I fully support the criticism I had and feel the same way today,” Caruso said. “I think there was a complete failure in leadership, and I am clear about it and feel the same way today.
Caruso was asked if he was considering another run for the mayor or if he was considering running what is possible for the governor’s office.
“Now my focus will be on immobility and community rebuilding,” he said. “And I’ll think about whether I’ll run for the office or not.”
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