The Los Angeles businessman who ran against Karen Bass in the 2022 election announced his opposition to the recall effort. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
The Los Angeles businessman who ran against Karen Bass in the 2022 election announced his opposition Tuesday to the recall effort to unseat her as the city's mayor.
Real estate magnate and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso released a statement about the recall effort, calling it a costly political distraction in the aftermath of January's deadly wildfires.
"We must rebuild our communities, get people back into their homes, and open businesses that have been closed or lost," Caruso said. "That must be our total focus. There is a time and place for politics, but it is not now."
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Caruso was runner-up in the high-spending 2022 LA mayoral race, won by Bass, who previously served in the State Assembly and U.S. House, by a margin of 54.8 percent to Caruso's 45.2 percent. Bass is up for re-election in 2026.
"What I want her to do right now, the mayor and her team: Focus on rebuilding, focus on the Olympics, focus on the homeless problems," Caruso told NBCLA. "Otherwise, she's going to be diverted by fighting the recall effort it just doesn’t make sense."
Last month, Caruso announced he would be starting a foundation aimed at rebuilding communities devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires, two of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires on record in California. Steadfast LA will look to accelerate rebuilding efforts by bringing together the private and public sectors.
The recall campaign is led by Nicole Shanahan, the 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 ballot signatures in four months to move forward.
In a comment posted in response to Caruso's post on X, Shanahan said, "Looks like a lot of disagreement below. Don’t people deserve accountability?! I don’t see this as political division… I see this as LA being the most united I’ve ever seen it around the real cost of mismanagement."
Bass, who was on an overseas trip when the fires started in a Santa Ana windstorm Jan. 7, has faced questions and criticism, including from Caruso, over her handling of the disaster. Bass, who told NBCLA that traveling to Ghana as part of a Biden Administration delegation for the inauguration of the West Africa nation's president was a mistake, also has defended her decision to fire Kristin Crowley as the LAFD chief for what the mayor said were failures of leadership.
Criticism also mounted over fire hydrant issues, low water pressure in the Palisades and resources within the Los Angeles Fire Department.
"I completely stand by the criticism that I had and I feel the same way today," Caruso said. "I think there was a complete failure of leadership. I was clear about that and I still feel the same way today.
Asked whether he's considering another run for mayor or possible one for the governor's office, Caruso said there wil be time to think about it.
"Right now, my focus is going to be on Steadfast and rebuilding communities," he said. "And then I’ll think about whether or not I’m going to run for office."
