Um, what?
Earlier this month, Los Angeles developer and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso said he was going to be running for some elective office this year, just not exactly which one — mayor or governor.
Then Caruso declared on X late Friday afternoon (an old-school, bury-the-news move from the time when newspaper reporters had hard deadlines) that he made a sudden U-turn: “I have decided not to pursue elected office at this time. It is a difficult decision, and I am deeply disappointed to step back from an election I believe is so critical to California’s future.”
— Rick J. Caruso (@RickCarusoLA) January 17, 2026
The announcement was a surprise to many. It even caught one of his advisers, political consultant Mike Murphy, off guard. Me too. I thought Caruso had a real shot in a rematch with Mayor Karen Bass, though I wouldn’t have bet on him in the governor’s race. It’s a tough road even for the candidates who have already won statewide office.
But at home in Los Angeles? Well, he did pretty well in 2022 – 45% of the vote – for a former Republican running against a well-liked Democratic congresswoman in this deeply blue city. Part of that was name recognition: Caruso is the developer of the popular open-air Americana and Grove malls as well as the former president of the Los Angeles Police Commission. A fair amount of frustration with City Hall also gave his campaign momentum, particularly on homelessness and crime.
And that was before Bass suffered real political damage from her leadership stumbles during and after the Palisades fire. She also has a mixed track record on her signature “Inside Safe” policy attacking L.A.’s considerable homelessness problem.
Mariel Garza
Other challengers could eat away at Bass’ remaining support: Former L.A. schools superintendent and deputy mayor Austin Beutner announced his candidacy in October, and progressive housing advocate Rae Huang jumped in a month later. Reality TV personality and Palisades fire survivor Spencer Pratt announced at the “They Let Us Burn” rally on Jan. 7 that he’s running.
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There is still time for more surprise entrants and exits to the race before the filing period closes Feb. 7. For one, Lindsey Horvath, the Los Angeles County supervisor and former mayor of West Hollywood, has said she’s considering a run.
But no one has been asking “will they or won’t they” about any of the possible or declared mayoral candidates except Caruso. With her 2022 adversary out of the race, Bass must be letting out a huge sigh of relief.
Mariel Garza
