Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso found himself the target of most of the other candidates on stage at the first debate in the race for Mayor of Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
Caruso, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, joined the race last month, as Breitbart News reported:
Caruso is known around town for his high-end shopping malls, such as The Grove in Beverly Hills and Palisades Village in Pacific Palisades. He has been involved in local governance issues for many years, and he is a prominent philanthropist, donating to Catholic schools.
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Caruso’s conservative past may not be enough to win Republican votes. Many remember that Caruso banned boxing legend Manny Pacquiao from The Grove for his public opposition to same-sex marriage, and that he banned then-candidate Donald Trump from the property as well, before lifting the ban when Trump actually won in 2016.
The Los Angeles Times noted that Caruso took the brunt of attacks in Tuesday night’s debate, while frontrunner Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) tried to avoid being dragged into clashes with her rivals — except Caruso.
The Times reported:
The five leading candidates running to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti took part in a freewheeling debate on Tuesday over homelessness, crime and other issues, with many of the attacks trained on billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso.
Councilman Joe Buscaino, Councilman Kevin de León and City Atty. Mike Feuer repeatedly took aim at Caruso, who was appearing onstage with the other candidates for the first time in the run-up to the June 7 election. Over the course of the evening, they targeted his police hiring plan, his business dealings and, in one exchange, his “$100-million” yacht.
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Rep. Karen Bass, who has served a decade in Congress, spent much of the night attempting to stay above the fray, touting herself as a coalition builder — someone who has worked directly with President Biden and can “bring our city together.” She chided Caruso for taking shots at other elected officials.
The focus on the billionaire candidate paralleled the February 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary debate in Las Vegas, when the candidates banded together to attack newcomer billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who was not yet on the ballot.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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