Rick Caruso says he plans to vote for Mayor Karen Bass, a change from his position days earlier, when he declined to endorse either Bass or challenger Nithya Raman. In an interview with ABC7, Caruso said he had weighed the choice before settling on Bass. He described his support as a statement of whom he would vote for, not a formal endorsement.
The shift comes in a contest that a September poll found unsettled. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies–Los Angeles Times survey reported Raman leading Bass 39% to 28% among likely voters, with about a third undecided and a margin of error of roughly three percentage points, CBS News Los Angeles reported. That survey is a snapshot from earlier in the campaign, not a forecast of the result.
Police-chief dispute has formal limits
Caruso’s sharpest criticism of Raman concerns her stated intention to remove Police Chief Jim McDonnell, whom Bass appointed. Caruso argued that a change in leadership could undermine the department and recruitment; the Los Angeles Times reported his concerns while noting that he had not then endorsed either candidate.
The City Charter process puts that debate in a broader institutional context. The LAPD manual’s account of the charter says the mayor’s police-chief appointee is subject to City Council confirmation. It also says the Council may initiate removal proceedings with a two-thirds vote and ten days’ written notice of a public hearing. The rules describe a process; they do not establish what either candidate would do in office or what effect a leadership change would have.
Rebuilding and citywide pressures
Caruso also cited Bass’s support for Pacific Palisades rebuilding. His business interests include Palisades Village, which reopened in August after fire damage and renovation, according to the Los Angeles Times. Caruso credited the mayor’s support for rebuilding and city resources as part of his reasoning, ABC7 reported. The city’s Building and Safety Department lists permit access and a property’s Certificate of Occupancy as separate wildfire-rebuilding resources; that guidance does not by itself establish the pace of recovery at any particular property, LADBS says.
Homelessness remains another point of scrutiny on Bass’s first term. The Daily News cited a 3.4% rise in the city’s overall homeless population this year and a 7.9% rise in unsheltered homelessness. Separately, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s finalized 2025 estimate for the city was 43,695 people, after a four-person downward revision, the agency reported. The finalized 2025 total and the reported change this year refer to different annual snapshots.
Crime figures also depend on which measure and period are being discussed. The LAPD’s 2023 year-end report said violent crime fell 3.2% from 2022 while its broader Part 1 crime measure rose 1.9%, the department reported. Those dated figures do not resolve the candidates’ competing arguments about current public safety.
Caruso’s decision gives Bass support from the wealthy former opponent she defeated in 2022, but he has also been a critic of her record. His stated vote does not amount to a formal endorsement, and the cited poll leaves a substantial share of voters uncommitted; neither fact settles how the race will end.
