I’m Rick Caruso: This is why I want Los Angeles’ vote in the mayoral election to be ‘open, honest and transparent.’
I’m Rick Caruso: This is why I want Los Angeles’ vote in the mayoral election to be ‘open, honest and transparent.’ (Mike Blake/[email protected])
LOS ANGELES — Rick Caruso is the one running for mayor of Los Angeles. As he approaches the end of a campaign that has been, at times, ugly and confusing, here is his take on the issues that need to be decided when California’s largest city votes in November.
How has this time of uncertainty and political turbulence made you a better person?
If I was looking for an honest answer, that answer is that it made me a better person. The last campaign was difficult. It was confusing. It wasn’t about the issues. It was about the process. The process, in my opinion, is the greatest problem in Los Angeles. I have been at this a long time — longer than anyone else running for mayor. I think the issues are complex, but the process is a disaster.
How has the mayor’s race, and the way things are headed, affected you as a person?
I don’t think it affected me much, because I know who my enemies are. I think the biggest effect was on my professional life because you have this whole world of people you go to for advice and counsel. This was the biggest issue, so what did I do? I said, “Okay, I’m going to run for mayor.” What did I do? I’m not a guy who goes around telling the mayor’s office what to do. I work for the city, and I have got to be the best that I can be; that’s the bottom line. So I took a shot at it. It’s not a question of whether I think I can do it, whether I think I can win. If I think I can, I’m going to keep running. This is what I know — that I know I have to do the best I can.
What has been the most important thing you learned in campaign?
Every campaign, you look at your opponents, you look at where you think you can take the city in the right direction. And if you think you