I Thought Rick Caruso Was the Next Richard Riordan—Boy, Was I Wrong
I’ll admit it. I bought the pitch. When billionaire real estate mogul Rick Caruso first hit the political scene, I thought he was cut from the same cloth as Richard Riordan, the last Republican mayor of Los Angeles, who brought a measure of sanity and stability to Los Angeles. Riordan was tough, pragmatic, and unapologetically pro-business, everything the city desperately needed again.
But Caruso? He played me, and a lot of us, for fools. I was ready to get behind another successful Republican businessman who could clean up Los Angeles, possibly the State of California, restore law and order, and stand up to the progressive communist democrat madness that’s been wrecking both the City of Los Angeles and the State of California. Instead, we got a party-hopping chameleon willing to throw his supposed Republican values in the trash for a chance at power in a deep-blue state.
The Party Switch Game: From Republican to Democrat, and Back Again
Let’s rewind the tape. Rick Caruso wasn’t just a lifelong Republican; he was a Republican insider. He donated to George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and even Kevin McCarthy. He served as an economic advisor to Donald Trump. Those aren’t small things; they show where his head and heart supposedly were.
Then, when the political winds in California shifted, so did Rick. He became “no party preference” in 2011, briefly returned to the Republican Party in 2016, and then, right before announcing his mayoral campaign, miraculously discovered his progressive “Democratic values.”
Four party changes in eleven years. That’s not evolution, that’s opportunism on steroids.
This wasn’t about conviction. It was about calculation. Caruso wanted power, and he knew the only way to grab it in California was to slap a “D” next to his name.
The Final Straw: Caruso Sides With the Left
Now, Caruso’s betrayal isn’t just about changing his registration; it’s about what he’s done since. In 2024, he pledged to help Democrats flip GOP-held congressional seats in California. Yes, you read that right. The man who once claimed to be a centrist Republican is now funneling money to help progressive communist democrat Hakeem Jeffries and his cadre of fellow travelers tighten their grip on Washington.
He’s also endorsed Joe Biden for re-election. The same mentally absent Joe Biden, whose policies have fueled inflation, crippled small businesses, and made California’s cost of living unbearable.
And when a manifestly corrupt Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement, Caruso practically tripped over himself to praise her as a “trailblazing leader.” Spare me. Pelosi has been one of the most divisive figures in American politics and the architect of the very progressive democrat machine that Caruso once pretended to oppose.
The Moderate Myth
Caruso now calls himself a “moderate Democrat,” whatever that means in today’s political landscape. Let’s be honest: there’s no such thing as a moderate Democrat in California anymore. The party has lurched so far left that even their so-called centrists back higher taxes, endless regulation, and radical social policies.
When Caruso endorses the Democratic agenda, he’s not supporting moderation; he’s endorsing the same failed progressive communist democrat ideology that’s turned California into a poster child for dysfunction.
Homelessness. Crime. Overregulation. Outmigration. All of it traces back to decades of progressive rule. And now Caruso wants to help those same people “run Washington better”? Give me a break.
From Businessman to Political Sellout
What’s especially painful about Caruso’s turn is that he once symbolized what California could be, a place where innovation and enterprise thrived. His iconic developments, such as The Grove, Americana at Brand, The Commons at Calabasas, The Promenade at Westlake, and The Lakes at Thousand Oaks, were shining examples of what good planning and private initiative could accomplish.
But somewhere along the way, ambition ate integrity. The man who built gleaming shopping centers is now building bridges to the very politicians destroying California’s economic soul.
Caruso isn’t trying to fix the system anymore. He’s trying to join it. And he’s paying for the privilege, maxing out donations to Democrat PACs and currying favor with the party bosses in Washington.
A Lesson in Political Naïveté
I was wrong about Rick Caruso. Painfully wrong. I thought he was a Riordan-style Republican who could rescue Los Angeles or even California from the swamp of progressive communist democrat policies. Instead, he’s just another turncoat billionaire trying to buy his way into political respectability by selling out his principles.
So, to anyone still clinging to the hope that Caruso is some kind of centrist savior, wake up. The man has chosen his side, and it’s not yours.
Caruso’s allegiance isn’t to California’s struggling taxpayers or small business owners. It’s to himself and the Democratic establishment he once pretended to stand against.
Bottom Line
Rick Caruso fooled me once, but never again. The next time this billionaire decides he’s “open” to running for office, I hope voters remember what he really is: a political mercenary with a checkbook and a dream of power.
He’s no Riordan. He’s no moderate. He’s just another opportunist in a designer suit, selling “hope” while backing the very policies that have turned California into a cautionary tale.
Boy, was I wrong. And I won’t make that mistake again.
We are so screwed.
— Steve
