Rick Caruso announced he will not run for governor or Los Angeles mayor this year, shutting down months of speculation that he’d jump back into the ring after his razor-thin loss in 2022.
A person close Caruso told The Post he wants to focus on his family and believes, “this is an extremely toxic time in politics.”
The 67-year-old real estate titan confirmed the decision in a social media statement, saying he’s spent the past year listening to Angelenos and Californians — and weighing the cost of another campaign.
“Where I can make the greatest impact and how a possible campaign for public office would affect my family,” Caruso wrote Friday, were the two questions guiding his decision.
After “many heartfelt conversations” at home, he said, the answer was no.
Caruso had been widely floated as a potential successor to Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose term is ending, and as a possible rematch challenger to LA Mayor Karen Bass — whom he has sharply criticized, particularly over the handling of last January’s devastating Palisades Fire that torched thousands of homes in Malibu and Pacific Palisades, where Caruso owns property.
