When voters go to the polls Tuesday for the Los Angeles primary, they are likely to nominate two mayoral candidates: Karen Bass (D-CA) and developer Rick Caruso.
If so, the unusual division of Hollywood in its loyalty between the two may be an indicator of a very controversial and extremely expensive joint election in November.
Both candidates courted the support industry, vowed to preserve and promote film and television production, and trumpeted their support from some of the show’s most prominent donors.
In just the past few weeks, Caruso’s campaign has highlighted his support from major social media outlets such as Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk, as well as industry figures such as Brian Lourdes and Dana Walden. Bass received recent contributions from Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Octavia Spencer and Jennifer Garner, and a recent event at Bad Robot Productions drew 300 people, including Norman Lear, 99, and JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath, who introduced her and Shonda Rye the host partners.
Industry-specific issues are on the sidelines compared to what dominates the race and attracts much of the attention: the perception of a city in crisis, with an uncontrollable problem of homelessness and brazen and tragic crime cases. This is where the two candidates differ, with different means and approaches to decision.
Another major contender in the race, City Councilor Kevin de Leon, a former protégé president of the US Senate, is also well known in industry political circles, but lags behind in research. In a debate in the spring, he positioned himself as a candidate who has already implemented housing solutions in his area.
The first two winners are advancing for the November 8th general election, but there is also a chance that one of the candidates will exceed the 50% threshold. Such a scenario is possible, but not likely, but the substitute is in the electoral activity.
“It’s theoretically possible, but unlikely,” said Fernando Gera, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and founder of the Center for Los Angeles Research. He notes sociological research shows that the race is quite closely linked between Bass and Caruso. A UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll released on Sunday found that Bass was supported by 38% of potential voters and Caruso by 32%.
City-wide competitions typically involve a few outside the industry’s most stable donor classes, but this is not the case this year, as the city has moved its mayoral election to coincide with higher turnout.
The troubles of the city undoubtedly arouse interest, but also the presence of candidates who come with broad political and industrial ties and, at least among political insiders, significant recognition of the names.
“Historically, Hollywood has voted somewhat unanimously in one direction,” said Jay Sures, co-chair of UTA, who supports Caruso. “The unique thing about this race is that they are not. They are very divided. “
Rick Caruso Christian Monteroso / Sipa via AP Images
Caruso’s ability to self-finance his campaign allowed him to cover the Los Angeles media market, perhaps in ways that have never been done before. His campaign has spent more than $ 40 million, much of his own money, making him a ubiquitous presence in the Los Angeles market, introducing himself to voters who might not otherwise know who he is – a real estate developer. responsible for The Grove, among other projects, who also served as chairman of the police commission and a member of the board of commissioners for water and energy.
His entry attracted approval from figures such as Gwyneth Paltrow, who recorded a video message, and Ted Sarandos of Netflix, who said on Facebook that Caruso was “a worthy man who loves our city and has a successful history of doing difficult things.” make a great place to live and work. ” It was an indication that Caruso, a former Republican in a left-wing city, was attracting support from longtime loyal Democrat donors. Sarandos’ wife, producer Nicole Avant, who was President Barack Obama’s ambassador to the Bahamas, also backed.
“These are two candidates who have really radically different views, different management styles and different public figures,” said Sures, who hosted Caruso’s first event since he announced his campaign in February.
It certainly credits a focused message. “At the end of the day, his message is so clear – more housing, more employees on the street. It’s a message that just makes sense that people can understand and understand. “He said he was introduced to Caruso through John Kasic, a former Ohio governor who is a UTA client and CNN commentator.
Caruso’s recent donors, including Sean Bailey and Adam Aaron, and others supporting his campaign include Maria Shriver and George Lopez.
Snoop Dogg’s approval came at an event last month in which Caruso appeared with public activist Sweet Alice Harris. “That’s what a mayor has to do,” said the rapper.
“She is a community and he has been with her for 40 years. There is no doubt that I support the real thing, and that is real. “
Karen Bass Ted Soqui / Sipa via AP Images
Bass, meanwhile, also highlighted the support of celebrities on social media, including Ken Jong, who wrote that it was “the real deal and the right choice for LA” and other figures such as Yvette Nicole Brown and Tracy Ellis Ross. Ariana Grande posted pro-bass messages on Instagram and a warning about Caruso’s potential to get over 50%. Recent bass donors include Jackson Brown, and she has also received support from figures such as Ari Emanuel, David Nevins and Michael Eisner. In a statement to Deadline, Bass said that “the film and television industry has been the backbone of our city’s middle class for more than a century – and as mayor I will continue my decades-long commitment to keeping film and television right here in Los Angeles.”
After representing the Los Angeles Convention District since 2011, Bass won national recognition in 2020 when she was on Joe Biden’s list of potential contenders for vice president, praising her ability to work anywhere. In her campaign, she highlighted her experience as a coalition leader, founder of the Public Coalition for Crime, Addiction and Poverty in Southern Los Angeles, and later as a spokeswoman for the California State Assembly.
Last summer, when it seemed that the mayor’s race would be dominated by insiders of the town hall, there was an attempt to get her involved in the race. Jeffrey Katzenberg was among those who encouraged her and a poll was circulated that showed she would enter the race as the undisputed leader.
At the time, Caruso was considering joining the race – as in previous cycles – but the poll showed he still needs to establish name recognition.
This time, Caruso decided and was willing to pour in tens of millions from the start to build his ID.
Guerra notes that in the polls, Caruso started with single digits, but grew rapidly. “He’s like a door-to-door salesman who kept coming around – TV, online, billboards. It’s just amazing and effective. “
In contrast, Guerra said, Bass’s strategy seemed to be “not to make mistakes and just go into the runoff … from that point of view, her campaign is very effective.”
But there are obvious concerns about Bass’s ability to match or even match Caruso, especially on the air. Her campaign has spent only a small part of what Caruso has, $ 3.3 million, and she has taken his resources a little further. According to Dave Weigel of the Washington Post, last week Bass was asked about her ability to meet Caruso on the air, she told a UCLA class, “I don’t have $ 37 million.”
Lara Bergtold, director of the BALL-based communications and advocacy firm RALLY, said Bass said the challenge for the candidate was that she was aware of the complexity of issues such as homelessness and “it’s hard to talk about complexity.” “We know that the solution to homelessness is to build more affordable housing,” she said. “Caruso has never built a single home at an affordable price. He has no experience in this. “Los Angeles does not empower its mayor like other big cities,” Bergtold said, while tackling homelessness includes issues of zoning, funding, land availability and bureaucratic coordination. “Ultimately, this is a problem in ultimately the decision. “
Katzenberg supports an independent cost committee to try to level the playing field. He donated $ 600,000 to Communities United for Bass for LA Mayor 2022, with other six-figure contributions coming from Abrams, McGrath and Monica Rosenthal, as well as recent donors including Rob Rainer, Barry Meyer and Martha Kaufman.
IE also generated one of the most notorious controversies in the primary race after releasing a spot that compared Caruso to Donald Trump, called him a “cheater” and opposed abortion, and called him a “Republican for life,” among other things. (Caruso “refused to say” in 2011 and then registered as a Democrat in January.) Caruso’s campaign sent a letter of termination and refusal to the station, and in an interview with Variety Caruso accused Katzenberg of being IE’s biggest banker. Katzenberg told the Los Angeles Times that Caruso was “too thin and temperamental to serve as our mayor.”
In a statement to Deadline, Katzenberg said: “Karen knows that sounds will never solve our homelessness crisis and rising crime. It has comprehensive plans that will address the root causes of the housing challenges in our city, as well as the growing crime without …
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