And just where is the water going to come from for all of the development proposed by Caruso, Weiner, or any other urban politician/growth advocate? I can tell you that the plants and animals of the rural areas that are exploited to supply the cities with power and water suffer or die. This illogical belief that humans can have it all - continue to overpopulate California, and yet have nature at their doorstep - is delusional. The concept of "limit" needs to enter the equation. When fields and pastures are bladed for new housing developments, everything dies, to be replaced with concrete, asphalt, non-native turf, and water-using humans. Surely our species is smart enough to figure out how to survive without this addiction to growth. In biological systems, uncontrolled growth results in certain collapse and death. Sadly, many Americans don't see or understand nature because they are cocooned by technology.
When I travel to L.A., I see the sub-tropical vegetation, the lawns, the parks - while we in the Owens Valley try to stave off further water exports, and have watched seeps and springs die. We need environmentalists in public office now who understand that people must learn to cohabit the earth with other species, or the future will be more grim that it already is with climate-change-induced flooding, fires, increased temperatures, changing crop patterns, and the subsequent human migrations causing strife and stress for all.
4
A future president of the United States!
The Palisades Village needed renovating but Caruso opted to go the ultra high end wealthy route. The opening was a private red carpet event. Instead of keeping the architecture more in line with the history of the village,he went East Coast. He brought high end retailers instead of mom and pop stores that gave the village its charm. The movie theater charges $27 per ticket. The expensive doughnut shop already closed its doors. Missed opportunity. I don’t think he would be the best choice to run this diverse city.
9
Thank you thank you thank you for talking about above-ground rail! We have existing freeways that circle our city and intersect it to the north and south...above-ground trains are an easier fix, by taking one lane of each existing freeway. And people would use it!
This is the only solution for a car-burdened society that stews for hours trying to get around LA.
I vote for Rick Caruso.
2
California is in the throes of a housing crisis and this guy thinks the solution is to build a luxury apartment tower. So Hollywood. I remember a couple of original Star Trek episodes that were all about the haves living in towers in the sky while the have nots scurried in the dark and dirty below. If he has Lori Loughlin's daughter vacationing on his yacht that pretty much says all I need to know about him. He's is all about exceptionalism. His exceptionalism.
3
I was so proud that our sister community, Carlsbad voted down his mall project adjacent to a protected wetland. Nobody thought it was a good idea. California does not need more shopping malls, that's for sure. Real estate developers have become a scourge on our country.
11
Raise taxes on the wealthy (AOC is right... 70% marginal is a good start). It isn't just about them being rich. Their power and influence is outrageous and inconsistent with democracy.
7
The civically engaged leaders of LA need to focus their attention on the revitalization of Pershing Square -- which is stalled because of bureaucratic intransigence and lack of political will. With proper programming and management it could easily and inexpensively be the Bryant Park of LA -- but Rec and Parks and the local council member are in the way,
3
First, bravo to NYT for including the voices of folks like Jill Stewart (former Managing Editor of LA Weekly before it turned into one large weed advertorial) who are versed in the sociopolitical landscape of LA. A few presumptuous points aside, you provided solid context.
Next, kudos on Mr. Caruso’s successes. I’m not one to hate on other people’s accomplishments.
Since we are considering his potential mayoral candidacy, however, we must look at his approach to real estate, which reveals a sterilized vision of development. This is fine in suburbs outside of LA, like Calabasas, Pasadena, or Irvine, enclaves that embrace this type of growth.
For the Southland, this late 80s (frankly Manhattan-like) approach will destroy the existing social ecosystem anchored historically by working class immigrants. It will turn LA into San Francisco or Manhattan, neither of which is affordable to anyone solidly in the middle/working class.
It will also make it needlessly challenging to do what LA has done so well, i.e. give those who come from unconventional means a chance to break through. Tho this is coming to a standstill under Eric Garcetti's administration, which has greenlit so much outlandishly expensive development, particularly glaring in DTLA.
At the next mayoral race, we don't need Garcetti 2.0, i.e. someone like Caruso. We need someone pragmatic and tough on cronyism, not as quick to give council seats to developer-friendly yes-people – or worse, be a developer himself.
9
Perfect! A billionaire real estate developer, a fixture in Los Angeles for years who has overseen the construction of gaudy, uber expensive housing units over equally gaudy retail spaces is ready to move into the missing billionaire LA City influencer/philanthropist czar/mayor position.
Has anyone totaled up the ever growing yearly costs to LA City of the ever growing homeless problem? Is that issue on his radar screen?
21
This country needs more oligarchs like people need another ebola epidemic.
21
Rick Caruso sounds like a cleaned up version of Donald Trump. Sort of the billions minus the sociopathy. From what I gather, Los Angeles, like New York, has staggering problems related to wealth inequality. You have the superrich on their yachts and their 100 million dollar estates (my apologies to those whose estates are worth more) followed by the simply rich who drive around in their Porsches, have beautiful homes on the ocean, send their kids to USC, Stanford, Yale and what not, followed by the affluent who have very nice homes, comfortable lifestyles, drive Mercedes, BMWs, or Teslas, and who also send their children to elite private schools or the very best public schools, followed by the middle class who have nice homes but are under financial pressure but all their children go to college as well. And then we get to 60 or 70 percent of the population that is struggling. The bottom third are living in a state of economic crisis, unable to afford housing, their children may or may not go to college which is most likely a community college of some kind, or in fact they never graduate from high school. So for every Rick Caruso, there are a hundred thousand people just trying to live in Los Angeles.
What then is the purpose of increasing power to the richest and most powerful strata in Los Angeles society? Is it because they are masters of design, good taste and the generation of wealth? But is that in the public interest? No.
19
@Yankelnevich yeah, there's no problem with wealth inequality when you have opportunity equality. It's like complaining that there's a winner of a 100-yard-dash when all the racers started at the same starting line. Of course you may disagree everyone is at the same starting line and that would be your opinion and your interpretation.
2
@T.G.
Since when do Americans have equal opportunity? They do NOT.
It's absurd to make that claim. We're segregated from the get-go by our parents' wealth or lack thereof. Our education depends upon our zip code because it's funded largely by property taxes. So in my city public schools in many precincts languish. The only people who attend the public schools in my area are Black or Latino. White people who can afford it send their kids to private school. Some go to charter schools which are supported by the taxpayers, which is also not fair to the public school students in general, and sets up a two-tier system against which the kids struggle for the rest of their lives.
The public school teachers and principles do their best but they're often strapped for money. Clearly they cannot offer the same kind of enrichment programs, sports, swimming pools, etc, that can be found at expensive private schools or schools in more affluent districts.
Meanwhile just over the line in next town and the the ones past that, the wealthy suburbs, the public schools are so good they can compete with private prep schools.
So from the get-go kids do not have equality of opportunity. It's absurd to claim to they do. We have a hardened class system in the US and it's harder to get around it here than in Europe, for example.
It's important to acknowledge this so we can fix it. Class is an important element of the American social structure and it impacts personal economic outcomes.
15
@Sophia I think you make interesting points. Perhaps in certain contexts there is room to increase opportunities further and where there is room to do so I think I'm in favor of it.
3
People like this are a menace to society. An old wealthy white guy trying to make the world over in his image, creating luxury brands that drive prices up and benefit only the 1%. This is sick, NYT. Sick.
18
His mall in Glendale -The Americana - is the best development in the city. His development bring quality to his tenants and the customers of his tenants. If he goes into politics I hope his politics are not cynical and Trumpian - I hope he doesn't perpetuate and encourage victimhood. Especially at a time when you have the greatest opportunities in the history of mankind.
1
@T.G. Best development compared to what? The Americana is a gaudy Disney-like approach to development. There is so much added traffic, which brings issues like diminishing air quality.
I noticed that you've marked your location in Alaska. While those who live outside of LA may feel inclined to opine, your superlative comments ring less true for those who have to deal with the day-to-day reality of living in the county.
8
@Chris I will say I do enjoy going to the Americana - perusing the bookstore, going to the theater...although I do prefer the old seating structure at the theater...I think the new Laemmle theater is better on seating. And I'll leave it at that.
1
Mr. Caruso, I hope you are reading these comments. Unlike the overwhelming majority of the haters and self loathers, my wife and I admire your vision and direction as manifested in the Miramar. Beautiful property. Delightful proportions and meticulous attention to the details. We live around the corner and enjoy many evenings at the outside bar. For those who find you to be “too rich” and out of touch, nothing you can do will change their minds. I now wait for the sharp tongued replies.
6
@Mark Stone Is it unkind or just honest to say that the vision is heavily skewed to self-interest and business profit over community standards of living? The Grove, for example, created awful traffic and congestion in the Fairfax district. And for what? A Wood Ranch BBQ.
10
@Mark Stone No sharp-tongued remarks here. I haven't been to Miramar yet; look forward to checking it out for myself before making any judgment.
I do want to add to the note from @Blair, with whom I concur on the diminishing quality of life for other Caruso projects. Infra-structurally, the areas around the Grove and American were not designed for high-volume traffic, whether pedestrian or vehicular.
Meanwhile, re: economic diversity, a lot of older generation (more interesting) vendors at the Farmers Market were pushed out. The end result? Corporatized mediocrity at the utmost middle-brow like Cheesecake Factory. His idea of development, as with the aforementioned spaces, means tested sameness over true innovation and creativity.
7
@Mark Stone I'm sure the Miramar is quite lovely. Maybe I'll book a room there this weekend. Lowest rate is a bargain of $800 a NIGHT! Not hating, but I do have a mortgage to pay. Motel 6 in Carpinteria instead, I suppose.
2
Mr. Caruso's level of wealth makes him unfit for any public office. The 99% of the rest of us have very different ideas about "improvement" to our locales, because we live it everyday. We don't need or want a new "landlord" - we need leaders who live like the rest of us.
24
On the whole, real estate developers are a pretty sleazy bunch.
This is not too surprizing. To succed in real estate development, one must buy the approval of local zonig regulators, another venal and sleazy group.
Real estate developers should not hold any public office.
25
A stepping stone to the presidency?
3
The ultra rich; they play, they fight, they throw temper tantrums. The rest of us suffer from their childish and dangerous antics. The timid and frightened sheep want this, so the shepherds do as they please without any consequences. Gotta love capitalism. Gotta love Darwin's theory on evolution, too bad it doesn't apply to humans.
7
The "family crest" detail is hilarious. Don't really need to know anything more about him, or his fitness for political office.
50
@SA
Yup!
9
Anyone who is endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow is clearly someone who has more money than sense.
44
It's hard to credit someone with having vision when the track record includes something like the Grove, an ugly and intrusive mall plunked down into an urban neighborhood that was already dense. The area around the development has been ruined by the traffic. Period. This includes tour buses filled with tourists who come, I'm guessing, to ogle the J. Crew store and compare it to the J. Crew store in their hometowns. The owners of the chain restaurants and the chain stores and the chain cinema make money, but people who reside in the vicinity have absolutely seen a diminishment of their quality of life.
24
@Blair I actually live in the neighborhood and enjoy walking to the movies at The Grove and having a place nearby where I don't need to drive to a far away. I see many older adults take the bus there so they have a safe place to walk around and socialize. There's no need for hyperbole about this development "diminishing our quality of life"
1
@Madeline There's no need to attempt to brush off informed criticism as "hyperbole." I lived in the area for 25 years, and I know exactly what it was like before and after, and I'm glad to be away.
4
"Real estate developer" is a career that can make for very bad political leadership. I say that even without considering our current president. Real estate developers look across the landscape and they see what they want to see, they see what they believe is possible, they see big complex projects and all the "great stuff" they could get done if only the city didn't have zoning regulations, if only we didn't have to do community meetings, if only that neighborhood association weren't in the way, if only the client had enough money.
A politician's vision needs to encompass the interests of the largest proportion of the population as is possible. It's not just about plunking down public works projects and re-designing your downtown. The people with the "big vision" that created Hudson Yards are the opposite of who you want to actually be in charge of your city. Imagining that the guy who developed the Grove should just be the mayor of LA is pretty scary, an idea projected by people who are totally ignorant of what being the mayor really means.
25
A reasonable man with a lots of grit and determination. His new hotel in Santa Barbara took all of that and more. In the midst of a terrifying disaster he plowed through to completion and now in view of that disaster is a shinning example of his steady hand...
1
Rick Caruso wanted to tear down the entire Santa Anita racetrack, including the historical museums/displays of the Japanese internment during WW2. He wanted to build luxury apartments, and another one of his outdoor malls , which in the San Gabriel Valley would be deserted during hot days, which there are a lot more of then in the Palisades. I wish he would go back to Nevada to work on his outdoor malls there..
15
Sweet, can't wait to get my hands on a "Caruso 2022" T-shirt on Goop for $115.
28
@Cory the paltrow / goop connection adds an extra layer of opportunistic sleaze to the story
13
The grove is anti-urban at its core. A giant mall in a fairly dense part of Los Angelas that is not reality accessible on foot, bike or by transit. Palisades village, replaced an existing and thriving Main Street in a wealthy part of Los Angeles and replaced it with a mall not dissimilar to to the Grove with many wealthy residents agains the project. Rick Caruso has done well for himself but an argument can made that he has not served Los Angeles well his malls.
23
@Harris Silver
Palisades village just redid a single street pretty much. Five years ago that stretch of the palisades was dead and had a couple empty storefronts and maybe a baskin robbins or something. It's not perfect, but I think it's his best project.
1
Rooms at the snazzy new Miramar cost upwards of $700 a night. How does creating properties like this (in full ignorance of global warming--it's horizontal, huge, and right on the beach) qualify one for political office? We need leaders who understand the issues that real people face, not luxury developers who are increasing their wealth at the expense of the environment.
62
How can any of this paragraph be substantiated?
"Part of the reason that widespread civic engagement is difficult in Los Angeles is because the city can feel so fragmented. This was highlighted with the recent killing of the rapper Nipsey Hussle, whose death was felt deeply in his black and Latino South Los Angeles neighborhood, even as many in other mostly white sections had barely heard of him."
It can't. Why even have this paragraph in here?
12
@Scott
. . . it also shows a deep failure to actually understand anything about LA . . .
4
Real estate development is a con game. He will make a great politician. Just like our other Great Leader with a bad tan.
32
USC is dominated by trustees who worship money above all else. Therefore, the $$$ rules there--forget about anything that doesn't bring in $$$. Hence, the biblical idiom "Money corrupts, love of money corrupts absolutely."
17
My scale was tipped by Paltrow...
10
I hope he's seen to be the scapegoat for the many scandals at USC and that he's run out on a rail.
9
You have to love that Connie Rice is so unembarrassed to point out cynical racial politics:
"And my part was, I was their racial shield. They couldn’t remove an icon like that, unless you had the leading civil rights lawyer in the city, who is African-American, saying he needs to go.”
6
As most in L.A. already know, Caruso is just another Trump, with a better tan. His real estate developments serve only his pocket. He has been a USC insider for decades; faculty, staff and students cannot wait for his departure.
41
Fantastic! Another billionaire real-estate hustler wants to run for office. Do we ever learn?
48
If Mr. Caruso can restore USC to the university it once was, one an alum or former employee can be proud to claim again, he'll have a welcome shot at running L.A. If not, no. Lots of people hurting over the USC scandals.
@Muskateer Al
USC used to be a way bigger joke because anyone at all could get in back in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and I assume farther back before that.
So now the school's ore competitive but also mired in scandal.
1
Rick Caruso is Donald Trump-like in his belief the more "luxury" the better. His Palisades Village is a grotesque accumulation of super-high priced stores that in the view of many Palisades residents have nothing to do with their sweet beach town. The article mentions Mr. Caruso's support for vertical growth, but fails to mention vertical growth for housing in L.A. is code for high-rise luxury housing far beyond the reach of the city's many middle-class renters now experiencing skyrocketing rents. The article gives a paragraph of opposition only to Jill Stewart, a longtime activist who along with many others in Los Angeles understands the disaster that a Rick Caruso mayorship would bring.
40
I lived in PP 40 years ago. It was hardly a "sweet beach town". It was a nice quiet residential area for tv stars and executives that is now high dollar homes and expensive grocery stores. Just right for a mall that caters to the rich.
A neighbor on Embury Street grew roses since she was a writer for an outdoor gardening magazine. So in that respect it was sweet but that was a half century ago and she lived there her whole life.
It like most of Southern California has too many dollars chasing too little land.
If I were to classify an area as a nice beach town I would look south to Long Beach and Redondo Beach but they have probably changed as well.
1
@trenton -Another Michael Bloomberg? Bloomie said NYC needed more billionaires and luxury high rise development. I feel sorry for the ordinary person living in that area if this guy has his way.
3
Thank you but NO! Not another real estate developer that thinks that their wealth addiction qualifies them for public service.
We should not be celebrating philanthropists- we should be shaming them for their non-philanthropic actions that only serve to perpetuate their control and unfair share of the pie. The philanthropy is calculated reputation laundering. Just pay taxes.
55
@Brooklyn. OMG you took the words right out of my mouth! Across the board just pay more taxes Unless we the people decide how it gets used!
1