Los Angeles mayor's race: Congresswoman Karen Bass calls police union ad 'pathetic'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The two leading Los Angeles mayoral candidates campaigned in full force on Thursday. One met the public while the other picked up some key endorsements.

Developer Rick Caruso, continuing his walking tours of L.A. and meeting with Venice residents at the boardwalk, pointed out how the homeless are now spread across the beach on the sand, but just over the border in the city of Santa Monica, there are no tents.

"It needs to be cleaned up," he said. "This is one of the major tourist attractions. It's also one of the most important attractions for residents and families, so it definitely needs a lot more attention. It's sad what the leadership has allowed to happen down here."

READ ALSO | Rick Caruso vows to build 30K housing units in Skid Row during 1st year in office or 'throw him out'

"You have to do temporary housing, which my plan has 30,000 beds within a year," he said. "I know I can get that built."

Caruso has gotten some help from the L.A. Police Protective League, the union representing LAPD officers. The league has endorsed Caruso and spent over $4 million, airing an ad attacking Congresswoman Karen Bass.

Bass went after the union during a virtual campaign event Thursday morning with some of the big Washington D.C. names who have endorsed her, including Congressman Adam Schiff, Congressman Ted Lieu, and Congresswoman Judy Chu.

"This is pretty pathetic considering that two years ago, when I was negotiating the George Floyd Justice and Policing act, I was working hand in hand with the Los Angeles Police Protective League and have supported them," said Bass. "So, what they are doing is attempting to link me with something that I have absolutely no connection to, which is the effort that I took to study child welfare and obtain a masters of social work at USC years before the situation happened with the supervisor. So, that is an attack to muddy me up and cover up the real culprit at USC, and that was the person who was the chair of the board."

Bass is referring to Caruso, who stepped down from the USC Board of Trustees after he entered the race for mayor.

Meanwhile, faith leaders gathered outside the Police Union Headquarters on Thursday to protest the ad.

READ ALSO | Mike Feuer drops out of LA mayoral race, endorses Karen Bass

City Attorney Mike Feuer dropped out of the Los Angeles mayoral race on Tuesday and announced his support for Rep. Karen Bass.

"We're asking you to pull these ads down immediately because these ads are not a reflection of the leader that we know of Karen Bass to be," said Pastor K.W. Tulloss, the president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of L.A. "It's a distortion of her record. It's a distortion of who she is as a community leader and a public servant."

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