Rick Caruso says decision not to run for political office had to do with well-being of his family
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Making his first comments since announcing last week that he will not run for political office, Rick Caruso said what motivated his decision was that he felt the well-being of his family could be at risk.
"It was a really tough decision," he said when speaking with Eyewitness News on Thursday. "One of the toughest decisions that I've had to make. It's not what I wanted it to end up at. I was eager and ready to run for governor and excited about that, about what I could do, but in the scheme of things and a lot of talk with the family and reflection with the family, it was just best that now is not the right time."
The billionaire developer spoke with ABC7 in Altadena where his non-profit Steadfast LA gave out the first of nine modular homes to fire victims - free of charge. The homes will go to families who don't have the funds to rebuild and would have had to relocate.
READ MORE: Altadena family receives free home after losing theirs in the Eaton Fire
Caruso, however, said he's not going anywhere and plans to be more engaged at the local and state level.
"I'm going to really rally the private sector like we did with Steadfast but in a much bigger way and not only take positions on things to help people get back in their community, but also to turn this city and state around. We're just doing dumb things," said Caruso.
Caruso's decision not to run for governor leaves only a few weeks left for someone else to enter the race.
The current field includes Democrats Eric Swalwell, Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee and Tony Thurmond, and Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton.
Although Caruso's name won't be on the ballot, he told Eyewitness News that he plans to continue to call out elected officials he disagrees with.
"I might even be more unfiltered now. This is an interesting place I'm in. I'm untethered," he said. "I've always been honest about my opinion, like the fire. It was incredible incompetence. It was incredible mismanagement. I said that from the beginning and it's proven out to be true."
The filing deadline to enter the Los Angeles mayoral race is February 7 with Mayor Karen Bass seeking a second term. The deadline for the governor's race is February 9.
