Rick Caruso at The Armani Beauty Luminous Lounge at The Grove on Jan. 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)
"This is a complete loss of public trust and an intentional act of covering up the actions that led to people dying. Everyone should read this article and consider what action is warranted. She has completely failed us," he added.
In a statement issued last month, Caruso had said that he "decided not to pursue elected office at this time."
But he indicated to KTTV on Wednesday that he was reconsidering based on the Los Angeles Times report.
Asked if he was reconsidering his decision, Caruso told the outlet that he was "certainly thinking about it."
Asked if it was the article on Wednesday that made him reconsider, he said, "Yeah, yeah. Because incompetence is one thing. But it's very different to mix incompetence, and now you've got somebody who is actively lying to the people that she has sworn to serve," Caruso said.
TRUMP VOWS TO BLOCK LOW-INCOME HOUSING IN PACIFIC PALISADES: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN'
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire while it burns homes on Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
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"The Mayor has been clear about her concerns regarding pre-deployment and the LAFD’s response to the fire, which is why there is new leadership at LAFD and why she called for an independent review of the Lachman Fire mop-up. There is absolutely no reason why she would request those details be altered or erased when she herself has been critical of the response to the fire – full stop," Bass' office added. "She has said this for months."
"This is muckraking journalism at its lowest form. It is dangerous and irresponsible for Los Angeles Times reporters to rely on third hand unsourced information to make unsubstantiated character attacks to advance a narrative that is false," the statement added.
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/businessman-rick-caruso-considers-running-la-mayor-wake-palisades-fire-report