Rick Caruso has remained one of L.A.’s most prominent political figures, even after bowing out of a second run for mayor this year.
Now the shopping center magnate is preparing to unveil a memoir, “Breaking New Ground,” which will offer behind-the-scenes political dealings and lessons from a life spent in the midst of civic crises. The book is due out Jan. 26 from the HarperCollins Leadership imprint.
“I enjoy dealing with complex problems and breaking things apart and putting them back together,” Caruso told Variety on Monday. The former L.A. mayoral candidate says the book aims to convey “a state of mind of how you get through difficult decisions.” He hopes to inspire others by breaking down how he’s led his various business and retail development ventures to success — a list that includes the shopping destination The Grove in L.A.’s Fairfax District and The Americana at Brand in Glendale.
Outside of business, Caruso led the Los Angeles Police Commission through a period of turmoil in the 2000s, and he chaired the USC Board of Trustees as it sought to recover from scandals. He has been deeply involved in the recovery from the Palisades fire, which destroyed three of his family’s homes.
The memoir, written with ghostwriter Mark Dagostino, covers all of that while offering “a road map for how you get through disrupted or complicated positions, deals, times — whatever the case may be,” Caruso said.
“It’s meant to be hopeful and optimistic, giving people a path moving forward,” he said. “We’re in a period of great disruption… When there’s great disruption, there’s also great opportunity if you can see your way through it.”
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While working on the book, Caruso has also become a regular presence on social media, posting videos from his car and launching occasional broadsides at elected officials.
In his only campaign for public office, Caruso was defeated by Karen Bass in L.A.’s 2022 mayoral election. He was harshly critical of her handling of the January 2025 fire — calling out “incompetence,” “mismanagement” and a failure on an “epic level.” But of late, he has been more critical of Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who is running against Bass from the left and leading in the polls. Caruso is particularly disturbed about her intent to fire LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
On Monday, he announced that he would vote for Bass but stopped short of endorsing her. Given Bass’ evident vulnerability, and his grave concerns about Raman, does Caruso wish he had tried a second campaign?
“I’m very happy and comfortable with the decision I made,” he said. “It was the right decision at the time, and I think it’s the right decision now.”
Caruso founded a nonprofit, Steadfast L.A., to aid in the recovery from the Palisades and Eaton fires. Royalties from the book will go the organization.
“Had I run, I probably would not have been able to do what I’ve been able to do at Steadfast,” Caruso said. “People would have been skeptical that I would have done it for political gain… As much as I would love to be mayor of L.A., you don’t always get what you want. And timing is critical in politics. I feel good about where I am today.”
But “Breaking New Ground” is by no means a farewell to politics.
Asked if the book means that he’s no longer interested in running for office, he had a quick and simple answer: “No.”