After spending much of the past two years attacking Mayor Karen Bass, billionaire developer Rick Caruso is now praising her leadership. And Caruso is not alone in this political whiplash. Anger at Bass over the January 2025 wildfire has been particularly intense in the Palisades, but conservative political figures are now signaling their preference for the incumbent over Councilmember Nithya Raman. Apparently, Raman’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is more terrifying than the failures in emergency preparedness and disaster response these same critics have spent months blaming on Bass.
At an October 20 event at Caruso’s Palisades Village shopping center, Caruso praised Bass’s rebuilding efforts while expressing concerns about Raman, particularly her proposal to replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. He stopped short of formally endorsing Bass, but the conservative-leaning Palisadian-Post captured the significance of the appearance in an article titled “The Subtle Art of the Non-Endorsement Endorsement.”
The reversal is striking given the intensity of the backlash against Bass following the Palisades fire. Caruso and others accused her administration of catastrophic failures in emergency preparedness and response, while residents demanded accountability for the destruction of thousands of homes. In the June primary, Palisades voters overwhelmingly supported Spencer Pratt, whose relentless attacks on the mayor included his viral “Basura” (Spanish for “trash”) campaign meme mocking Bass. But with Pratt eliminated, some of Bass’s fiercest critics are now finding reasons to keep her in office.
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades and has repeatedly criticized Bass, has also said she intends to vote for the mayor while declining to formally endorse her. Like Caruso, she appears more concerned about Raman’s political affiliations than the failures she has attributed to Bass.
The irony is that Raman’s record hardly matches the radical socialist caricature invoked by her opponents. She proposed a 15-year exemption from Measure ULA’s real estate transfer tax for certain new developments, potentially weakening a voter-approved source of affordable housing funding. She also voted to confirm McDonnell as LAPD chief despite concerns about his immigration enforcement record. Although she later called for his removal over LAPD’s response to ICE raids, she subsequently walked back that position, telling ABC7 that replacing him was not a priority for her first 100 days and suggesting she might let him finish his term before appointing a successor.
Raman’s relationship with DSA is itself increasingly strained. The national organization has challenged her local chapter’s endorsement over its failure to establish her position on the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and some members have proposed revoking her endorsement or expelling her. While conservative critics portray Raman as a dangerous socialist, members of her own organization are questioning whether she adequately represents their politics.
The fear of socialism comes amid a wave of electoral success for democratic socialist candidates across the country. Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral election in 2025, Katie Wilson won in Seattle, and democratic socialists have since defeated establishment Democrats in congressional primaries in New York and Colorado. In September, DSA member David Morales defeated Providence’s incumbent mayor in the Democratic primary. These victories suggest growing frustration with establishment politicians and an appetite for candidates willing to confront economic inequality, rising housing costs, and corporate influence.
That broader political context helps explain the apparent reversal among some of Bass’s conservative critics. Despite her progressive reputation, Bass has maintained close relationships with major developers and business leaders, supported substantial LAPD spending, and largely operated within the city’s existing political and economic structures. For figures like Caruso, she remains a familiar and ultimately acceptable supporter of the political establishment.