Mall developer Caruso throws support to Weiss in L.A. city attorney race
When shopping mall developer Rick J. Caruso flirted with the idea of a mayoral run last year, he was the challenger most feared by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s camp, in part because of his reputation as a formidable fundraiser and his ability to finance his own campaign.
But the man who built the Grove and the Americana at Brand in Glendale is now lending a hand to one of Villaraigosa’s closest allies on the City Council -- Los Angeles city attorney candidate Jack Weiss.
Weiss, who currently represents the council district that includes the Grove and upscale neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Cheviot Hills, Century City, Encino and Westwood, drew 36% of the votes in the March primary. He faces a May 19 runoff with attorney Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich of San Pedro, who finished second with 27% of the votes. Because of city rules, both candidates’ campaign accounts were zeroed out when they began the general-election phase.
Caruso, former head of the police commission, sent a letter to potential Weiss contributors last week inviting them to an April 30 fundraiser at his home and urging them to contribute the maximum of $1,000 to Weiss’s campaign. Caruso touts Weiss’s endorsement by Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, who is mentioned in the fundraising letter three times.
“Because of Jack’s strong record on fighting crime, both as a federal prosecutor and in the city council, Chief Bratton has endorsed Jack to be the next City Attorney,” Caruso writes. “As a former President of the Police Commission, I share Chief Bratton’s sentiment, and believe that Jack’s unique experiences and skills clearly make him the most qualified candidate to be our next City Attorney.”
Villaraigosa has helped Weiss's fundraising efforts: he appeared at a $1,000-a-head fundraiser for him on March 27 and is scheduled to be the special guest at another Weiss reception April 18 in Pacific Palisades.
Trutanich is planning his own high-dollar event April 27 -- a Universal City fundraiser hosted by some of his most prominent backers: L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca, City Councilman Dennis Zine and former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg.
-- Maeve Reston
