Bass, Caruso sling mud over USC scholarship, alleged hacks and homelessness fixes

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our native elections publication. Dakota Smith, Julia Wick and Ben Oreskes are right here to drag you out of the warmth and into cooler instances, with assist from David Zahniser.

Are you acquainted with the omnipresent internet meme that reveals two folks in Spider-Man costumes, every pointing on the different?

It paints a fairly good image of the week that was in L.A. politics, as Rep. Karen Bass and actual property developer Rick Caruso each acquired deep into the mud, accusing the opposite of USC-related malfeasance.

If there’s one factor Caruso and Bass agreed on final week, it was that their opponent wasn’t being forthright about their dealings with USC, which has racked up a number of scandals in recent times.

Bass is going through contemporary questions on a $95,000 scholarship that USC granted her in 2011, following new reporting from our colleague Matt Hamilton. Caruso rapidly pounced on the chance to assault his opponent, and Bass responded with equal hearth.

Hamilton reported this week that federal prosecutors had declared that Bass’ scholarship and her dealings with USC have been “critical” to their investigation into alleged corruption throughout the college’s social work program.

Bass isn’t a goal or topic of the probe into an alleged quid professional quo involving politician Mark Ridley-Thomas and a scholarship awarded to his son in alternate for profitable county contracts.

After The Times’ story broke Thursday, Bass’ marketing campaign pivoted throughout the hour by posting a video attacking Caruso, a USC board member, for failing to “keep women safe” at USC, in reference to the George Tyndall sexual abuse case.

Meanwhile, Caruso and his allies — who spent a part of final week batting away conflict-of-interest accusations from the Bass marketing campaign — appeared to revel within the revelation that Bass’ scholarship deal was pulling her into the federal corruption case.

“Congratulations,” a Caruso supporter informed a Caruso marketing campaign staffer at an occasion on Melrose Avenue shortly after The Times revealed its story.

Caruso “was very giddy about it this afternoon,” the supporter informed the staffer, talking concerning the story and seemingly unaware {that a} Times reporter was standing subsequent to them.

Caruso held his personal news convention Thursday to castigate Bass and demand that her marketing campaign launch her communications with former Dean Marilyn Flynn, the indicted administrator who offered Bass the scholarship.

The Times additionally requested Bass to launch these communications, in addition to letters that Bass and her workplace wrote in help of USC initiatives.

“In regards to your request for all emails and documents, we do not have access to all Congressional records, I refer you to the Congressional Records Office,” stated Bass communications director Sarah Leonard Sheahan.

Bass herself prevented deeper questions. At a news convention that was billed as a approach to discuss concerning the article and the most recent countywide homeless numbers, she took simply two prescreened questions from reporters.

She informed the media that the corruption case “has nothing to do with me.”

STATE OF PLAY

— WHAT THE HACK? Caruso’s Thursday news convention took a weird twist when he instructed that his marketing campaign had been hacked, “most likely from the Bass campaign,” with out offering any backing for the accusation.

The hefty allegation got here after Caruso was requested about an nameless e-mail from somebody claiming to be “a whistleblower with the Caruso campaign” that was despatched to quite a few reporters who RSVP’d to his news convention.

Caruso stated it was “disturbing, at best, that somebody was able to get into our email system,” although he later conceded that the marketing campaign was additionally trying into the likelihood {that a} marketing campaign staffer with entry to the RSVP checklist had despatched it.

Leonard Sheahan denied the accusation, calling it “just another lie from Rick Caruso.”

— “AGE OF BLACK WOMEN”: The 19th seems at Bass’ mayoral run. “Bass is campaigning for mayor during a period when Black women have won historic mayoral races nationwide. Last year, Black women served as mayors of eight of America’s 100 most populous cities, a record.”

— BASS IN THE BIG EASY: Bass was out of city for a lot of the week, together with Wednesday night time for a fundraiser on the New Orleans residence of former Rep. Cedric Richmond. On the visitor checklist have been a number of outstanding Louisiana politicians, together with former Rep. Cleo Fields, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome and a “couple of other officials from the city of New Orleans,” in keeping with New Orleans City Councilmember Eugene J. Green.

From left: New Orleans City Councilmember Eugene J. Green; U.S. Rep Karen Bass; Green’s chief of employees, Sandra G. Thomas; and New Orleans City Councilmember Joseph I. Giarrusso III on the Wednesday reception.

(Eugene J. Green)

Green introduced Bass with a ceremonial proclamation (it appears these certificates are additionally a mainstay at New Orleans City Hall!) honoring her on the occasion, saying it was “in recognition of her as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and also the community work that she’s done.”

— CONTROL TIME: Councilmember Paul Koretz, working for metropolis controller, picked up the endorsement of former City Controller Laura Chick, that means Koretz is now backed by each particular person to carry that workplace relationship to 1985.

— HEATING UP: Now till election day “will be a slugfest,” Jon Regardie writes in Los Angeles Magazine: “Although public polls give Bass a healthy lead, voters who were queried gave their answers during a period when Caruso kept an extremely low profile. That will change, and as the candidates shift into overdrive, voters will begin to pay attention.”

— BASES: Westside Today checks in with the Council District 11 race between Traci Park and Erin Darling, the place Park “is piling up the private sector, building and trades support while Darling is more focused on public sector labor groups.”

— ANOTHER ELECTION? SO SOON? It appears implausible, perhaps even terrible, to ponder. But it’s true: The marketing campaign fundraising interval has opened for the town’s 2024 election, when seven of the council’s 15 seats can be up for grabs. State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian has already filed to run for the seat held by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, his former boss, who should step down in 2024 as a result of time period limits. Meanwhile, Councilmember John Lee has begun fundraising for his personal reelection bid within the northwest Valley, in keeping with the Ethics Commission web site.

And in non-campaign news …

— STREET BEAT: There’s a small however rising L.A. County initiative in street-based psychiatric therapy that’s starting to make inroads into the inhabitants of homeless individuals who wander L.A.’s streets with untreated psychological sickness.

— BACK TO THE COUNTY BOARD ROOM: After a really lengthy COVID-19 closure, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors introduced Friday that the Board Hearing Room on the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration would reopen to the general public Sept. 27. Members of the general public will nonetheless be capable of make feedback by phone when in-person conferences resume.

HOMELESSNESS IN THE HEADLINES

There was combined response from politicians and advocates to news that, in keeping with the Los Angeles homeless depend launched this week, the county had seen a 4% enhance in homeless folks since 2020. (By distinction, the area’s homeless inhabitants had exploded in measurement in earlier years, rising by 25% between 2018 and 2020.) Some stated they have been cautiously optimistic concerning the progress, whereas others have been dissatisfied that there wasn’t extra, given the billions of {dollars} which have been invested in tackling the disaster. Many fear concerning the challenges forward.

In the town of L.A., homelessness went up 1.7%, and each mayoral candidates weighed in concerning the numbers amid their meals combat on unrelated issues. Caruso made passing point out of it at a news convention lambasting Bass’ free scholarship and later accused the congresswoman of being consultant of previous failed insurance policies.

“In a city as great as L.A., there is no excuse why our leaders have failed to address our homelessness crisis,” Caruso stated. “These are 69,000 of our neighbors who need our help to get off the streets and receive the care they deserve.”

Bass held a digital presser with a number of people who find themselves consultants in numerous aspects of the disaster and used the news as a cudgel — telling reporters that it’s what “we really should be talking about,” relatively than the story about her free diploma. She too went after Caruso, saying addressing homelessness “is not building a shopping mall.”

“I have the lived experiences and the endorsements of key decision-makers to marshal the resources we need from the federal, state and county government,” she stated.

This week, The Times went deep on the plans every candidate had made public, urgent them to place some substance behind massive guarantees they made within the main. Caruso is firmly centered on the development of recent interim housing, laying out an enormously costly plan to construct sufficient non permanent housing models — within the type of tiny homes positioned on 300 underutilized authorities parcels — to quickly shelter 15,000 folks. Another 15,000 folks would discover non permanent shelter in “sleeping pods” positioned in current buildings, comparable to warehouses and empty buildings.

Bass desires to wring as a lot as doable out of the present system with a purpose to develop each interim and everlasting housing, although at a much smaller scale than Caruso envisions. She would construct new shelter beds to accommodate about 1,000 folks. Bass’ plan additionally depends on the expanded use of housing vouchers, the leasing and buy of motels and lodges, and different approaches.

QUICK HITS

• Who’s working the town? Still Eric Garcetti. His affirmation as ambassador to India awaits a Senate vote.
• The newest in mayoral endorsements: AFSCME Local 3634 backed Bass, as did United Nurses Assns. of California/Union of Healthcare Professionals and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 47.
• And different endorsements: ILWU Local 56 Ship Scalers Union backed Darling in CD 11. Rep. Adam Schiff endorsed Katy Young Yaroslavsky in CD 5. Central City Assn. PAC endorsed Hydee Feldstein Soto for L.A. metropolis legal professional. The Miracle Mile Democratic Club and the Feel the Bern San Fernando Valley Democratic Club endorsed her opponent, Faisal Gill. The California Statewide Law Enforcement Assn. and Councilmember Kevin de León backed Bob Hertzberg within the race to signify L.A. County’s third Supervisorial District.

(If you might have an endorsement you’d wish to flag for subsequent week, please ship it to us.)

• Quip of the week: “You do not, as a city council person in the United States, need to release a formal statement on the death of the Queen.” — Yashar Ali, in a Thursday tweet.
• On the docket for subsequent week: The Mar Vista Community Council will host CD 11 candidates Park and Darling for a Zoom debate Saturday.