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THE BOTTOM LINE - With Rick Caruso officially out of the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral race, the city loses more than a high-profile challenger. It loses a forcing mechanism and external pressure that compelled City Hall to defend its record and justify its decisions.
Caruso’s exit closes the door on a campaign style centered on managerial urgency and disruption of the status quo. Whether one agreed with his approach or not, his presence sharpened the debate around public safety, homelessness, and government performance. Without him, the race now turns inward toward incumbency, fragmentation, and a familiar question for voters: Is the current system delivering results?
For Los Angeles, this election should not be about personalities or protest campaigns. It should be about governance.
Incumbency and Accountability
Mayor Karen Bass enters the race with the full advantages of incumbency—organizational support, labor alliances, and institutional backing. She has shown empathy and visibility during crises, and those qualities matter. But elections are not decided by intent alone.
Los Angeles remains burdened by structural challenges that predate this administration but persist under it: visible and entrenched homelessness, uneven public safety outcomes, a growing budget deficit that threatens core services, and rising frustration from residents who feel overtaxed, underserved, and unheard.
A re-election campaign is, by definition, a referendum. Voters are entitled to ask not just what has been attempted—but what has measurably improved.
A Crowded Field, Few Governing Visions
With Caruso out, the field widens. Among the better-known contenders is Austin Beutner, presenting himself as a technocratic alternative with executive experience and a data-driven approach to reform.
But this contest is not only about résumés. It is also about who feels represented by City Hall—and who does not.
That dynamic is reflected in the candidacy of Rae Huang, a community organizer and housing advocate whose campaign speaks to residents who view the city’s failures as systemic rather than episodic. Huang emphasizes housing affordability, tenant protections, and grassroots accountability, arguing that policy decisions too often reflect political convenience instead of lived reality.
Whether such a platform can translate into citywide governance is a fair question. But so is whether Los Angeles can afford to continue marginalizing voices that emerge outside traditional political pipelines.
The Risk of Diffusion
The greatest risk in this election is not competition, it is diffusion. A crowded ballot with no dominant challenger risks turning the primary into a low-information contest driven by name recognition, narrow constituencies, or single-issue appeals.
Los Angeles does not need another election shaped by symbolism or slogans. It needs a serious debate about capacity: the city’s ability to deliver services, manage its budget, enforce laws fairly, and execute policy at scale.
The Questions That Will Define This Election
With Caruso no longer in the race, voters and civic watchdogs must press every candidate on the fundamentals:
What is the concrete plan to reduce street homelessness, not merely manage it?
How will public safety be improved without repeating past mistakes or avoiding difficult tradeoffs?
How will the city close a multibillion-dollar budget gap while protecting core services?
How will transparency, accountability, and public trust be restored after years of dysfunction?
These are not ideological questions. They are operational ones and they demand specific answers.
A Moment for Serious Leadership
Caruso’s exit should not be mistaken for a return to normalcy. It is a test. Without a singular outside challenger, the responsibility shifts to voters, the media, and civic institutions to insist on clarity, metrics, and accountability.
This election will determine whether Los Angeles continues with incremental adjustments or demands structural course correction. The next mayor will not be judged by messaging or alliances, but by whether residents experience tangible improvements in safety, housing, services, and responsiveness.
Caruso may be out. But the obligation to choose competent, transparent, and effective leadership remains.
(Mihran Kalaydjian is a seasoned public affairs and government relations professional with more than twenty years of experience in legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. A respected civic leader and education advocate, he has spearheaded numerous academic and community initiatives, shaping dialogue and driving reform in local and regional political forums. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service across Los Angeles and beyond.)
