'You’re so out of touch': Dorit Kemsley trolled after 'RHOBH' star endorses Rick Caruso for LA mayor
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star, Dorit Kemsley is the latest celebrity to endorse Rick Caruso for mayor of Los Angeles. Through her latest Instagram post, she expresses her support for the billionaire real-estate developer in his election against Congresswoman Karen Bass, a career Democrat who is notably not a billionaire, and she is extensively trolled by her followers, who essentially label her 'misinformed.'
Dorit joins a long list of celebrities who have backed Mr Caruso, including Noah Centineo, Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow, Snoop Dogg, and Elon Musk. The billionaire has long been a participant in the linked realms of politics, real estate, and celebrity in Los Angeles. Mr Caruso, who formed his own real estate firm in 1987, reportedly grew a portfolio of luxury retail complexes with the help of his father, who built the Dollar Rent-a-Car empire. His malls are noted for their Disneyland-like ambiance of hyper-cleanliness, opulent fountains, and town square-like retail experiences, which have become proper nouns in LA, particularly his $160 million The Grove, which has more visitors than the Magic Kingdom at times.
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What is Rick Caruso's agenda and what his campaign is all about?
Mr Caruso, a longtime Republican who reportedly switched parties only weeks before running for mayor, is best known as the developer of the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. He apparently backed the campaigns of George W Bush and Mitch McConnell as a private individual. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr Caruso contributed to John Kasich's presidential campaign in 2016, after previously contributing to Bass's congressional campaigns in 2010 and 2011. He is also allegedly said to have links to anti-abortion organizations, such as the USC Caruso Catholic Center, which he helped create with a $6 million contribution in 2008. Despite his vow to form a political action committee to raise $1 million in support of California's Proposition 1, which would modify the state constitution to include abortion rights, the Los Angeles Times reported in October that he had yet to do so.
Dorit's endorsement of Mr Caruso's campaign has centered on his talking points on homelessness and violence in the city. The candidate joined the campaign by promising to add 1,500 police officers to the LAPD, which appears to be appealing to people like Dorit Kemsley, who backed Mr Caruso with a lengthy Instagram post on Election Day. "I don’t typically use this platform for politics, it’s not my nature, but I know this is the time I must speak up and beg those people who are undecided to go cast your vote for @rickcarusola I believe he will not only make this city safer he will also make it thrive once again!" Dorit posted on Instagram, alongside a video of Mr Caruso's campaign.
Homelessness, affordable housing, and public safety in Los Angeles have been defining themes for both campaigns. "Everybody in this city — at every corner of the city, no matter where you live, what your background is — is scared to walk out their doors. Everybody is worried about crime, is worried about their children going to school," Mr Caruso reportedly said earlier this year during a mayoral discussion. California's voters appear to be in agreement. According to a recent study, the top three challenges for residents of California are affordability, homelessness, and crime/public safety. In certain ways, the city is indeed struggling. There are about 70,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles, with encampments under highway overpasses and also in public parks, and violent crime has increased in recent years, albeit killings in LA are still not at half their historical peak in the 1990s. Nevertheless, both candidates' fates may well be determined by how much Angelenos believe them to make the city seem safer and more affordable.
Mr Caruso has vowed to "clean up" the city by recruiting a slew of additional cops and proclaiming a legally dubious state of emergency in order to build 30,000 small houses and "sleeping pods" for the homeless in his first year. He's also vowed to create a slew of new affordable homes, citing his track record as a developer. The entrepreneur has also used his experience as a Republican on the Los Angeles Police Commission to bolster his crime-fighting credentials, despite the fact that the Los Angeles Times discovered he frequently skipped 40% of the body's sessions.
Dorit's recent post on Instagram sparked a social media frenzy, with followers ridiculing her and accusing her of being "so out of touch," but she's not the first celebrity to be persuaded by Mr Caruso's speech. No one was surprised when Chris Pratt and Katy Perry encouraged their fans to vote for Mr Caruso for mayor. Meanwhile, Mr Caruso has been supported and campaigned for by a slew of celebrities for months. Gwyneth Paltrow recorded a complete ad for him in March. Kim Kardashian expressed her support for Mr Caruso on her Instagram Stories in May, stating he "really can help with the crime in our city, which is such a big issue and super scary."