Putting aside the difference, Beth and Caruso work together on Palisades reconstruction

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso has strongly criticized Mayor Karen Bass' leadership in the Palisades fire and has not ruled out the challenge of next year's election.

Meanwhile, bass allies targeted Caruso, portraying him as one of several wealthy right-wingers who fired on January 7 and spread misunderstandings about the mayor.

But on Thursday, all of these dramas stopped. Once a political rival – Bass beat Caruso in 2022 – emerged together in a sun-drenched corner of Palisades to tout plans to rebuild the entertainment center owned by the local city.

Caruso charity's staunch private donations from Los Angeles will help pay about $30 million in the redesigned Alma Real Drive, which was damaged in the fire. The sprawling center has tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds and more and is a popular community gathering place.

In a separate interview at the event, reporters asked Bass and Caruso about their relationship. Caruso said he believes this is the first time they have been in public together since their opponents were in the 2022 election.

The bass masked questions about Caruso’s past criticism of her, saying that the “the goal is to restore and heal this community.”

“We form a public-private partnership appropriately – this is the best way to get the job done,” Bass said. “The government cannot do everything on its own.”

Another major donor to the redevelopment of the entertainment center is La Strong Sports. Redick also appeared at the event on Thursday, saying the rebuilt entertainment center will be “the cornerstone of this community.”

Still, the appearance of the Beth-Caruso United has attracted the greatest attention given their rock history.

On X, user @ThereAlvalverde wrote: “It's cool, JJ Redick helped bring Karen Bass and Rick Caruso together!”

Caruso spent more than $100 million on his mayor bid, but lost nearly 10 points on the bass. In Palisades, he received more votes than bass.

Since then, he has not ruled out another political campaign, including the governor.

After the fire broke out, he appeared on Fox 11, saying that the lack of fire fluid lacked water “the city's absolute mismanagement.” He also pointed to the absence of bass – the mayor made diplomatic trips in Ghana.

Since then, Caruso has used social media to call for an independent investigation into the fire and continues to bass. Last month, he accused her of using the term “nuisance” to describe destroyed houses.

Bass' allies argued that she was attacked by “rich oligarchs” including Caruso and Nicole Shanahan, Trump supporters who are helping to raise a campaign to recall her. (Caruso opposes the recall work.)

During Thursday's event, Caruso said he was Bass' friend and they had known each other for 30 years. He said he visited the City Hall's Bass about six months after the 2022 election.

Given his recent attack on Beth's leadership, Caruso was asked what he thought about her work so far.

“I think she's working hard. I want to see, I know the residents want to see, and there's more,” he said.

More broadly, the city needs to put pressure on commercial building owners to remove fire debris from their property, he said.

Bass said the city is accelerating one of the fastest fire recovery in California ever. Compared to the Woolsey and Camp fires, “We’re going to be months and months in the coming months.”

More than a dozen Palisade residents, including Jessica Rogers, president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association, participated in Thursday's event. Rogers approached Caruso and thanked him for appearing next to Bass, urging him to continue his relationship with the city.

“It’s very important for our community to see you align with the mayor and work as a team,” she said.