The California Post will help serve all, not a few — it’s about time

The launch of The California Post is an important moment for our city and state. While I won’t agree with everything in these pages, I know that more information is better for our public discourse, and I appreciate their invitation to share thoughts about the state of our region’s leadership in the first issue.

We all know this state should be the best place to live, and Los Angeles should be the best city to live in.

The innate gifts of both are immense, from entertainment and innovation to culture and economic opportunity. And their greatest strength has always been the people who live here, pay their taxes, raise families, and come here not to fail because they believe the system will work for them if they follow their dreams and work hard. 

Sadly, the other half of that bargain is not being upheld.

The California Post is officially here — here’s why it will matter.

Today, leadership in our state and our city is fundamentally broken because career politicians are not listening and do not care about the vast majority of Californians or Angelenos.

Instead, the people’s voices have been pushed to the fringe, while elected leaders spend their time and energy catering to small groups of professional political operators who steer the agenda. 

This isn’t a rhetorical argument. We live with it every day.

Our housing costs are the highest in the nation, but there hasn’t been meaningful action to eliminate useless regulation, which drives costs higher because special interests kill every effort.

911 response times are rising, but unions and radicals have elected officials under their thumb, preventing substantial reform to public services.

The same trend holds for homelessness, infrastructure and crime, where progress is stagnant.

We’re facing a massive insurance crisis due to the growing threat of natural disasters; does anyone think our current political leaders can solve something this complex, or that they’ll do so without self-interested lobbies driving the plan?   

These failures aren’t happening by accident. They stem from a system where elected officials spend most of their time appeasing the political professional class: special interests, career politicians and ideological extremists.

Accountability begins with awareness, and awareness grows when information is clear, credible and easy to share, says Rick Caruso. Getty Images for Caruso

These are people whose livelihoods revolve around politics itself, not the daily realities of raising a family, running a business or building a future. As a result, those who are simply trying to live their lives and do right by their families are no longer the priority.

Career politicians are driven first and foremost by reelection and personal advancement, and that incentive structure pushes them to cater to the loudest and most marginal voices instead of governing responsibly for the broad middle.

Those marginal voices come to dominate the conversation, rewarding political performance and virtue signaling over competence — and elevating leaders who are skilled at placating factions rather than capable managers and problem-solvers who will serve the public good.

When that happens, government is unable to tackle big challenges, not because solutions don’t exist, but because the people most affected by these failures no longer have a meaningful way to push those in power to act.

I spent a lot of time thinking about whether to run for office this cycle. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made.

I believe deeply in public service, and I wanted to step in. Ultimately, I decided not to run because it wasn’t the right decision for my family, but there was also something else: I believe that the system is so institutionally broken and corrupt, that effective leadership and independent action from the outside can create both a greater and more lasting impact.  

That’s why it feels like the moment to start thinking differently about how change happens and who leads it.

Perhaps it’s time to look seriously at what it would mean to build something from the private sector that speaks for the moderate, silent majority: People who don’t live in politics but are deeply affected by its failures.

Not just to demand that government finally answers those whose legitimate concerns have been ignored, but to insist on a better standard that values problem-solving and competence over performance.  

I know outside leadership can succeed because I’ve seen it happen firsthand. Through our fire recovery nonprofit, Steadfast LA, we’ve created real progress.

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We’re installing homes for families who would otherwise be forced out of their communities. We’ve provided grants to help small businesses reopen and serve customers. We’ve helped create a broad effort to get private industry working together to drive down the cost of rebuilding.

I say this not to tout our record, but to show what’s possible when leaders operating outside the pressures of the professional political class are allowed to execute. 

That’s why The California Post will matter: Real accountability begins with awareness, and awareness grows when information is clear, credible and easy to share. If more Californians are better informed and actively involved, it becomes harder for politicians to continue operating without transparency or escaping accountability. 

We can’t accept failure and incompetence as the cost of living in this great state. I remain optimistic about California and Los Angeles because I know what our people are capable of when they’re heard and respected.

It’s time for leadership that serves the many, not the few. And if that leadership won’t come from inside government, we’re going to build it from the outside.

Rick Caruso is a businessman, philanthropist, former LA mayoral candidate, and founder and chairman of Steadfast LA.