UCLA Luskin lecturer Stephen Commins is quoted in a New York Times story about Los Angeles businessman Rick J. Caruso and speculation on the wealthy developer’s next moves in local and state politics. Caruso, who spent $100 million running unsuccessfully against current mayor Karen Bass in 2022, is considering re-entering politics in another mayoral bid or possibly running for governor of California in 2026. The story focuses on Caruso’s re-emergence in the public spotlight through criticism of Bass’s handling of recovery and rebuilding efforts following the recent wildfires, characterizing him as a “shadow mayor” pushing steps already taken by city leadership. “The optics are terrible,” said Commins, who has studied government response to disasters. “I could write you a long script of everything that went wrong in the city of L.A., but jumping into the dog pile and pummeling people, or acting like you are a parallel government, is very destructive.”