From NBC News:
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso declares he’s not white because he’s Italian
The billionaire added his Italian American heritage makes him “Latin,” sparking a social media uproar.
Oct. 12, 2022, 9:48 AM PDT / Updated Oct. 12, 2022, 5:00 PM PDT
By David K. LiLos Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso insisted he’s not white but really Italian—and thus “Latin”—ln an awkward debate moment Tuesday in the country’s second-largest city.
Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer, faces U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, a Democrat seeking to become the city’s first Black female mayor.
Los Angeles has had a black mayor for 20 of the last 49 years (Tom Bradley, 1973-1993), despite blacks never being over 20% of the population.
Next month’s election comes in the wake of former City Council President Nury Martinez’s resignation from her council seat Wednesday after an audio recording of her making racist remarks surfaced.
In bringing up the scandal, Telemundo anchor Dunia Elvir said: “The next mayor of Los Angeles will be either an African American woman or a white man.”
“I’m Italian,” Caruso interjected.
Elvir responded, “Italian American,” as Caruso insisted that his racial identification be stated on his terms.
“That’s ‘Latin,’ thank you,” Caruso said.
Judging from the soundtrack that’s been playing nonstop for the last 20 years at L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso’s Grove shopping mall—pretty much nonstop Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett—Caruso is a Very Italian.
