Mayoral Candidate Rick Caruso Visits Pico-Robertson

News trucks and cameras littered the sidewalk and curb outside Beverly Hills Bagel Company, a kosher retailer in one of Los Angeles’ most Jewish neighborhoods.

The reason was an unannounced visit by Rick Caruso, a leading candidate in the Los Angeles mayoral race.

Wearing a suit and tie and flashing a friendly grin at passersby, Caruso on Tuesday visited the Pico-Robertson area, where he met with Chabad leaders about issues of importance to the Jewish community before stopping by several kosher businesses in the predominately Jewish area.

“We were happy to meet him as we would be happy to meet anyone running for office who wants to hear about the needs of the Jewish community,” a Chabad spokesperson said after the visit, explaining the meeting did not amount to Chabad’s official endorsement of the candidate.

Caruso’s pop-in on Tuesday occurred one week before the mayoral primary election takes place June 7.

In the widely covered race to succeed outgoing L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Caruso, a successful businessman and real estate developer, is facing off against Congresswoman Karen Bass and L.A. City Councilman Kevin de Leon, among others, to lead this city.

With election day less than one week away, polls show Caruso and Bass, a Democrat in U.S. Congress, virtually even while a sizable percentage remain undecided. De Leon is a distant third, according to polls.

In the mayoral primary, if no candidate garners more than 50-percent of the votes, a runoff is held in November.

Tuesday’s visit by Caruso, who is Catholic, was his attempt to demonstrate sensitivity to Jewish voters before the upcoming citywide election. Caruso met privately with Chabad rabbis in an outdoor setting at the movement’s offices on Pico boulevard, and addressed issues of safety and security at a time when anti-Jewish attacks are on the rise.

Caruso addressed issues of safety and security at a time when anti-Jewish attacks are on the rise.

“Clearly he wants people to be aware of what his commitments are,” Rabbi Chaim Cunin, who was among those at the meeting, said. “It was very helpful and constructive.”

Caruso also discussed his time serving as a president of the Los Angeles police commission as well as his familial connection to once-Jewish enclave Boyle Heights, where his grandparents settled in the 1920s after emigrating from Italy to the United States.

Afterwards, the mayoral candidate bought coffee and bagels for neighborhood residents at the bagel café. He also visited local ice cream store Munchies, where he signed yarmulkes for kids, and the Glatt Mart, a kosher market.

“I told him he might be 10 pounds heavier by the time he is done with Pico,” Cunin, CEO at Chabad of California, told the Journal.

Before entering the mayoral race in February, Caruso was known for his success in the private sector. His real estate developments include popular shopping destination The Grove as well as the Americana in Glendale and Palisades Village.

Since entering the race, he has made his campaign about three issues: ending the city’s homelessness crisis, reducing crime, and tackling corruption among city officials.

Polling suggests the message has resonated with many Angelenos.