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Developer Rick Caruso talks about rebuilding following fires

Developer with local ties talkes about rebuilding following the Palisades Fire

MONTECITO, Calif. — Developer Rick Caruso, who built and owns the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, is speaking out about his Palisades property.

Caruso also owns Palisades Village, which withstood the recent fire that began on Jan. 7. He said the shopping center was built with non-combustible materials and credited private firefighters he hired to protect the property. The private team worked just down the road from a fire station, freeing up city firefighters to combat the fire elsewhere.

However, Caruso said his daughter’s nearby home was destroyed in the fire.

Caruso discussed the future of fire prevention and rebuilding efforts during an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.

“What we should be doing in this city — and what we should do now — is take the opportunity to underground the power lines,” Caruso said. “Yes, we need to rebuild quickly and get people back in their homes. But we also need to be smart about it because the Palisades, just like Altadena — and God bless the families there — is going to remain in a fire zone.”

Caruso, who lost his campaign for Los Angeles mayor in 2022, has supporters encouraging him to run again. For now, however, he said he is focused on helping the community rebuild and reopening the village so people can return to work.

Article Topic Follows: Fire

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Tracy Lehr

Tracy Lehr is a reporter and the weekend anchor for News Channel 3-12. To learn more about Tracy, click here

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