Rick J. Caruso

Rick J. Caruso, founder and chief executive officer of Caruso Affiliated, is a developer and retail operator who has designed and built properties in Southern California. He has been active in Los Angeles city commissions and was the youngest commissioner in the history of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Developments 3 Public service 4 Community activities 5 Awards 6 References

Biography

Caruso was born in Los Angeles, where he attended local schools and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a law degree from Pepperdine University. He worked briefly as a real-estate lawyer representing developers but was soon attracted to the business itself: He "quit practicing law and spent the next 15 years developing industrial buildings in California and elsewhere."^[1] He is married to Tina Caruso; the couple has four children.^[2]

Developments

His developments have included The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles and the Americana at Brand in Glendale.^[3] Caruso is developing a residential property called 8500 Burton^[4] and has acquired land in Dublin, California, for his first retail development in Northern California.^[5][6] Caruso's properties have won design awards, including the 2009 Gold Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers.^[7]

Public service

Caruso was appointed by Mayor James Hahn to the Police Commission and was elected its president.^[8] He led the selection process that resulted in the hiring of William Bratton as police chief.^[9]

Earlier, he was named by Mayor Tom Bradley as a commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. At 25, he was the youngest commissioner in the history of that agency.^[10]

Caruso is a current member of the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission,^[11] which oversees the operations of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and nearby Sports Arena. He was a leading critic of the Coliseum hosting a rave party, stating, "The only thing that these rave events are good for is making money...But I put the safety of our kids above making money."^[12] Caruso later called for the resignation of Coliseum Commission General Manager Pat Lynch over the hosting of the events.^[13][14][15]

Community activities

Caruso is involved in Para Los Ninos, which provides education and child development services to neighborhoods in Southern California.^[16] The organization renamed one of its child development centers the Tina and Rick Caruso Child Development Center^[17] "in their honor to acknowledge the[ir] generosity."^[18] The Caruso Catholic Center on the USC campus was developed and named after Caruso following his contribution of $6 million.^[19]

He is also a trustee of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning and Development^[20] and is on the Pepperdine School of Law Board of Visitors. ^[21] He is on the board of the National Institute of Transplantation^[22] and is a trustee of Saint John’s Hospital.^[23]

Caruso participates annually as a guest panelist for the International Council of Shopping Centers and is a trustee of that organization.^[24]

Awards

Caruso was named by the Los Angeles Business Journal as the "Developer of the Year" and as Conejo Valley's "Man of the Year" by the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce^[25] He was honored by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation with its annual EDDY Award for "for his unwavering commitment to L.A. County through his philanthropic contributions, civic engagement, and economic leadership." ^[26]

References