No Priors Ep. 99 | With Rick Caruso

This week on No Priors, Elad sits down with Rick Caruso, LA real estate developer and runner-up in the 2022 mayoral race. With experience serving under three LA mayors, as well as on the police commission and the board of water and power, Rick offers a unique perspective on the systemic failures that contributed to the devastation of the January 2025 wildfires in communities like the Palisades and Altadena. He discusses the steps he took to build more resilient infrastructure in his properties and how California can rebuild smarter to better prepare for future disasters. They also explore the state’s water management, rising crime, and how to leverage California’s vast natural resources and budget to create a better future for all residents. Sign up for new podcasts every week. Email feedback to show@no-priors.com Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @RickCarusoLA Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 0:56 Caruso’s history in business and public service 3:36 Failures in fire prevention and response 5:58 How Caruso’s properties survived 8:26 Water shortages and infrastructure failures 9:47 Arson, looting, and crime in LA 15:03 Rebuilding 20:50 Allocating California’s resources effectively 26:15 Caruso’s future plans

Elad GilhostRick CarusoguestSarah Guohost

Jan 30, 202527mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: January 30, 2025
Duration: 27m
Channel: No Priors
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

This week on No Priors, Elad sits down with Rick Caruso, LA real estate developer and runner-up in the 2022 mayoral race. With experience serving under three LA mayors, as well as on the police commission and the board of water and power, Rick offers a unique perspective on the systemic failures that contributed to the devastation of the January 2025 wildfires in communities like the Palisades and Altadena. He discusses the steps he took to build more resilient infrastructure in his properties and how California can rebuild smarter to better prepare for future disasters. They also explore the state’s water management, rising crime, and how to leverage California’s vast natural resources and budget to create a better future for all residents. Sign up for new podcasts every week. Email feedback to show@no-priors.com Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @RickCarusoLA Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 0:56 Caruso’s history in business and public service 3:36 Failures in fire prevention and response 5:58 How Caruso’s properties survived 8:26 Water shortages and infrastructure failures 9:47 Arson, looting, and crime in LA 15:03 Rebuilding 20:50 Allocating California’s resources effectively 26:15 Caruso’s future plans

SPEAKERS

Elad Gil
host
Rick Caruso
guest
Sarah Guo
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of No Priors, featuring Elad Gil and Rick Caruso, No Priors Ep. 99 | With Rick Caruso explores rick Caruso Blasts LA Leadership, Outlines Faster, Smarter Wildfire Rebuild Rick Caruso discusses the recent catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires, arguing they were worsened by decades of poor brush management, underfunded firefighting infrastructure, and empty reservoirs rather than being a pure act of nature. He contrasts his private preparedness playbook—non-combustible design, rapid-response protocols, private firefighting resources—with what he calls government negligence and budget misallocation. Caruso links the fires to broader structural issues in LA and California, including rising crime, weak law enforcement, homelessness spending with little impact, and decaying infrastructure. He advocates treating the rebuild like a business project: parallelizing cleanup, infrastructure upgrades, and permitting so residents can begin rebuilding within a year while modernizing systems for the 21st century.

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