Billionaire candidate for LA mayor claims he’s not white because he’s Italian: ‘Had to make it known he’s spicy white’

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rick Caruso, a billionaire running to be the next mayor of Los Angeles, California, appeared to reject the idea that he’s white because he’s Italian. During the final debate between Mr Caruso and Representative Karen Bass, both Democrats, journalist Dunia Elvir said that “the next mayor of Los Angeles will be either an African-American woman or a white man”. Writer Nick Pappas tweeted in response to the comments: “Can’t wait for Rick Caruso to claim Columbus was a Latino immigrant.” “People of Los Angeles - for God’s sake do not vote for Rick Caruso,” TV writer Blair Mowat added. Italian-American culture just seems so alien to me a lot of the time I know the history of anti-Italian discrimination in the US is an ugly one but so is the tale of how Italians became to be seen as white.” “Telling, isn’t it, that no-one wants to be ‘white’ anymore,” Andrew Lilico tweeted.