LOS ANGELES — Businessman Rick Caruso missed nearly 40% of Los Angeles Police Commission meetings when he served on the volunteer panel two decades ago, an attendance record far worse than his fellow commissioners.
Caruso has called his service on the commission one of his top qualifications to become mayor of Los Angeles. But during his tenure from 2001 to 2005 he missed 53 of 139 regular and special meetings, an absentee rate of 38%.
The billionaire mall developer also arrived late for a dozen meetings, according to the panel's records, reviewed by The Times. The public record has a gap of about two months at the start of Caruso's tenure, so the picture of his service is incomplete.
