LOS ANGELES — The rapidly shrinking list of Los Angeles mayoral candidates grew one name shorter Monday, as long-shot candidate Ramit Varma dropped out and endorsed real estate developer Rick Caruso.
Varma entered the race with a splash last fall, renting out Banc of California Stadium for a 400-person launch event where he promised to end homelessness and cut government waste. But despite billboards plastered with his face and the slogan "A New Kind of Mayor," the tech entrepreneur's largely self-funded campaign struggled to gain broader traction with voters in the months that followed.
Polling conducted in late March and early April showed he had the support of 1% of likely voters.
