Bass Recall Effort Taps “Major” Funding From Nicole Shanahan

The recall effort to oust Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is heating up, with “major funding” coming from Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s former running mate and ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Shanahan’s involvement with the Recall Karen Bass Committee was disclosed on the group’s website.

“Los Angeles has endured enough,” Shanahan wrote on X. “Once a city of hope, it’s now overrun with crime, chaos and suffering.”

The recall committee said in a release sent to The Real Deal its proponents are two Democrats, two Republicans and one independent and that all five were “personally affected by the mayor’s inactions.”

Political strategist and spokesperson for the group Gerald Sirotnak did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday on the names of those individuals.

Simmering discontent over local leadership during and since the Palisades and Eaton fires appears to be the group’s lead sticking point. Although, it’s taken up several ongoing points of tension in the city around housing needs, safety and an improved disaster response system.

“This effort is about ensuring Los Angeles has leadership that meets the moment,” the group said in its release, which claimed “thousands” in the city have said they would sign a recall petition.

Los Angeles-area agent, Sahil Nandwani of brokerage JohnHart Real Estate, serves as the committee’s principal. Reached by phone Tuesday, Nandwani referred any questions on the recall to Sirotnak.

Nandwani is also managing partner at family office Calafia Group and works as an associate at import company Tectron International, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Bass’ political strategist Doug Herman called the recall an “extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles” in a statement sent to TRD.

Whether the effort gains traction is unclear.

One of the loudest Bass critics has been developer and former L.A. mayoral hopeful Rick Caruso. On Tuesday, Caruso called for an independent investigation on the circumstances leading up to the fires, declaring on X, “We need it now.”

The shopping center owner hasn’t said anything publicly on whether he supports the recall, and his office didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry on the matter on Wednesday.

Caruso heads the non-profit Steadfast LA, which launched last month to focus on post-fires rebuilding efforts. Several business leaders are part of the group, including Olivier de Givenchy, western region head for JPMorgan Private Bank; Lew Horne, CBRE’s president for advisory services in the Pacific Southwest; Jason Keller, managing director at Oaktree Capital Management; and Caruso CEO Corinne Verdery.