Councilmember Paul Koretz flip-flops on support for Caruso’s 20-story tower

Rick Caruso is having a rough week.

City Councilmember Paul Koretz announced Thursday that he thinks the developer’s proposed 20-story residential tower on La Cienega Boulevard is “too tall,” just days after the Los Angeles Times reported that Caruso and his associates gave nearly half a million dollars to city officials and their initiatives over the past five years.

“I’m calling on Mr. Caruso to continue meeting with neighborhood representatives and to shrink the project until it is appropriate for the area,” Koretz said at a news conference, backtracking the support that he vocalized in recent weeks.

Of Caruso’s $476,000 political donations, $2,200 went to Koretz. The councilman added that he’d be happy to give it back, the Times reported.

Koretz’s opponent in the March election, attorney Jesse Max Creed, spoke out against the 333 La Cienega project first — just five hours after Koretz’s announcement.

Opponents of the 145-unit project object to its height, while backers counter that the project would include amenities for the community, including a public plaza and 14 apartments to be rented below market-rate.

City Council is scheduled to vote on the development next month.

Koretz is also spearheading a series of new regulations on “McMansions.” [LAT] — Cathaleen Chen