Hear much more: The unfiltered, in-depth interview with Rick Caruso

With the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election, host Giselle Fernandez sat down with both Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass for a special Decision 2022 Edition of "LA Stories."

In these two separate, one-hour exclusive interviews, each candidate dives deep into the issues that matter most to Angelenos.

In Fernandez’s interview with Caruso, the businessman explained why he wanted to enter the race, saying he has a gift for civic duty.

“I love it. I find it rewarding, and I'm passionate about it. This city embraced me, and every single day, it embraces me with the millions of people that come onto my properties… I want to say 'thank you,' and this is my way of saying 'thank you.'"

Caruso opened up on all the major issues LA is facing and explains in detail how he plans to address them if he were to become mayor. On his plan for homelessness, Caruso said he wants to spend money wisely and reallocate funds in order to build interim housing for 30,000 people within 300 days.

“We'll follow best practices," he said. "We'll give them the hope and the dignity they deserve as a human being. But right now, they're living in their waste. They're dying in the streets, and it's wrong.”

Caruso also opens up on his plan to address the rise in crime in LA by hiring 1,500 more police officers and increasing community-based policing if he were to be elected mayor.

“I ran a police department with fellow commissioners and Bill Bratton. I reformed a police department,” he said. “I brought in community policing. I've done it before.”

Caruso also opened up on what fuels his leadership and who he’s looked up to throughout the years, crediting Tom Bradley and former President Barack Obama for leading with hope and a sense of community. He also acknowledges his family for teaching him lessons on life and supporting him throughout his life.

Caruso says he has confidence in our democracy and hope for the future.

“I believe firmly that great leadership brings people together and gets them excited, gives them a North Star. This is Los Angeles. We're dreamers, we're believers… This is an opportunity to take back your neighborhood. This is an opportunity to be in charge of your own destiny. That's the gift that I want to be able to give.”

Watch "LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez" at 9 p.m. every Monday on Spectrum News 1.