Mauricio Umansky is not ruling out a future in politics.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and Agency cofounder opened up about his political ambitions during the Monday, August 10 episode of the Money Rehab podcast, where he revealed that he has seriously thought about running for mayor of Los Angeles.
“I’m not running for mayor yet. I never said never,” Mauricio said. “Maybe one day. I’ve thought about it a lot, but not yet.”
Mauricio also shared where he currently stands politically.
“I’m a registered independent, and I believe in the middle,” he explained. “I think we’ve lost the middle. I think it’s kind of gone, which is kind of sad.”
According to Mauricio, he would like to see American politics move away from what he views as extremes on both sides.
The Buying Beverly Hills star told host Nicole Lapin that he believes there needs to be more focus on “finding balance and finding that middle again.”
Mauricio then joked that he would like to “make L.A. great again,” a phrase that immediately caught attention due to its similarity to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
“Look, we need to do a lot of great things for L.A.,” Mauricio said.
Mauricio explained that when it comes to financial policy, he leans more Republican.
“On the financial side, I’m definitely more on the Republican side,” he shared.
He also said he believes Los Angeles could benefit from some of the economic principles associated with former California governor and President Ronald Reagan.
“Reagan was an L.A. guy and an L.A. native, and I do believe in Reaganomics,” Mauricio said.
However, Mauricio argued that Reaganomics would be considered more centrist in today’s political climate.
“If you took Reaganomics today, they’re certainly not a Republican side,” he explained. “That’s more of a middle thing in today’s world. And that’s what I mean about the middle.”
Mauricio also shared what he believes Los Angeles needs if he were ever to pursue public office.
According to Mauricio, the city needs to focus on bringing back businesses, jobs, innovation and Hollywood production.
“We’ve lost so much of Hollywood,” Mauricio said. “We need to give Hollywood incentives.”
He explained that television and movies are a major part of Los Angeles’ identity and economy.
“What put Los Angeles on the map was television and movies,” Mauricio said. “The reason we have people come from all over the world to visit L.A. is because of the movies.”
Mauricio added that losing production does not just impact the entertainment industry. It also affects employment and tourism.
“If we stop filming movies and television here, it’s not only about the employment that’s coming, it’s about the tourism,” he said.
Mauricio also discussed concerns about the Los Angeles real estate market, claiming that international buyers have pulled back from the city.
“If we don’t start fixing that now,” he said, “that’s going to affect us.”
He also said he believes the city has a public relations issue when it comes to safety.
Mauricio claimed tourists are “scared” to come to Los Angeles because of the “bad PR” surrounding the city.
“If we can change the PR that’s out there, but actually change it [so] that we are safe here,” Mauricio said.
He also argued that the city needs to address crime more seriously.
“We cannot have criminals get out of jail in three days,” Mauricio said. “We just can’t do that because what happens is more crime happens. They’re not scared of being in jail. They’re not scared of being put away.”
Mauricio would not be the first reality star to consider a political run. The Hills alum Spencer Pratt recently made a failed bid for mayor of Los Angeles in the race against incumbent Karen Bass and Nithya Raman.
When asked about Spencer’s campaign, Mauricio said he actually voted for him.
Still, Mauricio said he has not made a final decision about whether he would ever officially run.
“I haven’t decided whether I want to run or not,” Mauricio said. “It’s a major commitment, and it’s also very difficult to run against the Democratic Party in Los Angeles, which is also kind of sad.”
He continued, “They’re making promises that are unsustainable in order to win votes, and they’re not good for the city just to win votes.”