How a billionaire candidate could win the race for Los Angeles mayor even before the general election

• The Los Angeles primary election is set for June 7.
• The top two winners advance to the general election — unless a candidate receives over 50% of the vote.

Los Angelenos will vote for a new mayor this year — beginning with a primary on June 7. But due to both the city's and county's election code, the primary could be the only time people in the city vote for a mayoral candidate.

The two candidates who get the most votes in the primary then proceed to the general election in November — unless a candidate gets 50% + 1 of the votes, in which case they win the general race outright.

This law applies to all city and county races including LA County Sheriff and LA City Council, according to LAist. However, it does not apply to state-level or federal races, in which case two candidates will proceed regardless.

LAist points out that this scenario is more likely when there are only several names on the ballot, and if one of those names has wide recognition (often an incumbent candidate). Neither of these scenarios applies to the LA mayoral race.

There will be 12 names on the ballot — 10 candidates and two who have dropped out of the race, but whose names will still appear. The incumbent Eric Garcetti is termed out and has been nominated (though not yet confirmed by the Senate) for the post of US Ambassador to India.

The latest poll from the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley from late March to early April suggests that billionaire Rick Caruso — a self-proclaimed business innovator, civic leader, and philanthropist — is leading other candidates with a current 24% of Angelenos saying he is their top choice.

Caruso, 63, and a former Republican, has led the LA Police Commission, was a member of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power board, and has developed several outdoor malls including the Grove. According to Forbes, Caruso has a net worth of $4.3 billion.

He recently drew the ire of Planned Parenthood's local political wing, which in a letter, pointedly asked him about past donations to GOP anti-abortion candidates including Sen. Mitch McConnell (in 2007), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (in 2017), and former Gov. John Kasich (in 2016). Caruso has maintained he is pro-choice.

His campaign ads have flooded Los Angeles airwaves, cable boxes, and social media feeds, as he's spent $11 million to promote his campaign through media, according to The Los Angeles Times.

He's already spent $23 million on his campaign thus far, The Los Angeles Times also reported.

Rep. Karen Bass follows closely behind Caruso at 23%. And 39% of Angelenos are still undecided on their top pick, per the UC Berkeley poll. Other candidates, including councilmember Kevin De Leon and community organizer Gina Viola, are sitting in the single digits, per the UC Berkeley poll.