LA Mayor Karen Bass doesn’t seem too concerned about Spencer Pratt
Los Angeles mayors usually seek second terms — the last two defeated token opposition in primaries. Karen Bass’ chances for a smooth re-election likely disappeared on January 7, 2025, when the Palisades fire destroyed some 6,800 buildings, including the home of reality star Spencer Pratt.
Fueled by outrage, Pratt used his skills as an influencer to spark a campaign based on an insurrection
against homelessness and disorder. While Bass will likely be forced into a runoff, she still won’t
seem so concerned about the former star of ‘The Hills’.
“Reality TV – that’s a good thing. Lots of reality TV jobs,” Bass said during an appearance with unions in Hollywood on May 21. “But being the star of a reality TV show is very different from running the second largest city in the country, and one doesn’t outweigh the other.”
There are fewer jobs than before; according to FilmLA, reality TV production is down 71% from the five-year average. The decline of Hollywood production has been a major theme of the campaign, as both Pratt and Councilmember Nithya Raman have accused Bass of standing by as the industry left town.
At the event at Sunset Las Palmas Studios, Bass touted her record of supporting industry tax breaks, lowering licensing fees and appointing a film czar to help productions navigate bureaucracy.
“We will never abandon the industry,” she said. “The industry is in our DNA.”
Reality TV may not qualify for a candidate are mayor, but it could be good preparation for campaigning – especially now. When asked after the event if she planned to emulate Pratt’s attention-grabbing approach, Bass said she did not.
“No, I think it’s really important that I do my job, which I’ve been doing every day,” she said, “and that I continue to do that and communicate to people what’s being done and what we’ve done.”
Before taking the stage, Bass chatted with union leaders and said it seemed likely she would face Pratt, a Republican, in the November runoff. Given that Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 4 to 1, Bass clearly prefers that to a matchup against Raman, a fellow Democrat. She noted that Raman has few friends on the council and would struggle to build alliances as mayor.
In response, Raman told Variety that she worked with her colleagues to pass tenant protections and
other measures, and that she decided to challenge Bass out of frustration with the city’s direction.
“I know we can do better,” Raman said.
Pratt’s campaign declined to comment.
Bass was elected four years ago on a promise to tackle homelessness without criminalizing it. She
said he was surprised by the extent of the left’s opposition to taking people off the streets.
“The biggest shock for me was the fact that I encountered people who actually don’t think
Street homelessness is a problem,” she said Variety. “It was beyond my imagination that that would be the case
be people who are okay with being on the streets.”
