Spencer Pratt runs for mayor of LA one year after wildfires
Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt launched his Los Angeles mayoral campaign with an event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fire.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has expressed support for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ re-election bid, but it remains to be seen whether his comments will help the mayor in a race disrupted by the last-minute entry of City Councilwoman Nitya Raman.
In an interview with “Good Luck America” published on March 2, Governor Newsom was asked if he supported Bass’ re-election as mayor of Los Angeles, and Newsom said he “generally” supported her, adding that he had known her for many years.
“We have a great working relationship,” Newsom said in a clip shared by “Good Luck America” host Peter Hamby.
He said Bass had a “great ability to do good” and believed in her.
In response to Gov. Hamby’s question about one of President Newsom’s orders regarding homelessness and Gov. Bass’ opposition to the housing bill, the governor said “I can touch on some of the benefits” of “the position she was in on some of the housing bills and homelessness issues.”
Hamby did not provide details of the executive order he was referring to, but Bass criticized Newsom’s July 2024 executive order that partially required local governments to clear homeless encampments, according to a statement reported by the Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network. The following month, California’s governor threatened to cut state funding to counties that were not successful in combating homelessness.
Bass also asked Newsom to veto Senate Bill 79 in September 2025. California Inbee, a housing advocacy group, announced that new housing would be allowed to be built near transit stops such as train stations. In a letter to Newsom, Bass supported building more housing near transportation hubs, but not in ways that “erode local control, reduce community input in planning and zoning, and disproportionately impact low-resource neighborhoods.” Newsom signed it into law the following month.
Newsom added that he and Bass “will continue to work on issues like fire recovery and permitting rights every day, not every week” regarding the Palisades fire, which destroyed dozens of homes in Pacific Palisades, which is under the city’s jurisdiction. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January aimed at speeding up rebuilding after the Palisades and Eaton fires, criticizing permitting at the local and state level.
“But those are areas that we address,” Newsom said.
Bass has been criticized for his response to the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, including by mayoral candidate and “The Hills” alum Spencer Pratt, and is under intense scrutiny for his role in watering down the after-action report on the Palisades fire published in 2025, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times. The Times reported that Mayor Bass’s office “denied any changes to the draft document,” citing the after-action report, and that since the mayor had been critical of the response to the fire, there was “no reason to request any details be changed or erased.”
Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member and urban planner, joined the mayor’s race just before a key filing deadline on Feb. 7, a move that comes as other big-name candidates have dropped out. Former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner withdrew from the race on February 5 following the death of his daughter, and billionaire developer Rick Caruso confirmed he would not run, according to multiple reports in early February.
More than 40 people submitted expressions of interest for the position. March 4 was the deadline for candidates to file nomination petitions if they wanted to appear on the June ballot.
Other candidates include Mr. Pratt, who rose to fame on reality TV. He lost his home in the Palisades fire and calls himself Bass’ “worst nightmare.”
When will you vote in the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election?
The mayoral election will be held on June 2, 2026. The election comes as voters across the state decide which two candidates will appear on their ballots in November’s gubernatorial election.
Newsom recently commented on the race to replace him, saying people don’t talk about the governor’s race when he’s out in the community.
“I think it was tough to focus on that race,” Newsom said, noting the focus on President Donald Trump, redistricting and other issues.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. please contact her pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
