A Reality Star's Bold Bid for L. A. Mayor

Spencer Pratt, a familiar face from reality TV, has thrown his hat into the ring for L. A. mayor. This move comes exactly a year after the devastating Palisades fire, which destroyed his home and many others. Pratt has been vocal on social media, blaming Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom for the disaster. He made his announcement at an event called “They Let Us Burn, ” held in Pacific Palisades. Pratt promised to expose the flaws in L. A. 's political system. His speech was met with cheers from the crowd, many of whom were also affected by the fire. Other candidates are also criticizing Bass's handling of the fire. Austin Beutner, a former L. A. schools superintendent, says Bass hasn't taken responsibility for the city's failures. Rae Huang, a community organizer, believes Bass has been too quick to blame others. Rick Caruso, a real estate developer, is another critic of Bass. He hasn't yet decided if he will run again after losing to Bass in 2022. Lindsey Horvath, an L. A. County supervisor, is also considering a run. She has been vocal about the city's mishandling of the fire and the LAFD's after-action report.The report, which was supposed to detail the mistakes made during the fire, was edited to downplay the LAFD's failures. Fire Chief Jaime Moore admitted this and promised it wouldn't happen again. Horvath criticized the city for not participating in the county's own report, suggesting they wanted to cover up the truth. The Palisades fire has become a major issue in the mayoral race. Bass was out of the country when the fire started, which has led to criticism of her emergency response. She has been working to speed up the rebuilding process, but her efforts may not be enough to silence her critics. Pratt's campaign has been met with skepticism. Bass's campaign team dismissed him as a reality TV villain looking for attention. Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, have even sued the city over the fire, arguing that the Santa Ynez reservoir should not have been empty. Pratt has also hinted at a run for governor in the past. His website still sells “Spencer for Governor” shirts at a discount. His social media posts continue to criticize the government, with recent posts showing that only 7% of Angelenos have confidence in their city and state leaders.