Los Angeles mayors usually coast to a second term — the last two defeated token opposition in the primary. Karen Bass‘ chances for a smooth reelection likely vanished on Jan. 7, 2025, when the Palisades fire destroyed some 6,800 structures, including the home of reality star Spencer Pratt.
Fueled by outrage, Pratt has leveraged his skills as an influencer to rally a campaign built on a revolt
against homelessness and disorder. Though Bass will likely be forced into a runoff, she still doesn’t
seem that worried about the former star of “The Hills.”
“Reality TV — that’s a good thing. Lots of jobs in reality TV,” Bass said at an appearance with Hollywood unions on May 21. “But being the star of a reality TV show is very different than running the nation’s second-largest city, and one does not qualify you for the other.”
There are fewer jobs than there used to be — reality TV production is down 71% from the five-year average, according to FilmLA. The decline in Hollywood production has been a major theme of the campaign, as both Pratt and Councilwoman Nithya Raman have accused Bass of standing by while the industry left town.
At the event at Sunset Las Palmas Studios, Bass touted her record of supporting industry tax incentives, slashing permit fees and appointing a film czar to help productions navigate the bureaucracy.
“We will never abandon the industry,” she said. “The industry is a part of our DNA.”
Reality TV may not qualify a candidate to be mayor, but it might be good preparation for campaigning — especially now. Asked after the event if she planned to emulate Pratt’s attention-getting approach, Bass said she did not.
“No, I think it’s really important that I do my job, which is what I have done every single day,” she said, “and that I continue to do that and communicate to people what is being done and what we have done.”
Before taking the podium, Bass chatted with the labor leaders, saying it appeared 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 city council and would struggle to build alliances as mayor.
In response, Raman told Variety that she’s worked with her colleagues to pass renter 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 pledge to address homelessness without criminalizing it. She
said she has been surprised by the extent of resistance from the left to getting people off the street.
“The biggest shock to me was the fact that I was coming against people who actually don’t think
street homelessness is a problem,” she told Variety. “It was beyond my imagination that there would
be people who think it’s OK to be on the street.”