Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faces wildfire fallout in re‑election bid

Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the city’s first Black mayor, is seeking a second term as the 2028 Olympic host grapples with the aftermath of the destructive Palisades Fire. While homicides and street homelessness have declined, rebuilding homes lost in the wildfire has been slower than critics demand.

Bass’s campaign is being challenged by reality‑TV personality Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican who received a tacit endorsement from former President Donald Trump, and progressive councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democrat. Pratt’s campaign has drawn attention with AI‑generated videos portraying him as a superhero battling crime and Democratic politicians. A recent University of California‑Berkeley poll showed a tight race with no clear front‑runner among Bass, Raman and Pratt.

If no candidate wins a majority in the June primary, the top two will advance to a November runoff. Bass acknowledged past missteps, stressing there is “more work to do,” and emphasized her experience while dismissing Pratt as an “entertainer.” The election outcome will shape Los Angeles’s leadership ahead of the upcoming Olympics and ongoing recovery from the wildfire.