Los Angeles is about to see one of its strangest political matchups in years. Spencer Pratt—yes, that Spencer Pratt from The Hills—is stepping into the ring with incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman at the Skirball Cultural Center. And this isn’t some reality TV stunt. The Palisades Fire last year burned down his Pacific Palisades home and the neighborhood where he grew up, launching him into a serious political moment he never expected to have.
What makes this race compelling isn’t just the celebrity factor. Pratt has become a vocal critic of how Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom handled the devastating wildfires—he’s even called for Bass to resign. That’s a direct challenge to an incumbent who was elected just three years ago, in November 2022, when she defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso. Bass came into office with solid credentials: years in Congress and the California State Assembly. But the fires shifted the conversation.
Her challenger on the other side, Councilmember Nithya Raman, represents District 4 and brings Ivy League credentials—she’s a Harvard and MIT graduate serving her second term. While Pratt is the lightning rod, Raman’s the establishment progressive voice. Bass is playing the role of the experienced hand, managing a city in crisis. All three are fighting for the same prize in a city that clearly feels like something broke in 2025.
The primary happens June 2. If no candidate clears 50 percent, the top two advance to the general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Expect fireworks tonight—a celebrity turned activist, an ivy-educated progressive, and a sitting mayor defending her record on the most urgent issue facing Los Angeles right now.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.