Devastating wildfire and homelessness loom over Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' bid for second term

“There’s more work to do,” Bass says.

Los Angeles mayoral races — indeed, some of the mayors themselves — often are forgettable in a city where politics takes a back seat to the Lakers, Dodgers and Hollywood. But this year has been different as Bass attempts to overcome lingering fallout from the Palisades Fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles history. Bass was in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the flames ignited.

Among the thousands of people who lost their homes was reality television personality Spencer Pratt, now running to replace the mayor who he blames for the destruction.

In another sign of how political media has evolved, the biggest sensation in the race has been campaign videos created with artificial intelligence where Pratt takes on a superhero persona to battle street criminals and Democratic politicians. Created by filmmaker Charles Curran, Pratt has shared the videos on his own platforms.

Unless a candidate receives a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary, the top two will advance to a general election in November.

The race is officially nonpartisan, but Bass is a Democrat, as is progressive city council member Nithya Raman, who made a last-minute decision to challenge her one-time ally.

Pratt, who rose to fame alongside his wife, Heidi Montag, on “The Hills,” is a registered Republican who has received a nod of approval — if not an outright endorsement — from President Donald Trump.

Polling shows a tight race

A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times, found Bass tightly clustered with Raman and Pratt, with other candidates trailing. The poll of 1,351 of likely voters conducted between May 19 and May 24 gave no candidate a statistically significant edge.

It's a perilous position for an incumbent, spotlighting widespread public doubts about her leadership.

On a recent Saturday, Bass was greeted by cheering supporters under brilliant sunshine in a Mid-City neighborhood where she dropped off her ballot in a collection box. For an unpopular mayor facing a dicey future, she appeared relaxed, smiling broadly, petting dogs and fawning over toddlers in strollers.

Asked about Pratt drawing national attention, she dismissed him as a political dilettante.

“He is an entertainer and that’s what he’s doing is entertaining,” Bass said.

She also questioned how Pratt, who received a tacit blessing from Trump, would be received in a city where less than 15% of voters are registered as Republicans. The president is widely unpopular in California outside his conservative base — Trump received just 32% of the vote in Los Angeles County two years ago — and a Republican hasn't been elected mayor since 1997.

“This is Los Angeles,” Bass said. “This is not a MAGA city.”

Among the crowd applauding Bass was Diane Mitchell Henry, a registered Democrat and event planner, who said she was impressed with the mayor's many years of government experience.

“She knows the heartbeat of Los Angeles,” she said. “I trust her.”

A November runoff appears likely with 14 names on the ballot.

Democratic strategist Garry South expects Bass, despite her slumping popularity, to advance on Tuesday, probably alongside Pratt.

He questioned whether Pratt's online video barrage was reaching people who actually vote. The most reliable voters in the state tend to be older, white, affluent homeowners.

“Most voters are over 50, pure and simple. You are not going to grab that demographic by posting clever stuff on YouTube and Instagram,” South said.

The contest bears some similarity to the 2022 race, when billionaire developer Rick Caruso promised to expand spending on police at a time of widespread concerns over crime and homelessness. Bass won by nearly 10 points.

A struggling city looks to the future

While immediate concerns in Los Angeles are focused on wildfire reconstruction and homelessness, the city also is grasping for a vision for its future.

Hollywood jobs have been decamping for years for cheaper filming locations. A downtown renaissance was crushed by extended pandemic closures and many office buildings remain desperate for tenants. The city has long struggled to provide basic services, whether paving buckled streets and sidewalks or keeping streetlights on. The restaurant industry has witnessed a long string of high-profile closures. Trump administration immigration raids have shaken residents. The city's notorious gridlock continues unabated.

Bass was elected in 2022 promising to end the unchecked homeless crisis and deal with increasing crime as smash-and-grab robberies became national news. She has lined up most of the Democratic establishment behind her, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the city’s powerful labor unions.

"We are not going to have this level of failure in our city for four more years," Pratt told CNBC on Thursday. The city “is not safe. It’s disgusting. We pay with our money to give needles to drug addicts to overdose in front of kids.”

Raman has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve street paving and other basic services. Residents are “hungry for a different future for this city — one that is affordable, functional, creative and safe,” she said in a statement Thursday.

Bass brushed off the competition.

“We’re almost to the finish line,” she said after dropping off her ballot. “I’m feeling good.”