Reality TV star Spencer Pratt launches LA mayoral bid on wildfire anniversary

Reality television personality Spencer Pratt is running to be the next mayor of Los Angeles.Pratt announced his campaign on Wednesday at a rally to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Palisades fire.Pratt, a Palisades resident, has been an outspoken critic of city and state leaders, including the governor, Gavin Newsom, the LA mayor, Karen Bass, and Janisse Quiñones, who runs the Los Angeles department of water and power, whom he says failed to prevent the tragedy and have mismanaged the rebuild.“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling, it’s fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash,” Pratt said at the They Let Us Burn rally.Pratt and his wife, fellow reality television personality Heidi Montag, lost their home in last year’s fire, as did his parents. He has accused officials of a bevy of shortcomings, including decades of poor vegetation management by the state, and the deficiencies of the fire department and its leadership.“It could be due to lack of budget, lack of knowledge or simply DEI,” Pratt said of the fire department.Although Pratt’s campaign website is live, it remains bare, and features links to his social media, a button for donations and a headshot captioned Pacific Palisades Resident & Karen Bass’ Worst Nightmare. Pratt has also updated his Instagram bio to say the account will now be used for his campaign.Pratt joins a crowded field that includes Bass; Austin Beutner, the former superintendent of the LA unified school district; community organizer Rae Huang; and potentially Rick Caruso, the wealthy businessman who unsuccessfully ran against Bass for the mayoral seat in 2022.Caruso has not yet announced whether he will run again in the June primary. He is reportedly also weighing a run for California governor.Pratt has already received an endorsement from Ric Grenell, a Republican former diplomat and current interim head of the Kennedy Center, who also runs Fix California, a group that seeks to bring more conservative lawmakers into state government.“Transparency is what we need. Spencer has the passion and the drive to make positive change for Los Angeles,” Grenell posted on X.