In a two-hour mayoral debate hosted by NBC 4 Los Angeles, three candidates shared their views on how the nation’s second-largest city should manage its growing list of crises. But a post-debate poll showed one candidate emerged as the clear winner.
The debate stage on Wednesday night featured two familiar local politicians, Mayor Karen Bass and LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman, plus one relatively unknown political outsider, Spencer Pratt.
Pratt, best known as an American reality television personality and former cast member of the show “The Hills,” has both intrigued potential voters with his run for mayor and received criticism for his lack of political experience.
As the candidates were asked to weigh in on issues ranging from homelessness and housing affordability to budget transparency, Pratt was asked why he was qualified to manage the city’s $14 billion budget at all.
“Well, thankfully, I have common sense and I have humility. I’m going to surround myself with the smartest people in the world, because I actually don’t have to balance the budget,” he said. “The mayor doesn’t balance the budget—she has a CEO, she has a team. We’re not going to say they’re the best team, but they balance the budget.”
“As crazy as this will sound, I’m the adult in the room here. … That’s what it has come to,” Pratt continued.
Pratt, an outspoken Palisades Fire survivor, said Bass and Raman haven’t done enough to address the city’s problems. In response to Raman’s plan to build more housing, Pratt argued the councilwoman is against landlords yet for squatters.
“She is going to sue all the people that actually rent to the tenants, and then they’re not going to even want to rent to anybody,” he said. “She wants people to squat in there for a year and not pay.”
Raman responded by calling Pratt a “MAGA Republican.”
Following the debate, NBC Los Angeles conducted an online poll that asked which candidate won the debate. Pratt won 88% of viewer responses, followed by Bass, at 7%, and Raman, at only 5%.
The lopsided poll result suggests many local residents are frustrated with Bass’ leadership and are willing to consider alternatives such as Pratt.
