00:00The big question in the race for L.A. mayor is where will Spencer Pratt's voters go?
00:04Pratt lost his home in the Palisades fire in January 2025 and launched a campaign for mayor against incumbent Karen
00:12Bass.
00:12He hoped to capitalize on frustration with Bass's leadership.
00:16He almost made it into the general election, but in the last few weeks of the primary,
00:21he was overtaken by Nithya Raman, a socialist city council member who didn't really have much connection to the Palisades
00:27but had a very good turnout operation in downtown areas of the city.
00:32Pratt's voters now are left with a very difficult choice.
00:35Do they go with the incumbent mayor who they believe has failed,
00:38or do they go with a radical socialist challenger who they believe could make things even worse?
00:44That dilemma was summarized by city council member Tracy Park,
00:48who was not a Pratt supporter but represents Pacific Palisades in the city council.
00:52And she explained that she could not bring herself to endorse Karen Bass
00:56but would be voting for Karen Bass because she feared that Nithya Raman would take the city further in the
01:02wrong direction.
01:03Listen to some of what she said.
01:04I am very, very concerned about what the future of our city looks like if Nithya Raman were to become
01:14our mayor.
01:15I'm not endorsing Karen Bass, but I am voting for Karen Bass.
01:20Pratt himself has not said who he is supporting.
01:24He has been much tougher on Karen Bass, but that may be the lingering effect of the primary campaign
01:29and his feelings about the Palisades' fire.
01:31It's not clear how this will shake out, but if enough of Spencer Pratt's voters decide to stick with Bass
01:38despite their early anger at her over the fire, that could help her hang on to office.
01:43Nithya Raman has the advantage of being a challenger in a year when many people in L.A.
01:47are upset about the way the city is being run.
01:50But Pratt's voters could make the difference.
01:52So let's get started.
01:53Rangely here.
