In what may prove to be one of the more unusual political ultimatums in recent Los Angeles history, reality television personality Spencer Pratt has declared he will abandon the city entirely if his mayoral campaign proves unsuccessful.
Speaking from the charred remains of his Pacific Palisades property, Pratt made clear to radio host Adam Carolla that his commitment to rebuilding depends entirely on the outcome of the upcoming election. The 42-year-old candidate stated he will only reconstruct his fire-damaged home if voters grant him the mayor’s office.
“I’m going to win the lawsuit against Gavin Newsom’s state park, and with that money, if I’m the mayor of Los Angeles, I will rebuild,” Pratt stated. “If Karen Bass gets re-elected or Nithya Raman gets elected, I will be done with trying to live in LA.”
The reality star has filed suit against the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power, joining more than a dozen property owners who allege municipal negligence contributed to the destruction wrought by the Palisades wildfire. The lawsuit accuses the LADWP of making “the conscious decision to operate the water supply system with the reservoir drained and unusable as a ‘cost-saving’ measure.”
Should his legal action prove successful, Pratt indicated he would relocate his family to pursue what he termed “the last American dream somewhere” where his children would not be exposed to the urban decay he believes has overtaken Los Angeles under current leadership.
“I’ll take that money from the Newsom state park and the LADWP, and I’ll go somewhere that my kids will not have to see naked zombies,” Pratt declared, employing colorful language to describe conditions in parts of the city. “But I will not rebuild if these people are in charge, because what would I be putting money into?”
Pratt launched his mayoral campaign in January, positioning himself as a champion for residents affected by the deadly wildfires that devastated portions of Los Angeles County. His candidacy focuses heavily on what he characterizes as the mismanagement and inadequate response by incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
While Pratt is a registered Republican, the Los Angeles mayoral race operates under nonpartisan rules. If no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary election, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.
The candidate recently benefited from a fundraising event hosted by music producer David Foster and his wife, actress Katharine McPhee. According to Pratt, a substantial list of influential entertainment industry figures privately support his campaign, though many reportedly fear professional repercussions for publicly backing his candidacy in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
Whether Pratt’s conditional commitment to Los Angeles will resonate with voters or strike them as an empty threat remains to be seen. What is certain is that his campaign represents a departure from traditional political approaches in America’s second-largest city, where frustration over homelessness, crime, and emergency response capabilities has reached a boiling point among many residents.
The question facing Los Angeles voters is whether they believe a reality television star can address these complex challenges, or whether his ultimatum reveals an unseriousness that disqualifies him from serious consideration.
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