Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt is running for mayor of Los Angeles after losing his home last year in the devastating Palisades fire.
In an interview Wednesday with “Fox & Friends,” Pratt said, “I was driving away from my home and watching on the security cameras … watching my son’s bed engulfed in flames.”
This tragedy is what led Pratt to run for mayor.
He’s facing off against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who seeking a second term, and 20 other declared candidates. The election will take place June 2, with a runoff Nov. 3 if no candidate receives a majority.
Why He’s Running for Mayor
Pratt’s home, his parents’ home, and the homes of his neighbors were all destroyed in the California wildfires—fires he believes were preventable and the result of poor city leadership.
“Once people are burning alive, it’s a whole another tier in my mind. It’s not just negligence,” Pratt said.
For Pratt, the devastation revealed what he views as a failure of leadership during a moment of crisis, one that left residents without protection or accountability.
Pratt never sought elected office. He noticed a need in his community and, as a citizen, sought to fulfill his responsibility.
“I was waiting for somebody to step up,” he said, “and nobody did.”
Elaine Culotti, California columnist for The Daily Signal and a Palisades resident, said in a recent video that “We have been absolutely left to fend for ourselves, and what I would like to say on that is, well, if that is the case, then we should do that. We should fend for ourselves. And what does that mean? Should we take back our Pacific Palisades from Los Angeles and from the state?”
Pratt said that absence of leadership during the fires reflects broader problems facing the city.
Los Angeles is in one of its darkest times, Pratt believes. He points to an epidemic of homelessness, drug use, and animal abuse.
Pratt’s Criticism of City Leadership
At the time of the fire, Bass was on a trip to Africa. Pratt criticized the mayor for warning the city of the possibility of wildfires and then leaving the country. He promised, “As mayor of L.A., I’m never going to leave the city. Period.”
Another concern arose when it was discovered that Bass’s text messages from the emergency had been deleted.
“She has some special auto-deleting texts that the [Los Angels] Times couldn’t even get. So, what are in those text messages that were deleted?” Pratt questioned.
The Palisades fire destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged another 973, leaving entire neighborhoods leveled. According to CalFire, 12 civilians were killed after the fire started Jan. 7, 2025, and took nearly a month to contain.
“There are only two houses” in the Palisades that have been cleared for residents to move back in, Pratt claimed, framing the stalled recovery as evidence of deep failures in city leadership.
Pratt ended his interview by paying tribute to his Christian faith. “God, show me some signs here on what I’m supposed to do. And that’s again why I’m running for mayor.”
