Campaign

Bass spars with primary challengers at LA mayor’s debate

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by Julia Mueller - 05/06/26 9:39 PM ET

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by Julia Mueller - 05/06/26 9:39 PM ET

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) sparred in a feisty debate with her primary challengers over how to handle wildfires, homelessness and immigration in the country’s second-largest city a month out from the mayoral primary election.

“Our mayor is the CEO of the city. She sets the direction of this city. And if you are satisfied with the status quo, then I’ve got great news for you. The incumbent is on the ballot,” said Democrat Nithya Raman, a councilmember for the city’s District 4.

“What I’m here to say is that we need more urgency to respond to the issues right now.”

Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star and nonpartisan candidate, called Bass “an incredible liar” over her characterization of some of the wildfire circumstances, prompting a “no name-calling” instruction from the moderators.

Bass, a progressive who defeated wealthy Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in the 2022 mayoral race, faced significant backlash early last year for her response to wildfires that ravaged the Golden State, including an ill-timed trip abroad as the crisis started.

The fires burned more than 23,000 acres in and around Los Angeles, impacting the Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu, and destroying thousands of homes and structures.

“It was one of the worst moments of my life to not be here when my city needed me, and it didn’t matter where I was or why I was away,” she said on Tuesday’s debate stage, when asked why she should get a second term.

“But I think that I deserve a second term, and I’m going to fight for that, because we have made significant progress in a variety of areas,” Bass added, pointing to data showing street homelessness down in Los Angeles by 17.5 percent in the last two years of her tenure, as well as her efforts to build affordable housing.

Pressed on whether she made a mistake in budgeting around wildfire preparedness, Bass suggested there were multiple factors at play.

“The same way that L.A. was not prepared, neither was the county,” she said.

Last summer, Bass also navigated protests over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown that roiled her city and prompted President Trump to send National Guard troops into Los Angeles.

On the topic of immigration, each candidate was asked for a yes-or-no answer on whether non-citizens should be allowed to vote in local elections, as proposed recently by a city councilman.

“Well, first of all, when you say non-citizens, it doesn’t mean they’re here illegal. It doesn’t mean they’re undocumented. They could have green cards, they could be here perfectly legal. And there’s a lot of states and cities that do that on very, very local elections. We have to see what the councilman is proposing,” Bass said, answering that “it depends.”

Raman responded similarly, while Pratt said “no” without elaborating.

Polling in the race has been sparse, but two polls in March showed Bass with a clear lead over her rivals, despite a significant share of voters still undecided and struggling approval numbers for the incumbent amid last year’s crises.

An Emerson College Polling survey found Pratt in second place, while data from the University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed Raman as runner-up.

Under California’s unique primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general, regardless of party. If Pratt emerges, he’ll likely face off with a Democrat in a classic blue-on-red showdown. But there’s a chance that both Bass and Raman advance for a Democrat-versus-Democrat clash.

At one point in the hourlong program, Raman accused Bass and Pratt of attacking her “because they want to run against each other” in the general election.

“First off, Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together. I blame this person for burning my house and my parents’ house and my town and all my neighbors down. … Second off, if I wanted to run against anybody, it would be the council member who is terrible,” the Republican parried.

Tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and community organizer Rae Huang, both Democrats, are also among the several other candidates running for the mayor’s office, though just three contenders took part in the debate.

The mayoral debate was the first in a double-header event hosted by NBC LA and Telemundo 52, and the top competitors for governor of California were set for another debate showdown later Wednesday evening.

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