Karen Bass heads to runoff in heated Los Angeles mayor race

Karen Bass has come out ahead in Tuesday’s heated primary for Los Angeles mayor, but with less than 50% of the vote, she will need to defend her seat in November’s general election, News.Az reports, citing the Guardian.

Bass will face either Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV personality, or city council member Nithya Raman in November. As of Tuesday evening, it remained unclear which candidate would advance.

In remarks to voters on Tuesday evening, Bass said she would focus over the next four years on addressing homelessness and expanding housing construction.

She described Los Angeles as a city in recovery and pledged to build on progress made over the past three and a half years. Referencing the “dark day” a year earlier when Donald Trump deployed immigration troops into the city, Bass said, “We are a city that is unified.”

Los Angeles’s next mayor will be expected to show measurable progress in reducing homelessness, a persistent challenge for the nation’s second-largest city, while also revitalizing Hollywood amid an ongoing production decline and strengthening emergency response systems following last year’s deadly wildfires.

The race had initially appeared set for a straightforward contest between Bass and her former ally Nithya Raman.

However, the dynamic shifted in the final weeks as Spencer Pratt gained ground in polling and attracted national attention through controversial campaign videos and a combative debate performance.

Before entering City Hall, Bass had a long career in state and national politics, serving in the California State Assembly and the U.S. Congress. She later became the first woman to lead Los Angeles, defeating billionaire developer Rick Caruso in the 2022 election and entering office with high approval ratings.

In her first month as mayor, Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness to accelerate the development of both temporary and permanent housing projects.

Public dissatisfaction with her leadership grew significantly after the deadly January 2025 wildfires, which killed at least 31 people. At the time, Bass was on a diplomatic trip in Ghana when the fires broke out. Her absence, along with reports of budget reductions affecting the fire department, triggered widespread calls for her resignation.

Bass later described the trip as a “mistake,” saying she would not have traveled abroad had she been aware of the fire risk. The National Weather Service had issued warnings about “critical fire conditions” before her departure. Her approval ratings declined afterward, and she later dismissed the city’s fire chief. Since then, residents have expressed frustration over the slow pace of recovery efforts.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev