Republican Spencer Pratt didn’t get enough votes in June to qualify for a runoff against Mayor Karen Bass. |
But in the districts where Pratt garnered the most votes — including his home base of Pacific Palisades and the city’s more conservative neighborhoods — nearly 218,000 Angelenos could play a pivotal role in deciding L.A.’s next mayor, my colleague Noah Goldberg reports. |
Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, both Bass and Raman must make inroads with Pratt supporters without putting off their base of liberals and progressives, analysts say. |
That won’t be easy, and it doesn’t help that Pratt has continued to hurl jabs at both Bass and Raman from the sidelines. |
When the former reality TV star gave a surprisingly positive review of Bass after a recent debate with Raman, calling her a “skilled politician,” he quickly pivoted back to slamming the mayor, calling her an “evil witch” in a post on Aug. 23. |
He also posted on X that Raman was the “worst possible choice for Mayor imaginable.” Still, he hasn’t endorsed either candidate, and voters shouldn’t expect him to, said Matt Klink, a Los Angeles-based Republican political consultant. |
“If he endorses Karen Bass a lot of people will see him as a sellout. If he endorses Nithya, which I can’t see happening, people will say he’s just bitter at Karen Bass,” Klink said. |
Where Pratt voters currently stand |
Pratt would lead Los Angeles for the next four years if it were up to Pacific Palisades. The affluent coastal community gave its native son 51% of the vote in June, which would have been enough to win the job outright. |
But he was outperformed citywide, leaving Palisades voters with a choice some liken to picking the lesser of two evils. |
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(Carlin Stiehl/For The Times; Robert Gauthier & Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) |
The Times spoke with more than a dozen Palisades voters about whom they plan to support in November. Some said they planned to abstain while others said they’d hold their nose and vote. One dreamed of recalling the next mayor, be it Bass or Raman. |
“There’s not a choice that meets the needs of our community,” said Joanna Curtis, a lifelong Palisadian who lost her home in the fire and voted for Pratt in the primary. |
How Mayor Bass could reach Pratt voters |
The Bass and Raman campaigns could rely on outside spending groups and campaign surrogates — political allies who lean to the right of the candidates — to avoid alienating their core supporters. |
Mayor Bass will rely on her most credible messenger to voters who are moderate or more conservative: the Police Protective League, the union representing rank-and-file LAPD officers. |
The union plans to spend several million dollars on anti-Raman ads, Noah reports, targeting her membership in the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which recently endorsed her candidacy. |
The DSA has called for defunding the police and abolishing prisons, drawing scorn from conservatives and mainstream Democrats alike. |
“The more voters that supported Spencer Pratt know about Nithya Raman, her record and the DSA agenda, the more they move away from Nithya Raman,” said Tom Saggau, a spokesperson for the union. |
How Nithya Raman could reach Pratt voters |
Raman, on the other hand, has fewer options in terms of surrogates who can reach out to conservative Pratt voters, analysts say. |
So instead, Raman is positioning herself as the anti-establishment candidate and seeking to capitalize on the strong negative opinions of Bass many Pratt voters hold, Raman campaign insiders say. |
Despite her association with the DSA, Raman is running a non-ideological campaign, shying away from major culture-war issues and leaning into a promise of making L.A. “A City That Works” — her campaign slogan. |
She also has made several trips to Pratt’s home turf — the Palisades — where she has met with voters frustrated over last year’s Palisades fire. |
At most, one candidate might get 70% of the Pratt vote and the other candidate might get 30%, says Fernando Guerra, a professor of political science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies at Loyola Marymount University. |
Guerra didn’t predict which candidate would be on the positive side of the divide, but he told The Times he believed Pratt voters would be conflicted and that many might simply choose to sit out the general election. |
Top stories |
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Paramount Pictures Studios on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) |
Paramount’s possible Hollywood exit puts Los Angeles on edge |
- Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison has floated the idea of moving Paramount and Warner Bros.’ operations out of Los Angeles if regulators keep blocking his $111-billion Hollywood mega-merger.
- Los Angeles’ identity and workers’ livelihoods are at stake, say worried residents who fear that Paramount will leave the state.
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Union power vs. MAGA politics in race for California schools superintendent |
- Democrat Richard Barrera and conservative Sonja Shaw are involved in a high-stakes battle for California’s superintendent of public instruction post.
- The race is meant to be nonpartisan. Still, the two candidates — both school board presidents — are pushing decidedly political campaigns, one aligning with liberal Democrats and the other with pro-Trump Republicans.
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How to watch the 2026 Emmys |
- The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards air Monday at 5 p.m. PT from downtown L.A.’s Peacock Theater, with NBC broadcasting live and Peacock streaming for cord-cutters nationwide.
- Mariska Hargitay will make her Emmys hosting debut, and front-runners “The Pitt,” “Widow’s Bay” and “Hacks” lead a packed field of standouts from the 2025-26 television season.
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More news |
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Commentary and opinion |
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Editor’s pick |
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Fernando Cerimedo, a prominent Latin American right-wing digital strategist, was arrested in Bolivia for allegedly orchestrating the attempted murder of his pregnant mistress to prevent her from exposing his criminal conduct. |
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More picks |
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Keep up with California |
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Things to do |
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Skylight Books in Los Feliz regularly hosts readings and book events. (Joel Barhamand / For The Times) |
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Today’s recipe |
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Chinois chicken salad (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) |
The Chinese flavor in this Chinois chicken salad created for Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois on Main restaurant comes from the dressing ingredients — Chinese mustard, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar. Although it is not the first recipe for “Chinese” chicken salad, it is hailed by many as one of the best. |
Question for you |
Have you given up your gas vehicle and joined the growing number of EV drivers in California? Tell us why or why not at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
Michael B. says, “My EV is the most satisfying physical object I’ve ever purchased—and I own the cheapest one in America, the Chevy Bolt EV. I love the quiet when I drive, quick acceleration, simplicity of maintenance and knowing that I’m spending less cash and burning less carbon on every trip. The rare moments when public charging can be a stressor are more than made up for by the joy of laughing my way past the gas station every week.” |
James M. says, “Gasoline cars are paid for and we are retired so minimal miles driven. Further, I don’t want to drive a car that is a computer on wheels with a flat screen that I have to use to manage my car.” |
Photo of the day |
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Buddy the golden retriever from the film “Air Bud” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) |
Games |
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Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Shi Bradley, audience intern |
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
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