Nithya Raman blames voter frustration on Spencer Pratt’s support for LA mayor’s race

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman said voter frustration helped fuel celebrity support for Spencer Pratt in the city’s hard-fought mayoral race, acknowledging that many Angelenos are fed up with the status quo.

“I know that many people in this city voted for Spencer Pratt, who expressed the fear and anger that many people in this city are feeling right now,” she said. “I don’t think Spencer Pratt was what LA needed at this time, but I understand why he was able to develop support.”

Raman’s comments reflected a central theme of the mayoral race: residents have grown angry over deteriorating conditions across Los Angeles and what they see as a failure of the city’s leadership.

“The people of this city are frustrated because of the conditions that exist on our roads, and they feel there is no leadership here,” he said. They can feel like the city is not working, and they are sick.

The left-wing member also referred to Mayor Karen Bass, saying that powerful people continue to dominate local governments.

“The mayor has the whole political machine behind him,” Raman said.

The mayoral race comes after growing political turmoil, including a massive lawsuit filed by thousands of homeowners who lost property in the Palisades Fire.

The sweeping lawsuit names the city of Los Angeles, the state of California, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and several other entities as defendants.

Among the plaintiffs is Kenneth D. Bass – who is the brother of Mayor Karen Bass – adding another twist to this high-profile case as questions continue to swirl around the government in this deadly fire.

Bass defended his administration’s record, highlighting efforts to reduce homelessness, expand public safety programs, and support the entertainment industry, while criticizing Raman’s approach to the inner-city campaign.

Raman ran as a program-oriented reformer, arguing that City Hall has failed to respond quickly to homelessness, housing affordability, infrastructure, and basic city services.

He criticized what he described as ineffective and expensive programs, questioned major spending decisions, and called for stronger accountability in all city departments.

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In his policy piece, he promised to lower housing costs, protect tenants, reduce homelessness, improve city services, strengthen emergency response systems, support small businesses, and preserve entertainment industry jobs.

He also positioned himself as an outsider to what he described as entrenched political agendas.

The campaign has also been marred by controversy, including videos circulating online that appear to show homeless residents of Skid Row claiming they were paid to vote for Bass and Raman.

Raman also drew comparisons during the race to New York politician Zohran Mamdani.

Historically, the contest comes at a time when no Los Angeles mayor has lost re-election since 2005, when James Hahn lost to Antonio Villaraigosa.

In his first remarks since election night, Raman also acknowledged the support Pratt received during the primary and what he believes reflects voter attitudes.

“I know that many people in this city voted for Spencer Pratt, who expressed the fear and anger that many people in this city are feeling right now,” he said. “I don’t think Spencer Pratt was what LA needed at this time, but I understand why he was able to develop support.”