Los Angeles residents share who they voted for in the mayoral race—and it’s bad news for Karen Bass

Voters across Los Angeles had their say at the ballot box Tuesday, sharing with The California Post who they wanted to see hold the city’s top job.

A California Post poll conducted with McLaughlin & Associates just days before the June 2 primary election showed TV mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt statistically closing in on incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

Pratt led the field with 30.1% support, compared to 29.5% for Bass, setting up a tight race going into Tuesday’s primaries, with left-wing Councilwoman Nithya Raman sitting in third place at 23.4%.

“I want my LA back,” one female voter who voted for Pratt told The Post outside the polling place. “I think he is the most intelligent person people have ever seen because I don’t like any group.

“We have homeless people sitting there who are disgustingly dirty,” he added.

Several other voters who supported Pratt expressed concerns about homelessness, crime, quality of life, and frustration with Bass, particularly his handling of the Pacific Palisades fires.

“I voted for Pratt because our house burned down in the Palisades. I felt like everyone had abandoned us,” Marissa Abel told The Post. “Pratt’s house also burned down, so I feel like he’s a spokesperson for us Palisadians.”

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Abel said his experience during the Palisades fire shaped his vote for Pratt.

Fed up with what he described as the government’s failure during disasters, he said he supports Pratt because he believes he understands the struggles of the community and is willing to push for accountability and change.

“I’m not on either side of politics. I don’t vote red or green. I vote based on what I believe,” he said.

Pratt announced his run for mayor in early January on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fire, in which he lost his home. He cited his experience during the crisis as a major reason for entering the race.

Of the ten people the Post spoke to, no one supports the incumbent although many say they want experienced leadership.

“I was also surprised that Karen Bass was voting the way she was. I really liked what Spencer Pratt had to say. But at the end of the day, she doesn’t have the experience to run one of the biggest cities in the United States,” 19-year-old Ian Sullivan, who voted for underdog Adam Miller, told The Post.

Sullivan said he lost his home in the fire.

“I took pictures of my family, my cat and my dog ​​and went out. What happened with the fire affected the way I voted,” he said.

Some voters also expressed their desire for “a change in Karen Bass.”

Meanwhile, voters who support Raman point to affordable housing, solutions to homelessness, and progressive policies as key reasons for their support. Younger voters seemed more likely to support Raman.

“I think Spencer Pratt is using what happened to him during the fire to get support. He’s using a lot of AI in his campaign, and I’m really against AI,” 18-year-old Samuel Chae, who voted for Raman and lives in West LA, told the Post.

Chae, a student, said he was affected by the fire because he had to go study elsewhere and believes that “not many people voted because of the fire,” pointing to Pratt’s rise in the polls. However, he said he supports Raman over Pratt.

“Many people need to examine his policies,” said Chae, adding that he is not a big fan of the incumbent.