Spencer Pratt boycotted voters at a packed BBQ ahead of the Los Angeles mayor

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spent part of his Saturday in Baldwin Village doing a final voter turnout campaign with days to go before Tuesday’s primary.

About 150 residents packed the community barbecue and voter engagement event where neighbors gathered to speak directly with Pratt about homelessness, crime, public safety, government accountability and the future of Los Angeles.

For several hours, Pratt made his way through the crowd, stopping to answer questions, take photos and listen to complaints from residents who say they often feel neglected by City Hall.

“Baldwin Village is a great place with great people and great energy, but the thing that stood out to me was how disappointed they were all about Karen Bass,” Pratt told The Post.

“They all feel disappointed and disillusioned with the city’s leadership, and they get a glimmer of hope to see someone running who hates and distrusts politicians as much as they do.”

Pratt said many citizens feel they have been living with the consequences of government failure for years.

“The community appreciates that I have had to deal with the consequences of the government’s neglect, as has happened for many years,” said Pratt. “I look forward to working with neighborhood leaders to eliminate corruption and fraud so that their tax dollars can work for them.”

With candidates expected to play a major role in deciding who will advance in Tuesday’s election, Pratt repeatedly urged supporters not to stay out of the race.

“It’s now or never,” Pratt said. “We have a once in a lifetime chance to right the ship in LA, but people need to get off the internet and vote. I don’t want to hear anyone complaining about drugs or fires or potholes if they haven’t voted. There’s no destiny but what we do.”

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The event was organized by local volunteers and community leaders who said they wanted citizens to have direct access to the candidate for mayor.

“It’s good to see everyone coming out to vote,” said organizer Marie Claybourne. “Anything we can do to help, I’m here.”

Among those who spoke with Pratt was Baldwin Village resident Leonard Lee, who expressed concern about the lack of accountability regarding the use of homeless funds.

“The biggest problem in the homelessness situation is the nonprofit issue,” Lee told The Post. “The money is put into non-profit organizations and they pay for themselves.”

Throughout the afternoon, Pratt emphasized that if elected, he plans to spend less time inside City Hall and more time meeting directly with citizens.

“I plan to spend very little time at City Hall,” Pratt told attendees. “I am very happy to be in communities with people who feel like they are not heard because that is why I was elected. I did not hear.”

The event also attracted communications journalist Eoin Richard, who has built a following documenting homelessness and life stories in Los Angeles.

Richard said he supports Pratt because he believes the city needs a different approach to homelessness.

“We have to save our city and actually elect someone who cares about people, who cares about fixing homelessness and solving problems, not just pushing them to other communities and creating chaos,” said Richard.

Richard said his reporting grew out of his experience living in MacArthur Park, where he witnessed the camps and drug use.

“Every day people, including me, had to deal with camping on the ground and using drugs around children and in parks,” said Richard. “It’s impacting everybody all over LA.”

He said that Pratt’s message seemed to resonate with the voters who gathered at the event.

“It’s an encouraging message,” said Richard. “I think everyone in the world here is motivated, and we have to keep going.”

The Post newspaper spoke to residents who did not attend Saturday’s event to find out what the voters said and the number of people who will be voting. While many said they had not yet voted, many told The Post they planned to vote before polls closed on Tuesday.

Sophia Young, who is not old enough to vote but follows city politics closely with her family, said her parents support Councilor Nithya Raman.

“I support many of his policies,” Young said. “As someone who comes from a family that pays rent and I see my parents struggling, I think that’s something that impresses me,” she said.

He added that he believes the race remains very competitive.

“I think it’s going to be a really close race.”

Some residents say they have voted for Mayor Karen Bass.

Kevin Merrik, a nearby resident who voted by mail, said he considered other options before ultimately supporting the incumbent.

“It’s hard work and it’s a hard time,” he said. “The fire didn’t help him at all.”

“I finally decided that I want to live with someone I know who he is.”

This event also attracted those who will vote for the first time.

One new resident said he recently registered to vote and cast his first vote for Pratt after being encouraged by Adrian Mallon, a public advocate who has been active in Pratt’s outreach efforts.

“It was my first time voting, and I’m glad I was able to do it for Spencer Pratt,” she said.

There are only three days left for voters to vote.

As The Post reported Friday, the race is tight in the race to close the gap, with Spencer Pratt and Mayor Karen Bass running neck and neck with Councilwoman Nithya Raman trailing behind.