Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has fired back at the Los Angeles Times after its report cast doubt on his ability to run for office — because his house burned down.
The report suggested Pratt may not meet residency requirements and was heavily criticized on social media by detractors who claimed that Mayor Karen Bass’ incompetence led to preventable destruction of homes, the cause of Pratt’s housing issues.
‘They want to attack me for not living in the Palisades while running for mayor? Hey, brain surgeon, my house burned down!’
Pratt, a former reality TV show star, lambasted the report in a video accusing a Times reporter of harassing his family in an attempt to aid Bass’ campaign.
“They want to try and write a hit piece about me, about my residency? … They want to attack me for not living in the Palisades while running for mayor? Hey, brain surgeon, my house burned down!” Pratt said in the video posted to social media.
Pratt said he used an SBA disaster loan to pay for an Airstream travel trailer to be craned into his “burned-out lot” so that he could live there. He accused the Times of writing the “hit piece” after a poll showed him taking second place in the race behind Bass.
The Times defended its piece in a statement to CBS News.
“The Times learned that Mr. Pratt was living in Carpinteria and contacted him and those around him for comment,” a spokesperson for the Times said. “We stand by our story and the reporting of our journalists.”
However, a community note on the X social media platform undermined the report:
LA City Clerk guidance for wildfire-displaced residents directs keeping the original residential address (like Pratt’s Palisades lot) for voter registration if relocation is temporary, updating only the mailing address to preserve City residency and eligibility.
Former county supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said the residency question will not likely be a problem for Pratt.
“Common sense tells me he lost his home in the Palisades,” he said. “He’s got to find a place to live. I’m not sure this is an issue that gets any traction.”
RELATED: Los Angeles mayor’s re-election campaign gets crushing news from ‘downright devastating’ poll
A poll from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs showed Pratt with 11% support and Bass with 25% support. However, 40% of respondents said they were undecided, meaning the race could change drastically before the primary election on June 2.
Pratt has taken to mocking Bass with the nickname “Karen Basura,” which means “trash” or “garbage” in Spanish.
“I was born here, went to school at USC,” Pratt said in the video. “I bleed Dodger blue. This is my city, and I’m taking it back.”
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