Bass Faces June 2 Primary Runoff in La Mayor Race
Karen Bass is running in the June 2 primary in the la mayor race for a second and final term, and her campaign says it does not expect her to win a majority. Bass said she fully intends to win the Nov. 3 runoff and says she has been fighting for change from Day One.
The mayor is facing the toughest reelection fight of her political career. Many voters now associate her with the 2025 Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead, while Bass says she will point to progress on homeless encampments, affordable housing and homicides.
Bass and the June 2 primary
Bass took office in 2022 and stood with her allies as she declared a local emergency on homelessness on her first day. In the current race, she has said, “I have been fighting for change from Day One” and, on governing, “That’s very disruptive and can get people pissed off. But I’m going to do what needs to be done to address these problems.”
She said she will tell voters that homicides in Los Angeles are at their lowest since 1966. Bass is also running for a second and final term, which gives the June 2 vote extra weight because it can determine whether she clears the primary or moves into a runoff.
Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt
City Councilmember Nithya Raman is trying to unseat Bass. Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt is also running an insurgent campaign, and Pratt’s home was destroyed in the Palisades fire. He is portraying homeless residents as a danger to stroller-pushing moms.
Michael Trujillo, a Democratic political strategist, said, “I think the city turned on her after the fires.” He added, “We saw an office and an administration that was not well equipped for a crisis.”
That criticism sits alongside a broader voter problem: a majority of voters view Bass unfavorably. Big-city mayors have recently lost reelection in Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco, a reminder that incumbency has not protected other city leaders facing the same kind of voter anger.
Los Angeles runoff history
Los Angeles has seen this path before. Former Mayor James Hahn was forced into a runoff in 2005 and lost to Antonio Villaraigosa, while Sam Yorty was pushed into a runoff in 1973 and was defeated by Tom Bradley, one of Bass’s heroes.
Rick Cole, a former L.A. deputy mayor, said Bass negotiated significant raises for police officers, firefighters and the civilian workforce early in her administration. He said the city was left with too few dollars to sustain basic services after those raises, and added, “From A to Z, from animal services to the zoo, the city is shabbier and more dysfunctional than it was three years.”
Oren Hadar, a Raman supporter and Mid-City resident, said, “I just get the sense that the city is kind of falling apart.” He added, “We can’t repave streets. We can’t fix streetlights. It’s just this basic stuff that isn’t getting done.” Bass’s path now runs through the June 2 primary and, if needed, the Nov. 3 runoff she says she intends to win.
