Spencer Pratt may be the candidate who benefited most from NBC and Telemundo Los Angeles\u2019 double-header debate night on Wednesday when three LA mayoral candidates and seven California gubernatorial candidates clashed on stage.<\/p>\n
Pratt, a second-generation Angeleno and Palisades Fire victim, surprised many during the debate, eloquently and passionately explaining his campaign platforms \u2013 improving LA\u2019s handling of wildfires, strengthening public safety, eradicating homelessness \u2013 against LA Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prior to the debate, many associated him with MTV\u2019s \u201cThe Hills,\u201d a reality TV show that aired between 2006 and 2010. But now, Pratt no longer describes himself as a reality TV star.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you vote for Spencer Pratt on your ballot today or tonight, it’ll say Spencer Pratt, community advocate because that’s how I identify,\u201d Pratt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Why Pratt thinks he\u2019s like Obama<\/strong><\/p>\n Shortly after NBCLA\u2019s mayoral debate, Pratt raised some eyebrows by drawing parallels between him and former Pres. Barack Obama, who worked as a community organizer years before running for the U.S. Senate and eventually for president. The mayoral candidate stood by his comparison despite having less experience in community advocacy than Obama.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have two awards from my community. Pres. Obama actually didn\u2019t even have awards when he was a community organizer,\u201d Pratt said. \u201cHe was able to become a senator and then a president for eight years, so I feel like him and I have the same experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Feeling more excited about the mayor\u2019s race following his better-than-expected performance on the debate stage, Pratt said he thinks his messages resonated with voters and viewers because he\u2019s \u201ctelling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy only goal is to just be true and authentic,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are tired with politicians lying about what we see everyday in LA and what we feel.\u201d<\/p>\n Pratt admitted that prior to the Palisades Fire in 2025, he was not very interested in local politics despite having a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science from USC.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was a naive, tax-paying citizen,\u201d he said. \u201cI always believed that you pay your taxes, the firefighters will show up, LAPD will show up, your water comes out of the sink”<\/p>\n But after his home that he shared with wife Heidi Montag, another reality TV personality, and his parents\u2019 home were destroyed in the wildfire, he said he began questioning everything. Pratt said his mother is still struggling with grief after losing the home and everything inside it, adding that she couldn\u2019t even get her passport when flames ripped through their neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter you lose everything because of the failures at city leadership, you realize how important local government is.”<\/p>\n Getting Rick Caruso\u2019s permission to run<\/strong><\/p>\n Pratt said his anger and frustration over the LA city\u2019s handling of the Palisades Fire intensified as he said no one was being held accountable for \u201ccriminal negligence,” specially after the Los Angeles Fire Department\u2019s after-action report, which showed the city had multiple operational failures and lacked preparedness.<\/p>\n Even after the LA Times reported that Mayor Bass wanted to alter the after-action report to divert the blame \u2013 the allegation that Bass vehemently has denied \u2013 Pratt said he grew more upset that \u201cnothing was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n When Mayor Bass announced she\u2019s seeking a second term, at the time, unopposed, Pratt said he picked up the phone and called billionaire developer and former LA mayoral candidate Rick Caruso.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018I’m going to run after Mayor Bass if you’re not doing this.\u2019 And he obviously made up his mind. He said, \u2018Go after Bass,\u2019\u201d Pratt said.<\/p>\n Caruso did not announce whether he\u2019s endorsing Pratt for LA mayor as of Friday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Pratt as the \u2018angry LA white guy?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n While his interest in public office began in the aftermath of the wildfire, Pratt insisted that he\u2019s not running just because of his anger toward LA city officials and their response to the fire; he argued the city\u2019s inactions are connected to other problems that are plaguing the city, including homelessness and public safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n While accusing Mayor Bass of inflating her record of reducing homelessness, Pratt claimed homelessness and drug use are connected, adding drug addiction treatments must be enforced.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need, as a functioning city, to take these people, put them into medical treatment, help them get sober, then go get them a bed, then help them get back into society and give them opportunities,\u201d Pratt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n