The California Post endorses Spencer Pratt for Los Angeles mayor

The California Post is proud to endorse Spencer Pratt for mayor of Los Angeles.

Pratt is a political newcomer who lost his family home in the Palisades Fire.

He jumped into the race because he, like many other residents, became deeply frustrated with the exceedingly slow pace of rebuilding.

Were it just for the fire, Pratt might merely be a protest vote. But he has showed a deep passion for LA and a strong grasp of the challenges the city faces.

Pragmatic Pratt is certainly the best candidate, given the incompetence and ideological idiocy of his opponents.

He has campaigned on the key issues that matter to Angelenos — the common-sense priorities of hard-working residents.

The persistent homelessness. The enduring threat of violent crime. The crumbling roads. The dry reservoirs. The constant tax hikes. The job cuts in Hollywood. The ongoing exodus of residents. And a continued culture of corruption at City Hall.

We have had one-party rule in LA for a quarter of a century.

The last great mayor was Richard Riordan. Since then, we’ve gone from good to bad to worse. One-termer James Hahn, political climber Antonio Villaraigosa, incompetent Eric Garcetti, and now Karen Bass.

We are long overdue for change.

Pratt’s specific policy proposals make clear that he is the candidate for change.

Pragmatic Pratt says he will crack down on petty crime.

He says he will overhaul the city’s emergency-response systems so that nothing like the Palisades Fire can ever happen again.

He says he will enforce anti-camping ordinances to stop homeless people from putting up tents wherever they feel like it.

Mayor Bass has failed.

She was in Africa during the fire when the city needed her most. Instead of taking responsibility she blamed others. Deflection and deception is not leadership.

She has failed to meet her own goals for restoring the police force. She promised 9,500 LAPD officers. We are at around 8,600 and falling.

And while Bass may claim she achieved some modest reductions in the homeless population — this came at a massive cost.

The city spent nearly a billion dollars last year on homelessness, rather than addressing underlying causes like drug abuse and mental illness. The mayor’s “Inside Safe” program, which moves homeless people into hotel and motel rooms, cost an average of $82,421 per homeless person, per year — more than twice the cost of other temporary housing.

Worst of all, baleful Bass lacks any vision for the future of the city.

Four years ago, Angelenos had a chance to elect a builder, in Rick Caruso.

Bass countered that she was the only one who was reliably pro-choice.

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So what, the City Council does not control abortion.

In effect, she told LA voters to choose abortion over competence. We can see the results.

Many Angelenos said they would take back their votes from 2022 if they could — especially after the fires.

The only thing worse would be socialist rule.

Socialist candidate Nithya Raman represents a far-left agenda that is already destroying New York and should not be allowed to wreak even further havoc in LA.

It’s not even clear why she’s running.

The last thing LA needs is another Zohran Mamdani.

Socialism fails everywhere — and it will fail especially hard in LA.

Yes, we are a liberal city that has historically voted for Democrats. But freedom is in our DNA. We are a city of people who create — not people who tear down what other people have created.

Pratt is not perfect. None of us is perfect but he represents a rare chance for reform and renewal in LA.

He’s not a member of the political class.

And when Pratt talks about change, you know you can believe him — because he’s lost everything already.

This election is a rare opportunity for change. More of the same won’t fix LA.

Bass has failed us, and Raman wants to double down on those failures.

The California Post believes in the future of California, and the future of this wonderful city.

LA, it’s time for a change and Spencer Pratt is our best chance.