Spencer Pratt talks taxes, crime, and safety in CNBC interview
Spencer Pratt, a Los Angeles GOP mayoral candidate known for *The Hills*, says he entered the race because “nobody else was going to run,” arguing that Mayor Karen Bass is positioned to secure another term without a serious challenger. In a CNBC interview, he framed his campaign around “local, common-sense issues,” focusing on taxes, crime, public safety, and the city’s economic struggles.
Pratt has used social media to attack Bass over homelessness and quality-of-life concerns, including a viral Instagram video he posted about a trash-filled playground he associated with “Karen Basura’s park,” claiming taxpayers’ money is being used without results. He supports stronger intervention for people with severe addiction or mental illness, referencing California laws that can allow courts to mandate treatment in certain cases.
He also connected public safety to Los Angeles’s ability to attract investment-especially film and television production-arguing rising costs and safety/permitting problems have made the city less appealing than locations offering bigger incentives. Pratt claimed some productions have paid gangs for protection (without providing evidence) and said he wants more funding for the fire department, which he says is under-resourced. He further emphasized protections for groups he says feel unsafe, including jewish people, Muslim worshippers, and LGBTQ residents.
The LA mayoral primary is set for june 2.
Los Angeles GOP mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt talked about taxes, crime, safety and the city’s economic struggles during a Thursday interview on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, casting himself as an outsider focused on what he described as “local, common-sense issues.”
“I only got into the race because nobody else was going to run,” Pratt said.
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“I only got into the race because nobody else was going to run,” Pratt said, arguing that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was positioned to “get four more years” without a serious challenger.
“[Bass] was just going to get four more years, so I had to step up,” Pratt said.
Pratt, a reality television personality best known for The Hills, has increasingly used social media to criticize Bass’s handling of homelessness, drug addiction, and quality-of-life issues across Los Angeles.
Pratt posted a video on Instagram on May 13, calling out what he named “Karen Basura’s park.” The word “Basura,” a derogatory nickname Pratt uses for Bass, means trash in Spanish.
The video showed a playground littered with trash, where Pratt claimed drug addicts came, and what looked to be a nearby homeless encampment.
“All of our tax money is going to the drug addicts,” he alleged.
Los Angeles continues to grapple with homelessness and housing affordability. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, more than 45,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the city in 2024
, though officials reported modest declines in unsheltered homelessness in some areas following expanded housing and outreach efforts.
Pratt said his administration would pursue stricter intervention policies for individuals struggling with severe addiction or mental illness, referencing California laws that allow courts to mandate treatment in certain cases when individuals are deemed unable to care for themselves.
Throughout the interview, Pratt tied public safety concerns to the city’s broader economic challenges, particularly the entertainment industry. He argued that rising costs, crime concerns, and permitting issues have made Los Angeles less attractive for film and television production, an issue industry leaders and unions have increasingly raised as productions move to states offering larger tax incentives.
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“We’re going to look like Dubai in eight years,” he said.
He also said film crews can’t afford to film in the city.
“Everyone will want to produce and make projects in Los Angeles because it’s perfect when it’s a functioning, beautiful, safe city. But right now, it’s dangerous,” Pratt said.
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Pratt also claimed some film crews operating in parts of Los Angeles have paid gangs for protection while filming, though he did not provide evidence for the assertion.
Pratt also emphasized the need for more funding for the fire department, which he says is operating at levels from the 1960s.
“We need to get our tax money back.”
He continued: “I’m like Robin Hood. I’m actually going to take the money that’s already being taxed by the rich; I’m going to make sure other rich people aren’t stealing it to increase problems.”
“I made it very clear that I’m going to protect my Jewish friends and families that feel unsafe,” Pratt said. He continued, “I want a Muslim student to feel safe going to worship.”
On LGBT safety in Los Angeles, he said, “Whether you want to be trans and however you want to identify, if you’re 18-years-old in America, you should be able to do whatever you want if you don’t hurt other people.”
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“I’m the common-sense American with the basic expectations of our tax money.”
The LA mayoral primary election will be held June 2.
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