Overview
- The televised forum scheduled for Wednesday was canceled Monday after Nithya Raman withdrew, which meant Mayor Karen Bass and Spencer Pratt were also not attending and only two lesser-known candidates remained.
- Karen Bass exited last week to travel to Sacramento for state funds tied to housing, homelessness, and Pacific Palisades fire recovery, Spencer Pratt had earlier declined over a scheduling conflict, and Raman’s team said she joined only to debate the incumbent.
- The League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles and the Pat Brown Institute criticized the withdrawals, calling public forums a cornerstone of voter accountability.
- Pratt’s profile rose after the May 6 NBC4 debate, where informal viewer polls favored him, while recent surveys cited in coverage still show Bass ahead with many voters undecided.
- A new ad funded by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor spent $221,000 highlighting Pratt’s stances in ways analysts say could boost his appeal with conservatives in the June 2 top-two primary, a tactic seen before in California to shape a preferred runoff opponent.