Overview
- In a Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times survey, Karen Bass leads with 25% as Nithya Raman posts 17% and Spencer Pratt 14%, with about a quarter of voters undecided.
- The poll finds only 31% view Bass favorably and 56% view her unfavorably, pointing to a weak hold on first place.
- The first candidate debate went on without Bass or Pratt, giving lesser-known rivals a chance to introduce themselves to voters who have yet to choose.
- Analysts say views of Bass’s handling of the Palisades Fire now define the race, and critics have raised issues about response speed, public messaging, and her travel, as reported by ABC7 and the New York Post.
- Los Angeles uses a nonpartisan top-two system on June 2 that advances two candidates to November if no one tops 50%, and incumbents here tend to win re-election, with the last loss in 2005.