Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star who's become a prickly thorn in the side of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after losing his home in the Palisades Fire, announced Wednesday that he's running against Bass in this year's mayoral election.
Pratt made the announcement at the "They Let Us Burn" rally held in the heart of Pacific Palisades on the anniversary of the deadly disaster.
🚨 🔥 🚨 BREAKING!! Palisades Fire Victim & courageous activist @spencerpratt JUST announced he’s running against @KarenBassLA for @MayorOfLA at the THEY LET US BURN rally on the first anniversary of the Palisades Fire to thunderous applause! https://t.co/Zbv3Psijv6 pic.twitter.com/KalQ4ldo3R
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) January 7, 2026
"I've got more water coming out of my eyes than LADWP had in both our reservoirs," a tearful Pratt said as he began his remarks.
"On January 7, 2025, Heidi and I lost our home. We lost every material possession we owned. My parents lost their home too, and with it decades of memories made inside those walls. I grew up in the Palisades. I moved through these streets thinking my two boys would grow up here just like I did, with that same hometown feeling. And then, right before my eyes, the future I envisioned for my family burned to the ground.
"Standing here one year later, I have to tell you that the most heartbreaking part of the past year wasn't being displaced or losing everything I owned; it was the realization that all of this was preventable."
Pratt then concisely ran through the failures that led to both the fire and the extent of the destruction.
We are standing here amongst the ashes of our once beautiful town because the state and local leaders let us burn. Gavin Newsom and the State of California let brush grow wild in Topanga State Park for 50 years with no prescribed burns and no wildfire maintenance. Gavin Newsom and the State of California created an insurance market so hostile that every major carrier stopped writing policies and dropped our families and our neighbors just before the sparks flew here in the Palisades.
Gavin Newsom and his State Park policies actually literally dictated that we let the Palisades burn, and his Park Rangers put kindling over the smoldering embers of the January 1st Lachman fire, which would ultimately ignite the January 7th Palisades fire that burned 7,000 structures and took 12 lives.
Janisse Quinones and the LADWP left our reservoirs empty despite collecting a salary of $750,000 per year. The LAFD failed to deploy sufficient firefighters, fire engines, and firefighting resources, whether it be due to lack of budget, lack of knowledge, or simply DEI. And while our lives were literally burning to the ground, Mayor Karen Bass was in Ghana.
DIVE DEEPER BOMBSHELL: Key Reservoir Was EMPTY When Palisades Fire Started, Contributed to Loss of Homes and Life
Exposed: Newsom's Burn-It-Out Policy Behind LA Firestorm
Like many people who aren't political junkies, before the fire Pratt believed that the taxes he paid to the state and local government were being used to create a functional city state government.
We all cope with loss differently. I coped with mine by eating burritos and putting every ounce of energy into uncovering the truth, and the dirty facts I've uncovered this year have completely blown me away. They have changed the way I view the world forever.
I used to think my taxpayer dollars funded a functional city and a state government whose infrastructure and essential services would be there when I needed them, but I was completely naive.Our elected officials were warned for years about brush management about the homeless crisis, interrupting our fire safety, about our city’s crumbling infrastructure, but they did nothing. They all stood by while our community became a tinderbox. And when the photo ops were done, they retreated into their office and buried fire victims in bureaucracy.
Despite record-breaking cleanup by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, and despite nearly $4 billion in loans approved by the SBA, most fire victims cannot rebuild due to building permits and city regulations. This isn't just a political failure; it's a moral one.
Referencing his time on shows like "The Hills" and "Princes of Malibu" with his friend Brody Jenner, Pratt described his evolution over the last year and perfectly summarized how Los Angeles works.
You know, I’ve spent a lot of my life in the public eye, and I've seen the games people play. I know the scripts they follow and the masks they wear. But this past year has stripped all that away. I have looked at my kids and my wife, I have looked at my family and my neighbors, and I have realized that the city I love is being managed into the ground by people who don't have the courage to actually lead.
NGOs, non-profits, and unions are running this town. Why do you think $100 million in FireAid money is missing? The system in Los Angeles isn't struggling; it's fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash.
And if you watched "The Hills" at all, you know that Pratt had a reputation for being a bit of an a**hole, but most of his blowups occurred when he felt his then-girlfriend/now-wife Heidi Montag was being treated unfairly. Now that he's a husband and father, that protectiveness has clearly only grown - and Pratt isn't content to sit on the sidelines while those who destroyed his home and community face no consequences. Pratt continued:
Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I'm done waiting for someone to take real action.
That's why I am running for mayor.
And let me be clear: This isn’t just a campaign. This is a mission, and we're gonna expose the system. We're going into every dark corner of LA politics and disinfecting the city with our light, and when we are done, LA is going to be camera-ready again.
Watch out, "Chinatown" - the corruption that's defined municipal life for more than a century might have met its match.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie.
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