Spencer Pratt, a literal reality TV villain with no political experience, may have become a competitive candidate and attracted wealthy donors, but that isn’t pushing sitting Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass to introspection.
“It’s not prompted any soul searching from me,” said the mayor, her tone firm, when asked by The Hollywood Reporter about how she’s taken the development on Thursday. “I think that we’ll see where his campaign leads him. No.”
Instead, ahead of the June 2 primary election, Bass is laser-focused on trumpeting what she sees as her achievements in office — including her response to L.A.’s production crisis, which has become a political flashpoint in the race.
Supporters of the mayor point to an array of actions she’s taken since 2022. That’s included installing an industry council, passing two executive orders aimed at cutting red tape, getting personally involved in production snafus on Baywatch in Venice Beach and supporting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s expanded $750 million state tax credit, passed in 2025.
She’s promising more. During the race, Bass has pledged support for uncapping California’s film and TV tax credit (after opponent Nithya Raman said the same) and for establishing a federal film tax incentive. On Thursday, she celebrated winning the endorsement of Hollywood crew unions with a speech at Sunset Gower Studios: “I am honored to continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with you in the years ahead,” she said.
