Reality TV star Spencer Pratt has revealed plans to implement a three-week 'grace period' to warn criminals that he will crack down on everything if elected mayor of Los Angeles. The former reality TV villain launched a fierce campaign that some believe has a chance of defeating both incumbent Democrat Mayor Karen Bass and leftist Nithya Raman, whose odds have surged in recent weeks.
Grace Period Proposal
Speaking on the All In podcast to hammer home his message that the city of angels is 'worth saving,' he suggested that his mayoralty will begin with a brief reprieve for those committing crimes and the homeless. 'My plan, the first three weeks, signs up across the city: no more nakedness, no more drug use, no more robbing, no worse, no more dog abuse,' he said. He says that his team will then go around and warn everyone that 'you got three more weeks of this, clock's ticking.'
Pratt believes this will show those propagating crime in the city that 'there's a mayor in town' and even make some of the troublemakers leave. 'After that, once we start enforcing the laws: boom! Streets will be back,' he promised. He also suggested that he would bring in the Centers for Disease Control to wade out the 'medieval diseases' living in LA's homeless encampments.
Homeless Encampments
'They're not swabbing these encampments. People are just living in feces and dogs burning, we need these streets clean,' Pratt said. He added a reference to someone he described as a 'famous police chief' by saying that 'once you start putting handcuffs on people, see how many people leave.' 'This idea that if you let everyone do drugs and let the criminals do what they want... they're gonna do that!'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mayor Bass and Councilmember Raman for comment.
Rising Odds
The 42-year-old has overtaken LA City Councilwoman Nithya Raman this week after eviscerating her on the debate stage, the latest odds reveal. Pratt launched his campaign after becoming a vocal critic of Bass's tenure as mayor, in particular after his $3.8 million home burned down in the LA wildfires in January last year. The market gives Pratt a 28 percent chance of capturing the mayor's office compared to Raman's 20 percent, with incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the lead on 48 percent.
Voters are just weeks away from casting their ballots on June 2, and Pratt appears to have timed his campaign blitz just in time, with his odds more than doubling in the past month.
Debate Performance
At a debate on Wednesday night, Pratt was declared the winner over Bass and Raman by 79 percent of viewers polled by NBC, as his brash style won praise from many. Pratt especially dominated Raman, reducing her to a 'random city council member' in a jibe at Raman that went viral on social media. The remark came as Raman accused Pratt of teaming up with Bass to drive her out of the race, claiming they want to run only against each other 'because they think that is what will help them win.'
After the comment drew laughs from the audience, Pratt mocked the notion as he said: 'Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together. I blame this person for burning my house down.' The aspiring politician said he would much rather face only Raman in the election without Bass. 'All the unions support Mayor Bass,' he said. 'You think it's easier to run against the incumbent mayor with all the unions, or a random city council member who has been a failure for six years?'
Campaign Focus
The star accused Bass of mismanaging the response to the fires, which went on to burn down over 11,000 other structures and cause billions in damage. Although he registered as a Republican for the election, Pratt said his campaign is not centered on party affiliation, as he has also made fixing Los Angeles' issues with homelessness and drug use central to his candidacy.
Recent polls show Pratt making gains before voters head to the polls on June 2, with the election heading to a runoff on November 3 if no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote. He drew more momentum on Sunday after Bass withdrew from a crucial mayoral debate just days after the televised forum that viewers felt Pratt handily won. Bass pulled out of a Los Angeles mayoral candidate forum scheduled for May 13 that was set to air on FOX 11, according to a statement released Saturday by the organizers.
Pratt registered at 14 percent support in a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Poll last month, coming behind Bass at 25 percent and Raman at 17 percent. The debate on Wednesday appeared to only strengthen Pratt in the eyes of many, as pundits said the reality TV star came across as slick and no-nonsense compared to his competitors.
Media Reactions
LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano said the debate had 'two winners and one loser,' as he slammed Raman for 'failing' to position herself as a leading candidate for voters. 'At times, Raman was tongue-tied trying to answer simple questions,' the columnist said. 'Raman, who had endorsed Bass's reelection before throwing her hat in at the last minute, came off as inexperienced, touchy and unprepared.'
Arellano added that the 'line of the night' came from Pratt, when he dismissed Raman as a 'random councilmember.' He said the line is: 'How the LA political world responded to her entry into the race' and stands in stark contrast to Pratt's 'boisterous bro' image on the debate stage.
